Chapter 10: Chaos
Oaken walked past several rows of soldiers who lined the path to the helipad. They held their weapons closely and were awaiting his order.
"Gentlemen, let's go!" shouted Oaken. "Ra-Ha, Ra-Ha, Ra-Ha!" yelled the men. All rushed to the helicopters behind the colonel and huddled close to one another. There would be many twenty choppers in total traveling to Sector 8, on top of the already 10,000 or so Green troops making their way to the back of the house.
Men filed quickly into the helis, gathering in groups of four to ten. The escort choppers were filled to their limit but the evac helis were left empty, with the exception of the pilots.
Oaken had the luxury of traveling with a team of soldiers, adding more protection to his life. Each helicopter had a machine gun mounted on the left side but only the escorts had missiles. It was the only way to guarantee that the men with Gurdeaux had a chance of coming back to base.
At the edge of the helipad were Malist and Toole, standing with their arms behind their backs. They were watching as Oaken gave his orders to the pilot. When he had said his words, Oaken signaled for the two men to come over.
"We should be there in no more than three minutes. We'll return in no more than ten," said Oaken. The blades above weren't making his sentences easier to hear but still Toole and Malist understood every word.
Malist nodded. "I know. Good luck soldier," he said. Oaken smiled and tapped the roof of the belly of the chopper. As Malist and Toole walked back to their prior positions on the helipad, Oaken's escort took off and then the rest followed. For a brief moment, the sky was
cluttered with green birds, blanketing the visible surface of the cloudless sky. The sun was shining well and giving off too much heat.
As Oaken's chopper floated several feet of the ground, Malist examined it and nodded. "It'll be okay Toole. That I know." The general turned to the colonel and winked. Malist made a slow turn around and started walking back to his office.
"And what if you're wrong?" asked Toole, following closely behind the general. "Why do you always doubt my actions? In a matter of minutes we're going to have one less problem to worry about. Gurdeaux will return safely and nothing more about this matter will be said."
"I'm sorry sir but if this got out, you know we'd be hanged or executed by a firing squad." "I know colonel, believe me I know," said Malist. His voice wasn't calm and elevated with each spoken word.
"I have participated in firing squads. I know what it's like to watch men get blindfolded and stand awaiting their fate as a superior whispers the order for the ten men to shoot their single sot rifles. Don't remind me on things I already understand."
"Sorry sir, it won't happen again," said Toole. Malist brought his hands from behind his back and marched to his office. Toole looked back at the sky to see that his colonel and the rest had vanished, and would do so once more in a matter of minutes, but permanently.
"How long until we reach the house?" Oaken asked the pilot. "About, two minutes sir. We're taking the long route so we don't get spotted," replied the pilot. The roaring blades of his and the adjacent EC13 helicopters made his answer difficult to hear but Oaken got the information. He let go of the pilot's and copilot's seats and turned around. The flying chopper made him wobble; causing a disruption in his focus, but sitting in front of his eyes was his team. Seven men ready to extract and protect Gurdeaux and the remaining survivors.
"Okay men, here's the situation. Our boys are inside the closet located at the front of the house. We have to get them and bring them out of there and back to base. There is a mobilization of men from Sector 2 located on the outskirts of the backyard of Sector 8 and they are preparing an assault at the backdoor of the house, causing a distraction. They have some air support but it's mostly all tanks and troops. It's probably already started, which allows us to blow through the front side windows and get to the closet quicker. We will land next to the dining room table, pick them up, and fly through the window we are about to penetrate, or at worst the backside window above the backdoor. Only our chopper, a few of the escorts and the evac helis have been given permission to land. Once their men jump off they will fall in to the closet, which is we will head as well. If all the choppers landed we would have a huge mess and would all be taken out. That's why we got to get in and out before our vulnerability is maximized. Once we hit the ground I want you to move with me and watch your backs. We will not put any of Gurdeaux's men, whether Green or Tan, on our chopper. We're there for protection. Those scientists are going with the evac choppers. Are there any questions?"
As Oaken finished his spiel the men nodded without doubts or inquisitive insight into the colonel's plan. "We are GREEN!" yelled the colonel. At once, the squad and the pilots at the head of the bird shouts, "Ra-Ha, Ra-Ha, Ra-Ha!" Now they were fired up and ready to kill anyone with Tan skin.
