-*Present Day*-
"Hey... They're starting to set something up..."
I snapped myself out of my thoughts, and looked back down at the other building top where the Koreans and Russians were. They were, indeed, beginning to take out their weapons, checking their rifles and machine guns.
"What...? That doesn't make any sense; there's no one around here but us... Unless... Lyaina, you don't think the Wolverines have to come through here, do you?"
Again, a slight head shake from her as she wouldn't break her focus.
"No... If they knew these operatives were supposed to be here, they wouldn't dream of coming through here... There must be someone in the abandoned apartment building that they're after..."
She went back to looking at the scene, and so did I. I started thinking to myself again.
'So organized... Just like the first day they set foot on our soil..."
-*Time Shift*-
Andrea had fallen asleep when she hadn't meant to, right by a window. Suddenly, but subtly, things on her shelves began to rattle and shake. So did the window, but that didn't wake her up yet. But then, a glass fell from her dresser, and the sound of it's pieces shattering across the floor woke her up immediately. She hopped out of the chair, looking around quickly in a defensive pose. Once she saw that there was no immediate danger, she relaxed. But now the shaking was accompanied by a dull rumbling.
"Wait... What in blazes..."
She went back to the window quickly, looking outside. What she saw shocked her beyond belief.
"Oh... My... God...!"
In the sky, hundreds of jets were flying over Spokane. And from these planes, men with parachutes were falling into the residence. Korean men.
"Oh no... No, no, no, no, no...! Shit!"
Suddenly, there was manic honking outside her house, and she knew who was waiting for her. Quickly, she threw on a random jacket, threw on her gun belt with her pistol, grabbed the gun that was above the mantel in the living room, and ran out the front door. Lyaina was in a Mustang, motioning madly for Andrea to hurry up and get in. She got into the passanger side quickly, and just as she did, they saw a plane get knocked out of the sky, debries flying and crashing into a house down the street and around the corner from where they currently were. As Lyaina started up the car, Andrea stared in shock as the house it hit went up in flames.
"Lyaina... I'm pretty sure that that was near the Eckert house...!"
The car roared to life; Lyaina quickly turned it around, heading away from the explosion.
"Yeah, I know. No time to check; we've gotta get out of here!"
She began speeding down the road, and Andrea loaded up the shotgun she grabbed before leaving the house. Lyaina had to make several sharp turns to avoid running into other vehicles and shouting Korean officials and soldiers.
"Wait, wait, put on the breaks!"
Lyaina slammed on them, and the Mustang screeched to a halt, just barely hitting the cop car in front of them. It looked like the driver was injured, and after making sure the coast was clear, Andrea and Lyaina acted fast, hopping out of the Mustang and going over to help him. But, to their surprise, the driver stepped out, perfectly fine. Even more to Andreas surprise, it was Tom Eckert.
"M-Mr. Eckert! Are you alright?"
He waved at her, dismissing her worry.
"Forget about me, I'm fine. But who the hell are you two?"
They stood at attention, introducing themselves.
"Andrea Wilson, Private Third Class, sir!"
"And Lyaina Hill, also Private Third Class, sir!"
He looked at them for a moment, scratching his head.
"Wait a second... Wilson and Hill...?"
Then, he snapped his fingers, realization flashing across his face.
"Oh yeah, you girls used to live here, too! You really went and joined the army?"
"Marines. We were actually stationed in Iraq with Jed... GET DOWN!"
Quickly, responding to Andreas command, Lyaina tackled Mr. Eckert to the ground, and Andrea took aim and fired at a few soldiers who were trying to sneak up on them. Once it was safe, Andrea helped the other two up, speaking in an urgent tone.
"Okay. With all due respect, sir, I don't think now is the time to catch up!"
He nodded, agreeing with her.
"Yeah, I cam understand that much. Okay, you know Jed, so he probably won't shoot you as soon as you drive up... Alright, let me give you some directions to where you guys should be safe for awhile."
Lyaina looked at him questioningly.
"You won't come with us?"
"I can't leave the rest of the people like this. Don't worry about me though, I'll be fine."
They nodded, and Mr. Eckert gave them the directions to the cabin in the woods. Once they had them, Lyaina went to start the car, but Andrea stayed behind to speak with the police chief.
