June 6th, 2017

LCpl. Mark "Hotshot" Greenfield

1st Marines, Bravo Company, Alpha Squad

East Coast, United States of America

0545 Hours

"Team, halt." Sergeant Knox ordered as we came to a stop at the edge of the tree line, multiple buildings with gates surrounding the area just a few hundred meters from our position.

"York, I need you up in that tree." Knox whispered as the giant man nodded and grabbed onto the thick branches.

"Hotshot, Turner, Horn, check your fucking gear. I don't want it to jam when we start assaulting." Sergeant Knox ordered as I opened the grenade chamber of the EGLM, slipping out a High-Explosive round, checking it and slamming it back in.

Still exhausted from the run, I pulled out the magazine to find black tipped armor piercing rounds. I tried to steady my breathing as I pulled back the charging handle of the SCAR, a bullet revealing itself in the chamber as I tilted the gun on its side. Grabbing the bullet, I slid it back into the magazine with its other brothers before slapping it back into the gun. Slamming the charging handle down, the bolt slid forward cycling another round with a clack as I waited in my desert digital battle dress uniform for York to report in.

"I'm up, Sergeant." York reported in as I struggled to keep the heavy battle rifle ready, my arms sore.

"What can you see?" Sergeant Knox asked as the sun was up, light spilling in from the forest tree line and onto our faces.

"I see, foot mobiles mixed with the prisoners in the middle of the vehicle depot. There are about…four guarding the southern gate from our perspective and another four guarding the eastern gate. I can't verify the western or northern, it's obscured Sarge." York stated as Sergeant Knox nodded.

"Alright, get down here and prep for an assault." Sergeant Knox ordered as he got on the radio.

"Rawhide Two-Three, to Kilo Nine-One and Papa Bear Six-Three, over." Sergeant Knox stated in his gruff voice as York slowly climbed down the branches.

"Roger that Rawhide Two-Three, send over." One of the squad leaders responded as Sergeant Knox pulled out his map.

"Kilo Nine-One, Papa Bear Six-Three, I need your position in correlation to the vehicle depot, over." Sergeant Knox requested as there were screams from the inside of the vehicle depot.

"Copy that, Kilo Nine-One is two hundred meters west of the vehicle depot. We're hunkered down at the highway and so far no contacts, over." Kilo Nine-One reported as Sergeant Knox pinpointed their unit.

"Copy that last, Kilo Nine-One." Sergeant Knox replied as I set down my rifle, taking the weight off my arms for a short while.

"Papa Bear Six-Three here, we are five hundred meters east of the vehicle depot. We're inside a house closest to the vehicle depot, how copy?" Papa Bear Six-Three reported as Sergeant Knox circled their position on the map.

"Rawhide Two-Three, Papa Bear Six-Three, anyway you can move closer to the target over?" Sergeant Knox asked as a pair of Mi-24 Attack Helicopters sailed overhead and flew inland, their rotors buzzing.

"Negative, unless you want our asses shot of at three hundred meters, over." Papa Bear Six-Three replied as Sergeant Knox nodded understanding.

"Rawhide Actual, Rawhide Two-Three, Interrogative, do we have artillery support?" Sergeant Knox asked pausing for a moment, waiting for a reply.

"Roger that Rawhide Two-Three, we have three artillery units cleared for your use, over." Rawhide Actual replied as Sergeant Knox nodded, satisfied.

"Alright, listen up." Sergeant Knox stated addressing Kilo Nine-One, Papa Bear Six-Three and our team, Rawhide Two-Three.

"We are to assault the vehicle depot when smoke drops from the artillery. After that smoke hits the ground and obscures the enemy, rush in fangs out. I do not want one fucking Haji staring at me or at anyone in that depot. I want them all dead. Kilo Nine-One you guys are attack from your position to eliminate all opposition with extreme prejudice. Same goes for you Papa Six-Three, you guys are going to have to book it if you want to join the party. After we are inside the base, we will extradite north and clear out the north gate before calling in the Bradleys, how copy?" Sergeant Knox asked everyone as the sounds of birds chirping and insects buzzing filled the silence.

"Copy that, Rawhide Two-Three." Two voices replied in unison as Sergeant Knox curled in hand into a fist in the air, pumping his hand up and down giving us the signal to ready up.

"Artillery, Rawhide Two-Three." Sergeant Knox spoke into the radio as he pulled out his binoculars but a built in range finder.

"Copy that Rawhide Two-Three, send over." The Artillery Coordinator responded as Sergeant Knox jotted down notes on the map.

"I need harassing artillery, smoke non-white prosperous at designated grids Delta Echo Niner Six Eight Five Three Zero. Three barrages of smoke at ranges fifty meters north of depot, fifty meters west of depot, fifty meters east of depot and fifty meters south of depot, how copy?" Sergeant Knox requested as there was short pause.