"One minute sir," said the copilot. Oaken reached down on the floor to pick up a hand gun. He placed it in his belt and then sat down behind the pilot's seat. There were no seat belts in this chopper. This model was designed for landing and getting people off, not to extract or carry things back and forth, per say.
Oaken looked out the side to view the scenery flying by him and the others. He began to wonder if he'd be able to see the same thing on his way back to the base. The luxuries in life were sometimes the things he always neglected or overlooked. Nature, life, love and other crap that men looked down on were sometimes the items held most dear to others, as they should be to virtually all men. Oaken was a pacifist and a nature-loving man, but he had never appreciated the outdoors or untamed life until after enlisting into the military.
His view became obstructed though when a batch of armor-plated choppers with guns, large enough to take out twenty men in a single shot, clogged the scenery with their long bodies. There were three flying in close proximity to each other, and Oaken guessed that there were two on the other side of the chopper as well. Although he couldn't see the others, the other fourteen escorts were behind him, dragging along in standard pyramid formation.
"Sir," started the pilot, "we're now moments away from the front door. What's the plan: bullets or missiles? You only said to clear the path." Oaken turned and with his eyes at the furthest corner of his socket, he said, "Use your missiles to take out the window, but only when we are in very close range." The pilot turned back but kept his focus on the sight in front of the chopper. "Sir, we're about twenty seconds away," said the copilot.
Oaken widened his eyes and stood up. Lowering his belt to a more comfortable setting, he looked at his men. "Well then, fire away," he said out loud. Both pilots nodded at each other and grabbed a firm hold on their throttles. With a quick push of his thumb, the copilot launched a missile straight ahead and hit his target.
The impact rattled the window and made a huge hole big enough for three or four choppers, side by side, to fly in. But the window needed to be knocked down and demolished, so he fired again. This time however, he held down on the little red button, launching another seven
missiles. They went straight but veered off in horizontal directions, staying at the same level as the chopper.
The glass exploded toward them and fragments from the first impact hurled their way, chipping off their windshield and tapping on the rotating metal blades. Sounds of immense force blocked away the whirling blades above Oaken's head. The small pieces of wood, that which had linked the square cuts of glass to form the giant window, fell and took more glass of the frame.
There were no Tan anti-aircraft guns mounted on the roof above, nor ground troops stationed at the foot of the door or alongside the driveway. The entire enemy force was inside, now alert of what was being staged at their expense. "We're going in gentlemen!" shouted Oaken. "Remember, be smart and hang on!" The men looked at him and held on to the sides and the outer walls of the chopper. They didn't smile but looked fierce and had fire burning in their eyes. Now was the time to get ready to fight. Oaken reached up and pressed his palm on the ceiling. Cold metal began condensing his sweat and heated hand. His right hand now clung to the handle on his gun. Though equipped with small cartridges, his handgun was accurate for hundreds of yards and fired very damaging bullets.
As Oaken's chopper rode in through the broken window, gun fire became heard and small explosions now started to crawl in through the men's ears. Pieces of glass lay on top of a trunk that stood right below the center of the window frame, in between two chairs and over a rug. As his chopper passed a long sofa, Oaken could see no Tan outposts in the area, though to be fair he was only looking at the left side of the room, across the floor from Gurdeaux's closet.
The house may have been theirs, but the front was their weak spot, and the Green Army was going to exploit it at any cost. Faint and indescribable as to how harsh they were, the explosions did send chills down the men's backs as the choppers came closer to the closet. The
battle on the other side of the house was now raging on as well and no one knew what was going on in that section of the house.
From Oaken's view, the extraction helicopters faded away, only slightly, and sank lower. Tilted downward, they looked as though they were trying to crash into the ground but narrowly dodged over a couch that stood in the way of a swift swoop of the helis.
Suddenly, bursts of rattling explosions shook his chopper as the metal bird began to tilt back. The Tan now knew that they were inside. Missiles streaked past Oaken's sight as the escorts behind fired at the dining room table. Oaken could only feel the heat of the fireballs as they incinerated whatever stood or lived on the table, but Oaken could picture LEGO pieces and Tan bodies being on fire and flying in any direction. Oaken held on as his feet now started to tremble.