"Wait... Mr. Eckert... Please be careful, for Matt and Jed's sakes."
He hesitated a moment, but then nodded.
"Yeah, sure... I'll do that."
She nodded as well, then handed him her shotgun, not allowing him to give it back. She then went and joined Lyaina in the Mustang, and they drove off, escaping the officials shooting at them, off to the cabin in the woods.******
It was already night by the time they got there. There was no sign of life at the cabin as they drove up, but they suspected that would be the case. Jed WAS with them, after all. Lyaina parked the car by the three that were already there, and they stepped out of it, Andrea with her pistol at the ready.
"Hello? Is anybody here...?"
There was no response, and now Lyaina tried.
"Look, we aren't the enimies; we're not Tangos. We're friendlies!"
Suddenly, they both felt cold metal pressed against the backs of their necks.
"So then put your weapons down."
They both recognized whose voice it was right away, but decided not to try their luck in the dark.
Or, at least, Andrea didn't.
She slowly leaned down to drop her pistol, but Lyaina smirked, and laughed a bit.
"Haha, Dre, looks like their dad was wrong; we're about to get our brains shot right out of our heads!"
Unamused, Andrea hissed at her:
"That won't happen if you'd just put your gun down, Lyaina!"
"You should listen to your friend, she seems sensible."
Andrea was slightly surprised by his comment, and she smiled at it slightly. But, looking at her, Lyaina sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Andrea, please. It wasn't really a compliment, don't take it as one. And YOU,"
She turned around, pushing the rifle away from her neck, glaring at who was holding it.
"That's REALLY FUCKING COLD, you know that? And pretty damn rude, too!"
The boy looked at her, shocked.
"H-hey, don't act so nonchalantly, I could kill you right now-"
"Oh yeah? I'd like-no, I'd LOVE to see you fucking try!"
The boy was about to raise the gun again, but the other guy stopped him.
"Wait a second Mattie. There's only one person I know who likes to play Russian Roulette with life like that AND curses as much as, if not more than, dad... Lyaina, is that really you?"
She flashed a pose.
"The one and only, in the flesh and blood."
Jed laughed, and then put a hand on Andreas shoulder.
"And that wouldn't happen to be you too, would it, Andrea?"
After a brief moment of mental preparation, she inhaled, and turned around, smiling at him.
"Yup, it would happen to be me too, indeed."
"Wow, it's great to see you guys again! Right as I was wondering how you were doing in Iraq..."
Now, Andrea looked at him, a bit shocked.
"Y-you were thinking about u-us...?"
"Well, of course. We are still of the same platoon, aren't we? Why shouldn't I worry about you?"
"U-uh h-huh..."
She couldn't find the words, or breath, to speak anymore, and Matt, reading the situation a bit, cleared his throat, and spoke up.
"Maybe we should be heading into the cabin, guys? Before someone DOES come...?"
Jed nodded, suddenly remembering the situation.
"Ah, yes, yes, of course! Come on then, let's go inside now."
He led the way, and Matt followed. But before going, Lyaina nudged Andrea, bringing her back to her senses.
"Come on, hop offa Cloud-9; we're going inside."
Andrea shook her head, snapping out of it.
"Oh, yes, of course... Right, right."
Now they hurried to catch up with Matt, and entered the cabin. After taking some time to catch up and do other introductions, they got down to business.
"Okay guys. It's highly likely that those Koreans will be looking for us, so don't think for even a second that this is going to be the "safe house" that we're staying in for the duration of this whole fiasco. We'll have to do patrols tonight; who thinks they can stay up late pretty well?"
Andrea, Lyaina, and Matt all rose their hands to volunteer; Toni, Julie, Pete, Danny, Daryl, Robert, and Greg all remained still and silent, seeming skeptical about the plan. Jed nodded at everyone who rose their hands.
"Okay, that's good enough. The rest of you guys will need your rest anyway. Meanwhile, you three, come with me."