"Roger that Rawhide Two-Three, rounds out." The Artillery Coordinator replied as Sergeant Knox tucked away his binoculars and pulled out his M16A4, waiting for the artillery.

"Go." Sergeant Knox ordered as the whistle of artillery rounds decelerating to deploy smoke into the ground below.

Pushing through the branches with my rifle in front, the artillery shells exploded mid-air. White smoke started to thicken as the contents reacted to the air as more artillery shells landed a few hundred meters in front of us. Pulling my ballistic goggles down from its resting place on the helmet, we crossed the two hundred meter mark. The smoke consumed us as we were walking in a pure white mist. The smoke tasted like stale milk from the lactose content mixed with the potassium chlorate used to create the smoke screen. Still running, my visual range was only a few meters in front of me with Sergeant Knox running just a few meters in front partially obscured by the white fog. I heard Arabic as Sergeant Knox came to a slow walk, his weapon raised and finger in the trigger. I followed in suite, the SCAR-H up as I looked through the iron sights scanning the horizon of white smoke.

"Contact!" I heard someone yell as green tracer rounds flew past me, illuminating the white fog.

How someone saw that MEC soldier was beyond me as I walked right up to an MEC trooper, his AK-47 aimed in the wrong direction. Without remorse, I flicked the safety off and fired off a shot. The bullet sliced into the soldier's shemagh wrapped around his neck. Sergeant Knox's rifle went off as a trio of M855A1 rounds struck the soldier's plate carrier, the copper-core rounds punching through the Arabian's ceramic plate and into his body. He gargled as the blood filled his throat. Sparing him the pain of suffering, I fired a round into his head. The large 7.62 round decimated his head and turned it into a salad of brain matter and blood. Looking up two MEC soldiers crouched about to engage as a staccato of machine gun fire exploded out from behind us. Turner's M240B laid down a wall of lead, effectively silencing the MEC soldiers standing guard at the gates of the vehicle depot. Sweeping my weapon right, I made sure that the area obscured still with smoke had no hostiles in the area except for the occasional dead MEC soldier.

"Right clear." I reported slowly walking up to a building wall with Sergeant Knox leading the formation.

"Left clear." Chris reported as he brought up my rear.

"All teams report, over." Sergeant Knox ordered with a whisper.

"Kilo Nine-One, in position in from the west gate." Kilo Nine-One reported with as whisper as I waited for the Sergeant's command.

"Papa Bear Six-Three, in position from the east gate." Papa Bear Six-Three reported as Sergeant Knox looked back nodding.

"Execute, Execute, Execute." Sergeant Knox ordered into the radio as I readied my weapon, flicking the safety off.

Sergeant Knox turned the corner as I followed, weapon up and looking through the iron sight. There were six MEC soldiers from where I was standing as the smoke started to let up. The visual range was still within ten meters. I lined up my first shot. Squeezing the trigger twice and felt the rifle kick me twice in the shoulder. The bullet impacted the MEC in the chest as gun fire erupted from all direction. The civilians were crouched hands protecting their ear from the loud gun shots. The military personnel meanwhile stayed put, not wanting to risk their lives through friendly fire stayed near the civilians. A staccato of gun fire came from Sergeant Knox and Turner. Their weapons either automatic or burst fire was controllable. Two of the six original soldiers were remaining from the assault, one now killed by a shotgun blast from Chris's M870.

"Stop!" The last man standing yelled as he lifted a female military personnel up, a Russian made MR-444 pressed to her head.

"Do you have clear shot?" Sergeant Knox asked as a wall of negatives came back.

"Fuck." He grunted as I saw an opportunity.

As Kilo Nine-One's squad lead slowly inched closer to the two, the MEC soldier was forced to turn to his closet target. His gun now away from the female hostage, I had a clear shot to his head. I was tricky but I had to seize the opportunity. Holding my breath and stabilizing the swaying iron sights, I squeezed the trigger. The crack of the rifle round going supersonic echoed through the vehicle depot. Time slowed as adrenaline surged through my body from the risky shot. I saw the MEC soldier's head split open, blood and brain splattering the people around him. The female Marine was hit the worse, blood staining her black hair and her uniform. The back of her vest and neck filled with blood as the MEC soldier, now dead pulled her down with him. With the final enemy dead we had to go towards the uncleared gate with the smoke thinning.

"Everyone okay?" Sergeant Knox asked as I helped the female Marine up from her captor.

"You alright?" I asked pulling out a canteen from my utility belt.

"Y-yeah." She stuttered from shock.

"Turner, York and Papa Bear Six-Three, you guys stay with the hostages. Everyone else, on me!" Sergeant Knox ordered as I fell in line behind him.