He looked up and saw the long walls, stretching for hundreds of yards, with different arrangements of color and texture. The table was a fortress in itself.
His knees shook more and more as his chopper descended lower, hovering above the hardwood floor. Even his men were beginning to shake back and forth while they sat silent, waiting for the command to jump off. The explosions were getting louder and more violent as white smoke lines emerged in the air around the colonel. His pilots were not able to fire any more missiles for they were all used on the window. But even if they did have some to spare, they still had to focus on finding a safe landing zone.
The chopper started to rattle like a frightened bird in its cage but when Oaken finally saw the hardwood floor only a few feet below him, he knew he had made it.
"Get off, let's go!" Oaken yelled to his men. He flung the pistol from his body, hinting the men to go that direction, and jumped off going over the several imaginary steps and landing
hard on the floor. It had been a long time since he had performed such a mission, but it was also good to keep getting the same taste of something like this.
In front of him was the table. At the legs were dead Tan soldiers and LEGO pieces. "We have to take out any threats before we can move, or we'll get shot in the back!" Oaken yelled.
The bodies and pieces were scattered all over and some had landed on the seats of the chairs, towering over the minute choppers. One Tan soldier pushed himself up from his chest and tried to move his body off the floor. He had trouble moving and the colonel could see that everything below the knee had broken off; probably from the fall he had just gone through and miraculously lived. Blood spewed from the injury and a small puddle began to form. Some of the Tan blood leaked onto the rug and made a deep stain. Oaken saw this and raised his pistol. By now, the men had filed into a half-circle around him and eyed his marksmanship.
With one shot, which took him a second to aim, Oaken blew off the poor soldier's head and made his body collapse back to its previous position. The colonel turned around and saw the closet door. "Alright, let's get these men to the birds!" he shouted. The gunfire was getting too loud for normal voice levels and Oaken had to scream it into the faces of the squad.
At the moment Oaken finished shouting his sentence, bullets came down and hit two of his men. They barely missed his neck but struck the two men in their bellies. One collapsed immediately and held onto his stomach, while the other dropped his gun and wobbled down to his knees. Bullets rained down and hit each part of the chopper behind the squad.
All the others including Oaken turned around quickly and ran away from the scene. The remaining five team members and colonel ran around the sides of the chopper, passing the nervous pilots inside, or dove through the open belly and emerged out the other side.
The two injured men faced the table from where the shots most likely came from and saw Tan helmets atop moving erratically and into vantage points. The lieutenant who now sat on his butt, trying to not die, moved swiftly and stood up, staggering to his feet. He managed to pull himself back into the chopper by hopping over the landing foot of the heli and settled on his hands that covered his wound.
Green blood drizzled down his hand and covered his pant legs, but his jacket now started to weigh him down. It was soaked and there was no medical kit on board. He rolled on the floor of the bird and got to the other side. The pilots had already gone down on the floor for protection as the blades continued to whirl. The choppers could shut down, but it would have to immediately be turned on again for it would take too long to start the blades up again for extraction.
Glancing at the wounded man, the pilot slammed his fist on the dashboard. He wanted to help but couldn't risk being caught off guard. There was a man bleeding to death behind him but he also had to protect his life, his copilot's life and the chopper itself.
The lieutenant cried out in pain as he witnessed the others running with Oaken to the closet. "MOVE!" the colonel yelled, as his legs took bigger strides with his remaining five men.
Lay on his stomach, the lieutenant swung his right side over with his remaining strength and nestled on his back, hoping he wouldn't die and wishing the pain would stop. He checked on his wound and saw that the blood had stopped pouring out and now only drops emerged. But still, to his left lay the other lieutenant who was now crawling to the chopper. Bullets started whizzing past his head, hitting and bouncing off the hard wood floor only inches from his body. Dust spat up and sparks came and went as the chopper got hit.
Tan troops kept trying to shoot at the slowly moving target but just kept missing. He must have been at least eight hundred feet away from the top of the table, making any shot hard.
The helpless soldier now stretched out his arm and reached for the landing bar on the bottom of the helicopter. He lunged at it but failed once, then twice, and after the third time, turned on his back in disappointment. The bullets from the Tan guns started ricocheting off the sides and windows of the chopper, making interesting noises and dents. The lieutenant on board saw his comrade on the ground and decided to take action.