He led Andrea, Lyaina, and Matt into the kitchen. They discussed who would take which shift, and Andrea had the ones from the start of the night, and the last one at the time that everyone judged was appropriate enough to say that the Koreans would no longer be out and about. Everything was fine for her first shift, but the same couldn't be said for her second. She was sitting on the front patio, with a semi-automatic in her lap. She was watching the landscape carefully, but everything was so peaceful, she began to nod off. Just when she could barely keep her eyes open any longer, the front door started to rattle. She jumped a little, and quickly rose the gun towards the door. It opened, and out walked Pete. Andrea relaxed a bit, but didn't drop her guard. She stood up, facing the doorway fully now.
"And where might you be going so late?"
He jumped, and turned to face her immediately.
"O-oh, Andrea! Wow, um, I wasnt expecting anyone to be out here..."
"And why not? Headed somewhere?"
As he was trying to explain himself badly, she noticed that he also had a backpack on that seemed to be filled with waiting for him to finish his terrible explanation, she said:
"You, you're trying to leave with our supplies, aren't you!?"
"What!? Who, me? Nah, no way- that's ridiculous!"
But, unamused, she rose the gun up at him again.
"Well then, you better just get back into this cabin before I have to kill you, alright?"
He rose his hands right away.
"WOAH, Woah... Woah. Calm down, let's not do anything crazy..."
"This? This isn't crazy. It's protocol. You don't want to see me crazy."
He was about to say something else, but then his gaze focused on something behind her, and he smirked.
"Well, I dunno; you're pretty crazy to have tried stopping me."
She was confused for a moment, but that didn't last for long, as soon after, something was knocked against the back of her head very hard, and she blacked out immediately.******
She woke in the morning to someone shaking her rapidly.
"Andrea! Andrea, are you alright? Get up!"
Slowly, she opened her eyes, sitting up. She rubbed the back of her head and blinked a few times to clear her vision.
"Ugh... w-wait... what...?"
Once she could see better, she saw that Jed was right in front of her, looking at her worridly. Fully alert now, her eyes widened, and she hopped to her feet, stepping back.
"J-J-Jed! You... You startled me..."
Then, from behind her, someone else spoke.
"Yeah? Well, you scared us half to death."
She spun around, but it was only Lyaina behind her. Andrea sighed, but she quickly remembered what happened last night. She looked around just as fast as she remembered, trying to find them.
"Wait, Pete! Where's Pete!?"
Jed shook his head.
"Not in the Cabin, along with his buddy. I thought they might've gone to take a piss or something. Why?"
"Because... Last night, I caught him trying to sneak off with about all of our stuff. I tried to stop him, but I think his friend knocked me out..."
Jed looked off into the forest, and cursed; Andrea also noticed that Lyaina seemed to be a bit annoyed. And, looking out now, she saw that instead of four, there were two cars, and among the missing ones was Lyaina's Mustang. She understood where her annoyance was, but said nothing on the subject.
"Okay... Alright. I'm gonna go wake the others. You guys get your things ready; we're gonna go check the status of the city. Just hope everyone is alright..."
They nodded, and Jed went back inside. Andrea sighed, flopping back down into the chair she was in last night.
"Jeez... They took my gun too..."
Lyaina came over and sat on the arm of the chair, patting her shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry about it, they took my car. And we just weren't prepared for them, is all."
"But that's just it! Being in the Marines, it's all ABOUT preparedness..."
"Well, we're still training, so it's okay."
After a moment, Andrea nodded.
"Yeah... Okay. You're right, I guess..."
Now, Lyaina grinned, and slapped her on the back.
"Okay. OW."
"Come on, it didn't hurt that much. And of course I'm right! Now let's go get ready."
They got up, and headed back inside the cabin, not sure what to expect of what they would see of the city, or what they would see after the city.***********
*Okay, two's up now, excellent! Ooh, do I sense a romance brewing? Oh-ho-ho, things will be getting more interesting for you all in good time... You'll just have to read on and see how... ewe *If you've got any tips or things you'd like me to add or anything, just leave a comment! Don't be shy, I welcome many with open arms!**
And now, comment/review section!
-Guest- Haha, I'm glad that I've hooked you as a reader so quickly, thank you! XD I forgot to say that my updates may be slow, probably only once a week, but I will also try to update as often as I can!
