Chapter Two: The Mind is a Mysterious Thing
Sarah and Andrew exited out of their condo, only to enter the chaos of the street. Civilians were panicking as Avro Arrows soar overhead to intercept the Kirovs. They both run down the sidewalk to reach their barracks along the coastline. The street was littered with car accidents…even though it was still way before rush hour.
They lived quite close to the barracks and their command center. Even so, the chaotic situation around them made a 10 minute run feel like an hour. Suddenly, a Dreadnought missile barrage flies past them. Patriot interceptor missile chase behind them, but they were fired too late and can't reach the two Dreadnought cruise missiles. Andrew stands still and watched the two missiles slam into their condo building, creating a massive fireball that consumed the entire upper part of the building.
"Holy shit! That was our fucking home you commie bastards!" Sarah curses loudly as the Russian invasion force as she watched her apartment be vaporized.
"Come on honey, we need to get our ass to the bunkers!" Andrew grabbed her hand and starts running, bringing her with him. A police siren becomes audible as they run down the usually empty street. The police car pulls to the side right next to the young couple.
The black police officer rolls down his window quickly. "Do you two need a ride?" He yells over both the air raid and police sirens that are blaring loudly. Sarah nods her head quickly, her short dirty blonde hair flows with the movement with her head. The two open the back doors of the police vehicle, and enter inside.
The officer continued down the road. His police radio is filled nothing more than yelling. You couldn't make out anything with all the requests and updates and reports and orders.
"Thanks for the lift. Do you have any updates about what's happening officer?" Sarah asked politely to the officer.
"Alright madam, oh before I forget the name is Officer Roger Cason. Let's see, alright, we have detected numerous Kirovs and paratrooper planes incoming, but you know that already….and we have about a dozen Dreadnoughts beyond the horizon. Broughton AFB has mobilized numerous Harriers with anti ship missiles to take them out. We also have a good number of Avros to take out as many Kirovs as possible. Other than that, our hopes lie with the bunkers along the waterfront."
"Thank you Officer Cason." Andrew thanks him for both the briefing and the ride.
The car stopped at a large crater at an intersection right near the barracks. Cruise missile attacks were laying waste to the waterfront. A sewing mill that he always recognized was nothing more than rubble.
Sarah and Andrew jump out of the car and run toward their barracks. Officer Cason followed them, seeing that he might be in better use at the bunker than in his police car going around the block.
Another Dreadnought missile flew over them, and it slammed into the industrial warehouse next to the stationary police car. The warehouse explodes into small bits of shrapnel, which fly in every which direction. A large steel beam crushed the police car as flaming debris rained down upon them. Civilians were escaping the soon to be battle though the subway system. People crammed the narrow stairways to get underground.
The Canadian flag is raised high above the large military compound. Sarah, Andrew, and Officer Cason slip under the gate to get past the chain link fence.
"Cason, head to the bunkers, the main armoury is there. We have to report in."
"Yes sir." Cason replied quickly as he sprinted towards the bunker entrance.
Sarah and Andrew run towards the main complex, where their rifles are. They quickly go through the steel doors to be welcomed by a flurry of activity. They run into the briefing room to be greeted by one cranky base commander and his officers. The two salute him as they notice their arrival.
Their commander ignored them both, but a female Sub-Commander approached them from the map in the center of the room.
"Elite Sniper First Class Colonel Andrew Sanders and Elite Sniper Third Class Major Sarah Goodman, I'm ordering you to deploy at Guard Tower D. Good luck to you both."
"Yes sir!" They both say in unison to the Sub-Commander. They leave her in the room as they approach the barrack's armoury.
As they enter the large armoury, filled to the top with ammunition and small arms, they walk toward a small black case that is hanging from the wall. Andrew walked towards the case and he placed his hand on a scanner next to it. His palm print is quickly identified and the case unlocked itself. The case revealed two Winchester Model 70 sniper rifles.
Andrew grabbed his rifle first, quickly checking it over to see if it was in working condition. Sarah did the same with hers.
"Let's go honey. We have a job to do."
They both enter the bunker and trench complex along the coast. GIs and Guardian GIs are setting up their Stinger and Machinegun emplacements, preparing for the onslaught of the Soviet horde. As they run around soldiers and boxes of ammunition and weapons, they both realize that death was just a few miles away from them. They had to show them how Canadians die.