To his right and in reaching distance lay the heli's machine gun, with a loaded chain of bullets. He took a firm hold of the frame loaded to the base of the floor and switched over onto his stomach. Swiveling his body, he positioned himself to view the table. He didn't notice before but underneath the table near the far wall were Tan forces. Tanks and troops were now making their way towards the chopper and all the others that had landed. Oaken must not have seen them for they emerged from the back corner, off in the distance, surrounded by the legs of the finely made table chairs.
The lieutenant used his elbows to push himself up and with both hands, grabbed the machine gun and pulled himself up. He pressed the gun against his shoulder, aimed and began firing at the top of the table. Each shot he fired hit the table or enemy soldier and soon, LEGO pieces started to fall and impact the wood floor.
With every bullet he held on tighter to his weapon, not letting loose for one split second as the Tan troops returned fire. They came closer to the wall that stood on the ledge of the table, trying to kill the man who was now trying to kill them. Some stuck their heads out to far over the LEGO bricks and got in the sights of the lieutenant. They learned their lesson however, when a bullet came either through their head or neck.
When the Green lieutenant hit one, the Tan soldier's head flopped backward and his body became gelatin, wiggling lifelessly and having no control. His hands went into the air and when his head finally stopped moving, his body landed over the wall and flung over. He flew down to the chair, hitting its arm and breaking into two pieces. His upper body went off the arm and hit the chair's cushion while his lower body tumbled as it came closer to the floor. The Tan legs struck the wood and shattered into smaller pieces. Some came at the chopper and hit the sides, making softer noises than the bullets before. Drops of blood and parts of the man's intestines flew into the blades of the heli and were cut up into small particles.
The firing didn't stop though. Even when two, three and then four Tan soldiers died fighting, they still shot at the lieutenant, and even the other choppers. Though the lieutenant didn't have the time to see it, the escorts were circling the table and some had also moved into the kitchen, doing their best to prevent more Tan forces from coming into the dining room.
He couldn't see what was going on behind him but the Green soldier guessed that the other teams were getting out and trying to make it to the closet. He kept shooting at the Tan and kept hitting some. After a few more Tan forces fell, they retreated and vanished into the insides of the top of the table. Just at the same time, the lieutenant fired his last shot. The string of bullets ha disappeared and there was no energy left in the lieutenant to reload.
He took a deep breath. Blood, stringy and dark green blood, whisked over his lips and onto his chin. He breathed in again and looked down at the ground. His buddy lay still and on his shoulder and thigh. Arms over his stomach and green blood spilled all around his body. The lieutenant figured the worst and accepted his friend's demise.
Now only explosions could be heard off in the distance and glass breaking as well. The pilots sat back up and looked to see the wounded lieutenant. "We need to get out of here!" the
pilot said. The soldier nodded and looked back to see the movement of the Tan forces under the table. They had now reached the rug and all the tanks could be seen. A fine line had developed and several rows or troops, guarded by armored vehicles, now stood in front of the lieutenant and the pilots.
They watched and hoped maybe someone would shoot at them first and cause them to retreat back into their old territory, but nothing happened. One tank raised his cannon and turned it to face the chopper. Many of the Tan troops next to the tanks dropped their guns and covered their ears. The lieutenant saw the blackness in the cannons' hole and waited for the imminent death to occur.
A single shot came at him and the shell rotated in the air, gaining speed as it burst from its former home. It didn't miss the chopper or hit the tail. Right where the pilots sat it impacted and sent the two pilots flying out the right cockpit door and windshield. The lieutenant inside flew back, tumbling to the left. His body knocked the walls of the heli's belly. With enough force to break apart the chopper's engine, his arms came off, allowing his torso to rotate violently. The rest of body, the head and legs continued to fly. He body became decapitated when his he hit his head on a handle, welded to the roof of the chopper. His skull cracked open and his head burst off from his neck as the fireball took over his legs and arms, partially melting them in an instant.
The one who remained on the ground went in the opposite direction of the three other men inside and came toward the tank. He didn't come close or even near the carpet, but his flaming and flailing body twisted in midair and went high above the wood floor. When he came crashing down, his legs broke off, along with his hand and the remaining parts rolled to a stop. Now the only question that was left was simple: would the same thing happen to the other choppers?