"Hey... They're starting to set something up..."
I snapped myself out of my thoughts, and looked back down at the other building top where the Koreans and Russians were. They were, indeed, beginning to take out their weapons, checking their rifles and machine guns.
"What...? That doesn't make any sense; there's no one around here but us... Unless... Lyaina, you don't think the Wolverines have to come through here, do you?"
Again, a slight head shake from her as she wouldn't break her focus.
"No... If they knew these operatives were supposed to be here, they wouldn't dream of coming through here... There must be someone in the abandoned apartment building that they're after..."
She went back to looking at the scene, and so did I. I started thinking to myself again.
'So organized... Just like the first day they set foot on our soil..."
-*Time Shift*-
Andrea had fallen asleep when she hadn't meant to, right by a window. Suddenly, but subtly, things on her shelves began to rattle and shake. So did the window, but that didn't wake her up yet. But then, a glass fell from her dresser, and the sound of it's pieces shattering across the floor woke her up immediately. She hopped out of the chair, looking around quickly in a defensive pose. Once she saw that there was no immediate danger, she relaxed. But now the shaking was accompanied by a dull rumbling.
"Wait... What in blazes..."
She went back to the window quickly, looking outside. What she saw shocked her beyond belief.
"Oh... My... God...!"
In the sky, hundreds of jets were flying over Spokane. And from these planes, men with parachutes were falling into the residence. Korean men.
"Oh no... No, no, no, no, no...! Shit!"
Suddenly, there was manic honking outside her house, and she knew who was waiting for her. Quickly, she threw on a random jacket, threw on her gun belt with her pistol, grabbed the gun that was above the mantel in the living room, and ran out the front door. Lyaina was in a Mustang, motioning madly for Andrea to hurry up and get in. She got into the passanger side quickly, and just as she did, they saw a plane get knocked out of the sky, debries flying and crashing into a house down the street and around the corner from where they currently were. As Lyaina started up the car, Andrea stared in shock as the house it hit went up in flames.
"Lyaina... I'm pretty sure that that was near the Eckert house...!"
The car roared to life; Lyaina quickly turned it around, heading away from the explosion.
"Yeah, I know. No time to check; we've gotta get out of here!"
She began speeding down the road, and Andrea loaded up the shotgun she grabbed before leaving the house. Lyaina had to make several sharp turns to avoid running into other vehicles and shouting Korean officials and soldiers.
"Wait, wait, put on the breaks!"
Lyaina slammed on them, and the Mustang screeched to a halt, just barely hitting the cop car in front of them. It looked like the driver was injured, and after making sure the coast was clear, Andrea and Lyaina acted fast, hopping out of the Mustang and going over to help him. But, to their surprise, the driver stepped out, perfectly fine. Even more to Andreas surprise, it was Tom Eckert.
"M-Mr. Eckert! Are you alright?"
He waved at her, dismissing her worry.
"Forget about me, I'm fine. But who the hell are you two?"
They stood at attention, introducing themselves.
"Andrea Wilson, Private Third Class, sir!"
"And Lyaina Hill, also Private Third Class, sir!"
He looked at them for a moment, scratching his head.
"Wait a second... Wilson and Hill...?"
Then, he snapped his fingers, realization flashing across his face.
"Oh yeah, you girls used to live here, too! You really went and joined the army?"
"Marines. We were actually stationed in Iraq with Jed... GET DOWN!"
Quickly, responding to Andreas command, Lyaina tackled Mr. Eckert to the ground, and Andrea took aim and fired at a few soldiers who were trying to sneak up on them. Once it was safe, Andrea helped the other two up, speaking in an urgent tone.
"Okay. With all due respect, sir, I don't think now is the time to catch up!"
He nodded, agreeing with her.
"Yeah, I cam understand that much. Okay, you know Jed, so he probably won't shoot you as soon as you drive up... Alright, let me give you some directions to where you guys should be safe for awhile."
Lyaina looked at him questioningly.
"You won't come with us?"
"I can't leave the rest of the people like this. Don't worry about me though, I'll be fine."
They nodded, and Mr. Eckert gave them the directions to the cabin in the woods. Once they had them, Lyaina went to start the car, but Andrea stayed behind to speak with the police chief.