Rushing to the parking garage, we stopped just short of the entrance leading out of the depot. Sergeant Knox waved Chris up to take point. With my left hand on Sergeant Knox's shoulder, I was ready to assault. We had split up into two teams with one of Kilo Nine-One's shooter joining us. Looking to the right, Kilo Nine-One's squad lead gave Knox an okay sign. Nodding, Knox slapped Chris's shoulder twice. He raised his shotgun, looking through the sights as he rushed forward and turned the corner left. I heard a shotgun blast as I followed shortly behind. Turning the corner I found one MEC soldier dead, and no one else to be found. A volley of gun fire erupted from behind as Kilo Nine-One cleared the area.

"Clear left." Chris reported as he kept his shotgun raised.

"Clear right." Kilo Nine-One reported as Sergeant Knox checked the dead body.

"Anything of use, Sergeant?" I asked as he shook his head.

"Just a photo of his wife and a few clips of AK ammo." Sergeant Knox replied as we lowered our weapons.

"Scout the area. I want it clean when the Bradleys come in." Sergeant Knox ordered as I nodded, jogging back towards the courtyard.

"York!" I yelled as he stood up.

"What?" He asked as he strode towards me with his sniper rifle.

"We need to scout the area, let's get up on the roof of that garage." I suggested as York nodded, agreeing to the idea.

"Excuse me, um…" The female Marine said as I turned to her.

"Lance Corporal Mike Greenfield, Bravo Company." I stated as she nodded.

"…Mike, thanks for your canteen." She said as I nodded.

"No problem." I replied as I clipped the canteen to my web belt.

"And you are?" I asked her as she took off her helmet, letting the rest of her hair flow down from her head.

"Private Claire Smith from 1st Marines, Motor Transport." She replied answering my question.

"Nice to meet you, I hope we meet in more favorable terms next time." I stated as she nodded.

"What the fuck is taking so long?" York screamed as he climbed the ladder onto the concrete roof of the vehicle depot.

"I've got to go. See you around." I said to her, taking a few steps back before turning and jogging to the parking garage still full of vehicles.

"What took you so long?" York asked again as I climbed up the ladder onto the roof.

"I had to get my canteen." I replied as he chuckled, looking through the scope of his M24.

"Yeah right, I bet you used it as an excuse to talk to that girl." York stated as I slapped his helmet with my hand.

"Shut up and scan your sector." I grunted as a bullet whizzed overhead.

"Muzzle flash?" I asked York as he flicked his safety off.

"Nah, I got him." York replied, his rifle firing off a round.

"Looks like the last guy from the North gate, am I right?" He asked as I pulled out my binoculars to check the dead aggressor.

"Yup, that's him alright." I muttered as something else caught my eyes in the distance.

"Oh shit." I muttered looking at the scene in the distance.

"Look at that." I stated with York adjusted his aim.

"Dear god." He muttered shocked, the same expression on his face.

In the suburban area ahead, the skies were filled out MEC choppers and planes dueling it out with the United States Air Force fighters and Army A-10Cs. As the aircraft took to the skies above, anti-air fire from the ground negated their ability to fight. Patriot missiles sailed to the skies from behind targeting the MEC fighters as more were showing up on scene. SU-25 Frogfoots strafed the ground with both bombs and guns raining hell onto the troops down below while the A-10C did the same. Both sides were equally matched in terms of firepower and motivation, but we Marines were well trained. It was apparent as the frontlines were pushed towards the end of the suburbs, the enemy losing ground to the Marines.

"It looks like the fourth of July." York stated as aircraft and choppers constantly exploded into a spectacular orange with the mix of green tracers from American Anti-Air platforms.

"Sure does." I replied as I looked left, the assault carrying on all fronts of the East Coast.

"Rawhide Two-Three, Rawhide Actual, missions accomplished. Send in the Bradleys to extract the civilians and military personnel, how copy?" Sergeant Knox stated on the radio as the two of us continued to watch the battle unfold.

"Roger that Rawhide Two-Three, orders incoming, wait out." Rawhide Actual stated as Chris manned the west gate outpost.

"Sarge, there's still nothing here." Chris complained on the radio, bored.

"Shut your fucking cock hole Private and watch you sector." Sergeant Knox barked silencing him.

"Rawhide Two-Three, this is Rawhide Actual. Orders are as followed. Defend the vehicle depot with Kilo Nine-One and Papa Bear Six-Three, over." Rawhide Actual reported as I heard Sergeant Knox's discontent grumble.

"Rawhide Actual, with all due respect, we should be on the frontlines." Sergeant Knox replied with disappointment as we were trained to fight on the frontlines.

"Rawhide Two-Three, orders come down from the top. We have over eight tanks in that depot and six IFVs. If we were to lose that depot it would affect the company's combat efficiency, how copy?" Rawhide Actual replied as Sergeant Knox sighed.

"Roger that, Rawhide Two-Three out." Sergeant Knox acknowledged as I settled into my post.

"This is going to be one shitty mission." I grunted as York chuckled.

"Roger that." York replied as we watched the battle in the distance.