Inside Gurdeaux was having his men scramble with their prisoners, putting them in order. "Alright men they're here. But I am not opening this door until I hear a knock." A large explosion went off, shaking the hardwood floor.
"When this door opens, you will run to one of the helicopters on the ground. They'll be empty, this I know for sure. Each heli will hold six men so here's how we will designate the groups. Who are the leaders of Besa and Cesa Teams?" "We are sir," said Jentiko and Gutierez.
"Okay you," began Gurdeaux, pointing to Jentiko, "I want you to take four scientists and the TEG with you on board. Any chopper will do. And you will also take four scientists but with you I want one of your team members coming along. I will go with my men to a single chopper. That makes three filled. What are your names?" asked Gurdeaux, nudging his head in the direction of Jentiko. "I'm Jentiko… and I'm Gutierez."
"Gutierez and Jentiko, the men you have left over I want huddled into a single chopper. Penon of Desa Team and his will take the remaining. Is everything clear?" "SIR YES SIR!!" yelled the men in the closet. The scientists looked at the men, examining the veins in their necks bulge with furious blood.
"When we get out, move quickly." Another shake of the closet thrust dirt and dust off the sides. The interior walls were rumbling as the fight outside raged on. "There will be no time to for stopping or stalling, for then you will die. All I ask is that you keep moving. Testing your enemy when the odds are not in your favor is a gamble not worth taking. And I will die here today just so you can learn that lesson!"
The men stared into the rage of their superior. His teeth were showing, his eyes were jumping and inside they could see his heart pounding with adrenaline. The time had come to see if anyone's destiny was to be told today.
Oaken rushed to the closet door, neglecting to look at the hallway to the kitchen from which Gurdeaux had run through about an hour before. He also didn't bother to look back at the fallen men behind him which he assumed had died. His men ran with him, protecting his sides with their assault rifles. The group had landed in between the table and the door and there was no time to relax and squabble. They had to make it to the closet and back quickly. The men who trailed behind their leader started to get shot at by the Tan forces on top of the table. Bullets chased their every step as their bodies rushed to the Green soldiers trapped inside.
Dust and parts of the wooden floor began to break and go up at the chests of the men. The impact of the bullets shot them straight out of their place and made them airborne particles. Some bits of dust and dirt kicked up into their eyes, blurring their vision and making them zigzag as they continued their race away from danger.
To their right came more soldiers, equipped with rocket launchers and machine guns. They too were under attack and beginning to feel the heat of war. A few unlucky men were shot in the back and fell down, launching their guns away from their bodies and towards the closet door. Blades from the helicopters still went around and around, sending noise to cover up the firing sounds from the Tan guns.
In all there were about ten choppers still on the ground. Above but in full sight were the remaining helis, circling the table, unleashing a wrath of missiles and ammo from the turrets underneath. Guard posts and walls disintegrated as the shells pounded the weak LEGO defenses.
When Oaken and his men finally reached the doorframe below the handle, they looked back and saw their little birdie sitting still with a man on his stomach inside. It could have been a pilot or one of the wounded men, but either way, he was laying down covering fire and providing protection to Oaken's men and the other squads.
"Shoot back! Return fire!" Oaken ordered to his squad. The five men turned, faced the table and went on their knees to get better shots. Aiming through their sights, they started firing back at the table, hitting the LEGO bricks which shielded the Tan forces from them.
Oaken looked to his left as his back lay against the white door frame. He could see more men lying on the floor and then coming at him, and then falling once and not getting up. Near the window which seemed only a few hundred yards away but felt like miles, little tan figures emerged form the shadows and started to eye him and the others. When a tank popped out as well, Oaken opened his eyes wide enough to tear his green plastic skin. He knew that the only way to get out alive now was to hurry.
He banged on the door with his left fist, hoping a quick answer from inside would come. When the door opened slightly, he saw a green face peer at him. The door then opened wider, allowing the colonel to see more into the closet. A bullet then hit the frame, missing his head and ricocheted to the floor and then out of sight.