"Wait... Mr. Eckert... Please be careful, for Matt and Jed's sakes."
He hesitated a moment, but then nodded.
"Yeah, sure... I'll do that."
She nodded as well, then handed him her shotgun, not allowing him to give it back. She then went and joined Lyaina in the Mustang, and they drove off, escaping the officials shooting at them, off to the cabin in the woods.******
It was already night by the time they got there. There was no sign of life at the cabin as they drove up, but they suspected that would be the case. Jed WAS with them, after all. Lyaina parked the car by the three that were already there, and they stepped out of it, Andrea with her pistol at the ready.
"Hello? Is anybody here...?"
There was no response, and now Lyaina tried.
"Look, we aren't the enimies; we're not Tangos. We're friendlies!"
Suddenly, they both felt cold metal pressed against the backs of their necks.
"So then put your weapons down."
They both recognized whose voice it was right away, but decided not to try their luck in the dark.
Or, at least, Andrea didn't.
She slowly leaned down to drop her pistol, but Lyaina smirked, and laughed a bit.
"Haha, Dre, looks like their dad was wrong; we're about to get our brains shot right out of our heads!"
Unamused, Andrea hissed at her:
"That won't happen if you'd just put your gun down, Lyaina!"
"You should listen to your friend, she seems sensible."
Andrea was slightly surprised by his comment, and she smiled at it slightly. But, looking at her, Lyaina sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Andrea, please. It wasn't really a compliment, don't take it as one. And YOU,"
She turned around, pushing the rifle away from her neck, glaring at who was holding it.
"That's REALLY FUCKING COLD, you know that? And pretty damn rude, too!"
The boy looked at her, shocked.
"H-hey, don't act so nonchalantly, I could kill you right now-"
"Oh yeah? I'd like-no, I'd LOVE to see you fucking try!"
The boy was about to raise the gun again, but the other guy stopped him.
"Wait a second Mattie. There's only one person I know who likes to play Russian Roulette with life like that AND curses as much as, if not more than, dad... Lyaina, is that really you?"
She flashed a pose.
"The one and only, in the flesh and blood."
Jed laughed, and then put a hand on Andreas shoulder.
"And that wouldn't happen to be you too, would it, Andrea?"
After a brief moment of mental preparation, she inhaled, and turned around, smiling at him.
"Yup, it would happen to be me too, indeed."
"Wow, it's great to see you guys again! Right as I was wondering how you were doing in Iraq..."
Now, Andrea looked at him, a bit shocked.
"Y-you were thinking about u-us...?"
"Well, of course. We are still of the same platoon, aren't we? Why shouldn't I worry about you?"
"U-uh h-huh..."
She couldn't find the words, or breath, to speak anymore, and Matt, reading the situation a bit, cleared his throat, and spoke up.
"Maybe we should be heading into the cabin, guys? Before someone DOES come...?"
Jed nodded, suddenly remembering the situation.
"Ah, yes, yes, of course! Come on then, let's go inside now."
He led the way, and Matt followed. But before going, Lyaina nudged Andrea, bringing her back to her senses.
"Come on, hop offa Cloud-9; we're going inside."
Andrea shook her head, snapping out of it.
"Oh, yes, of course... Right, right."
Now they hurried to catch up with Matt, and entered the cabin. After taking some time to catch up and do other introductions, they got down to business.
"Okay guys. It's highly likely that those Koreans will be looking for us, so don't think for even a second that this is going to be the "safe house" that we're staying in for the duration of this whole fiasco. We'll have to do patrols tonight; who thinks they can stay up late pretty well?"
Andrea, Lyaina, and Matt all rose their hands to volunteer; Toni, Julie, Pete, Danny, Daryl, Robert, and Greg all remained still and silent, seeming skeptical about the plan. Jed nodded at everyone who rose their hands.
"Okay, that's good enough. The rest of you guys will need your rest anyway. Meanwhile, you three, come with me."