Sarah began climbing the ladder first, and Andrew followed right after. The guard tower wasn't impressive, but it gave a good view of the coastline. They both prepare their rifles and themselves for what they were about to face.
"Remember, Desolators and Tesla Troopers first! Our GIs can clean out the Conscripts. Alright Sarah?"
She nods to him, her eyes now looking out the rifle's scope. Andrew followed suit and waited for a target.
"Thirty seconds!" The commanding officer of the bunkers yelled out to everyone else. The Hovercrafts are quick, they won't take too long.
Andrew heard a massive explosion above him. He looked up to see a massive Kirov airship burning on its way down towards the lake. Similar explosions occur soon after, and more Kirovs descend towards the lake bottom. A few Stinger missiles chase after some of the paratrooper planes while Patriot Missile batteries open fire against the aircraft that survived the Avro Arrow onslaught.
"Fifteen seconds!" A droplet of sweat fell down from Andrew's forehead. Sarah remained as calm as possible, not showing any sense of fear.
Andrew looked though his scope to see a Hovercraft approaching him on the water. He fires a bullet at the Hovercraft's inflatable pouch. A medium sized hole appeared in the black rubber. The Hovercraft lost control, and turned sideways, ramming into the Hovercraft next to it. The two vehicles explode, and they both rain down pieces of shrapnel all across the water. The debris pierced some of the other Hovercrafts as well, becoming a watery coffin for their occupants.
"Open fire! All forces release hell upon the scumbags!"
All at once, a massive wave of gunfire was released upon the Hovercrafts. One by one they began to explode due to the damage being too critical. One of the Hovercrafts makes it on the shore, but a Guardian GI missile flew right into the landing bay of the Hovercraft. Andrew and Sarah watch as a Conscript is burned alive, running like a chicken with his head cut off and yelling quite loudly. He falls quickly to the ground, leaving his smouldering carcass on the rocky beach.
Soon enough a few Russians land, but most were nothing more than Conscripts and a few Tesla troopers. Andrew and Sarah take aim for two that approach a trench. The machinegun rounds bounce off them and the GIs nearby are panicking. Sarah fired first, the bullet pierced through the metal helmet and kills the soldier instantly. Andrew fired at the Tesla trooper next to him. He fell down forward, another instant death.
Sarah yawned softly, but Andrew noticed it anyway.
"Boring eh?" Andrew asked, and he wasn't far from the truth. He wanted to take a nap.
"Where are the swarms of Conscripts and Rhinos? Where are the Tesla tanks and Apocalypses? This is pathetic." Andrew didn't disagree. All it felt like it was some live fire training exercise.
As the next Hovercraft lands, Sarah and Andrew waited for what will come out, to alleviate their boredom more than anything else. Suddenly, gunfire erupts in the trench. The GIs were turning on one another.
A few bullets strike the tower. Sarah, overly pissed, yells at them.
"What the fuck are you stupid dumbasses doing? We're on the same side you assholes!"
As quickly as she finished her burst of anger, she fell to hear knees, covering her ears. The sniper rifle dropped next to her, making a loud thump with the tower's wooden floor. Blood begins to trickle down her face from her nose. Andrew tries to speak to her, to try to find out what was wrong. Her eyes were revealing how extreme the pain is.
She whispered something to Andrew "Shoot…..me…..now….." Andrew didn't believe what he heard. How could he shoot the woman he loved? And why?
As the bunkers were thrown into chaos, a bald man stepped out of the Hovercraft, and exact replicas followed suit. Andrew grabbed his sniper rifle and aimed for the strange symbol on his forehead.
"Eat a bullet asshole."
He pulled the trigger, and the bullet replaced the strange looking symbol on his forehead with a small hole. A few GIs near them open fire on them too, though nowhere near the full amount in the trenches. They are mowed down like unsuspecting sheep. After they die, Sarah and the other GIs affected by it return to normal. Blood still trickled down from her nose and ears, but she was alive.
"You okay, honey?"
He helped her up, and looked down at what's left of the force in the trenches. From what used to be a force of hundreds near them now was dwindled down to a small handful. Whatever those bald soldiers did, they now left dozens of their soldiers dead and many more injured. They have the power to make loyal and brave soldiers into nothing more than mindless killing machines or even put them out of action.
Sarah stood up with her rifle in hand, and prepared herself for the next wave.
"As always hun, as always. Let's kill these commie sons of bitches."
She was back to her normal self. She licked blood from her lips as she looked through the scope.