The Green soldier ducked and then opened the door even wider. Oaken now saw Gurdeaux looking at him with both guns in his hands. Oaken stood up and with his gun pointed to the action behind him said, "We got to go now!" "I know!" replied Gurdeaux. As Oaken
turned around to survey the damage, Gurdeaux tapped his back with a rifle. Holding a gun by its handle in front of Oaken Gurdeaux spoke, "You'll need this." Oaken accepted Gurdeaux's offer, tossing away his pistol. Gurdeaux then pulled out two magazines and tossed them into Oaken's hands. With that done, Gurdeaux and the others ran at the door with the sergeant in front, Dachun second, the scientists and then the rest. Trailing behind was Rigger and a man from Besa Team.
When Gurdeaux and Oaken came out side, away from the closet door they looked at the helicopter the colonel had ridden in on. Behind and to its left were several more, with pilots whipping their heads from side to side, watching bullets stream past their faces.
"We're going to put you and the others on the ones across from us!" yelled the colonel. The explosions were beginning to deafen Oaken, and Gurdeaux's ears were starting to take a beating. Overhead a Green helicopter whistled by, firing a rocket past the closet door and into the abyss back at in the kitchen.
"My men and I are going back to that one. You and your men better run fast!" he said. Gurdeaux nodded, but before he could take a second look at the unfolding action, Oaken's chopper exploded, sending blades and metal pieces in every direction. The explosion caught everyone by surprise and made almost all of Gurdeaux's and Oaken's men panic.
The cockpit went to the right, the tail to the left, and body of the man inside, who so gracefully operated the machine gun, came hurdling at Gurdeaux and Oaken. He flew high and flung around sideways. His head came off and arms disappeared into the flames. Before anything hit the ground, the entire chopper no longer was recognizable. No piece big enough to be told apart from a car part or toaster. Things were now going in the wrong direction for the men in the mission.
Gurdeaux and Oaken watched the entire metal body fly apart and up, and then crash down sending more bursts of fire out in each direction. It landed on its side, closer to the closet than before. Behind the wreckage they saw Tan bodies moving and Tan tanks approaching their position.
"Fire at will!" Oaken yelled. At once, everyone in each team emptied their clips at the table's legs, trying to kill all those who stood under it. Gurdeaux completely unloaded one full magazine but when he reloaded a second, he turned and saw more Tan soldiers coming from the window side. He could see their heads and arms, moving behind the choppers that had landed to the left of the bunch. They were vague but self evident.
He started to run. Gurdeaux ran past the group and went onto his left knee. Without looking into his sights he saw hands gesturing movement signals but no vehicles. They were coming out, and going strong. It was just a ground infantry platoon, who was about to die.
His fingers gently tapped and held down on the trigger. Bullets fired simultaneously, sparking out of the gun and into the Tan soldiers. Gurdeaux held the rifles above both of his hips. BANG BANG BANG… BANG…BANG BANG BANG! They kept coming out and chasing after the cornered men. With their backs against the door Gurdeaux felt pinned, awaiting a slaughter.
But his relentless effort brightened the moment. As the seconds pressed on the Tan soldiers dropped to the ground. Their bodies collapsed with wounds in the limbs or with holes in their chests and necks. Flopping was the only action their lifeless entities could do. Those fortunate enough to scurry before being encountered with Gurdeaux's bullets went behind the wall and waited for everything to finish. Gurdeaux soon ran out of bullets and let the clip fall out of the gun.
More troops emerged from the corner and peered around to see if it was safe to come out. One let his head wrap around the side and his eyes looked all around, mainly at Gurdeaux's body sitting on his knee. The troop stuck his head out further but his head then partially blew off. A bullet got him in the forehead, sending brain matter to the men who stood behind him. The blood gushed on the wall, creating curves lines with each surge of new tan blood. He collapsed but more bullets then came at him, hitting his sides and head. Gurdeaux looked behind to see his squad firing at the wall. When the bullets stopped, the sergeant got up.
"Let's go! You all come with me!" Gurdeaux ordered. He took a few steps backwards and to the right, aiming his footing towards the helicopters on his left. He raced for the belly of the metal bird closest to him. Running across his view were four men in white coats and two Green soldiers, firing at the table. Out of the corner of Gurdeaux's right eye he could see Penon's chopper lifting off. The team leader was letting his right leg hang out as sparks flew inside his heli's belly. The men were taking firing, but it was nothing compared to what Gurdeaux was experiencing.