He led Andrea, Lyaina, and Matt into the kitchen. They discussed who would take which shift, and Andrea had the ones from the start of the night, and the last one at the time that everyone judged was appropriate enough to say that the Koreans would no longer be out and about. Everything was fine for her first shift, but the same couldn't be said for her second. She was sitting on the front patio, with a semi-automatic in her lap. She was watching the landscape carefully, but everything was so peaceful, she began to nod off. Just when she could barely keep her eyes open any longer, the front door started to rattle. She jumped a little, and quickly rose the gun towards the door. It opened, and out walked Pete. Andrea relaxed a bit, but didn't drop her guard. She stood up, facing the doorway fully now.
"And where might you be going so late?"
He jumped, and turned to face her immediately.
"O-oh, Andrea! Wow, um, I wasnt expecting anyone to be out here..."
"And why not? Headed somewhere?"
As he was trying to explain himself badly, she noticed that he also had a backpack on that seemed to be filled with waiting for him to finish his terrible explanation, she said:
"You, you're trying to leave with our supplies, aren't you!?"
"What!? Who, me? Nah, no way- that's ridiculous!"
But, unamused, she rose the gun up at him again.
"Well then, you better just get back into this cabin before I have to kill you, alright?"
He rose his hands right away.
"WOAH, Woah... Woah. Calm down, let's not do anything crazy..."
"This? This isn't crazy. It's protocol. You don't want to see me crazy."
He was about to say something else, but then his gaze focused on something behind her, and he smirked.
"Well, I dunno; you're pretty crazy to have tried stopping me."
She was confused for a moment, but that didn't last for long, as soon after, something was knocked against the back of her head very hard, and she blacked out immediately.******
She woke in the morning to someone shaking her rapidly.
"Andrea! Andrea, are you alright? Get up!"
Slowly, she opened her eyes, sitting up. She rubbed the back of her head and blinked a few times to clear her vision.
"Ugh... w-wait... what...?"
Once she could see better, she saw that Jed was right in front of her, looking at her worridly. Fully alert now, her eyes widened, and she hopped to her feet, stepping back.
"J-J-Jed! You... You startled me..."
Then, from behind her, someone else spoke.
"Yeah? Well, you scared us half to death."
She spun around, but it was only Lyaina behind her. Andrea sighed, but she quickly remembered what happened last night. She looked around just as fast as she remembered, trying to find them.
"Wait, Pete! Where's Pete!?"
Jed shook his head.
"Not in the Cabin, along with his buddy. I thought they might've gone to take a piss or something. Why?"
"Because... Last night, I caught him trying to sneak off with about all of our stuff. I tried to stop him, but I think his friend knocked me out..."
Jed looked off into the forest, and cursed; Andrea also noticed that Lyaina seemed to be a bit annoyed. And, looking out now, she saw that instead of four, there were two cars, and among the missing ones was Lyaina's Mustang. She understood where her annoyance was, but said nothing on the subject.
"Okay... Alright. I'm gonna go wake the others. You guys get your things ready; we're gonna go check the status of the city. Just hope everyone is alright..."
They nodded, and Jed went back inside. Andrea sighed, flopping back down into the chair she was in last night.
"Jeez... They took my gun too..."
Lyaina came over and sat on the arm of the chair, patting her shoulder.
"Hey, don't worry about it, they took my car. And we just weren't prepared for them, is all."
"But that's just it! Being in the Marines, it's all ABOUT preparedness..."
"Well, we're still training, so it's okay."
After a moment, Andrea nodded.
"Yeah... Okay. You're right, I guess..."
Now, Lyaina grinned, and slapped her on the back.
"Okay. OW."
"Come on, it didn't hurt that much. And of course I'm right! Now let's go get ready."
They got up, and headed back inside the cabin, not sure what to expect of what they would see of the city, or what they would see after the city.***********
*Okay, two's up now, excellent! Ooh, do I sense a romance brewing? Oh-ho-ho, things will be getting more interesting for you all in good time... You'll just have to read on and see how... ewe *If you've got any tips or things you'd like me to add or anything, just leave a comment! Don't be shy, I welcome many with open arms!**
And now, comment/review section!
-Guest- Haha, I'm glad that I've hooked you as a reader so quickly, thank you! XD I forgot to say that my updates may be slow, probably only once a week, but I will also try to update as often as I can!