Finally another group of scientists ran by, with Gutierez leading the pack. He reached the chopper. It was hovering slightly above ground, begging for the rest of the bunch to hop on. In the middle of the group was the TEG and he dove into the heli as though he were on fire. One scientist then jumped in, then the second and then the third. But the fourth, the straggler of the party took a hit to the neck and plunged into the hardwood floor. His left hand grabbed the severed artery, while his other fingers clawed into the wood. His nails came off as his body slipped from under him. The blood from his neck made things too slippery for his elbow, and he dropped. Though he never came back up, blood kept gushing from his wound.
Penon's chopper, then Gutierez' and finally Jentiko's took off. This all happened as Gurdeaux ran faster to his getaway. Behind his destined aircraft arose another chopper. This had to be the remaining six men, grouped together from Besa and Cesa Team. It rose several yards and turned. As it faced the window, an anti-aircraft round nicked the back propeller. Smoke climbed into the noisy air but the chopper did not go down. Along with the four others, it made it to the window. Gurdeaux didn't know for sure but from the looks of it, the exit was as swift and painless as the entrance.
Another explosion came out into the already loud clustered atmosphere. A heli was hit, probably with a mortar and ascended beautifully. Parts flew all around but for Gurdeaux it was an amazing sight.
Gurdeaux could now see his ride. No one was inside except for two pilots who urged them to come in with waving hands and shaking bodies, full of nervousness. Suddenly a fiery heli came darting at the floor. It was to the right, almost heading directly for Oaken's dead heli. The tail came off, along with several blades before the cockpit officially touched down. The glass from the windshield broke into the littlest of fragments. Parts scurried everywhere and fire loped through the emptiness of the room, high above the floor. Flaming wreckage started to rain down, narrowly catching the legs of Eckers and Dachun.
But Gurdeaux and the others had finally made it. The chopper was slanted, letting the cockpit face the table and fortress. Aesa Team hurled into the copter. As they did another chopper landed, just in front of the sergeant's. Gurdeaux couldn't get a good look but there were no others left on the ground. The escorts were either gone fighting or downed. There was still definitely some still fighting, but most likely in the kitchen.
Gurdeaux jumped in, then Dachun, Tyson, Eckers and finally Rigger. Guns lined the inside of the chopper. Four total were clipped to the inside and had magazines placed in them. Gurdeaux didn't grab one but became tempted. His men grabbed onto the handles once they had become seated, but Gurdeaux was fortunate enough to be seated next to a seatbelt. He strung it out to its full length, secured it in the clip by wrapping it around his stomach and adjusted it tightly. His pulled on the tightening latch and secured himself. The belts weren't like those in cars. Although they went around the person's body, they had a second string which attached to the wall, allowing them to move around the chopper and operate the machine gun, which amazingly odd, stood mounted on the right side of the heli as opposed to the normal left.
Oaken came dashing at the belly and with both hands grabbed the floor. "You couldn't give me a normal bird?" asked Gurdeaux, pointing to the gun. Oaken examined his discrepancy and replied, "Oh shut up!"
Machine gun fire continued by Aesa Team returned fire. The tanks weren't in Gurdeaux's view but he knew they were still close by. "Colonel Oaken," shouted the pilot, turning to face the leader, "we saw what happened to your birdie and radioed in for a second escort to pick you and your men back up. That one ahead is yours!" "Okay," said Oaken, nodding at the good news.
Oaken turned to look back and saw he still had three men. "I guess this is where we part," the colonel said. "And so it is," answered Gurdeaux. Oaken dropped the gun and started to run to the new ride. He ran fast, breaking the wind with his sharp, dagger forming hands. He and his men made it safely, only being targeted by small-arms fire.
But as Oaken got in his old chopper exploded again. It was massive compared to the prior eruption. Though Gurdeaux couldn't see the colonel's facial expression, Oaken was gasping with confusion. The sergeant raised an eyebrow but signaled to the pilot to go.
Looking at the machine gun mounted on his right, the sergeant picked up an obvious idea. Gurdeaux looked awe-stricken at it, turned to Eckers and nudged his head toward the gun. He quickly got up and stood eagerly behind it, ready to kill any Tan that came into his eyesight. "Eckers, when you get the chance, fire at the table!" The private swiveled and nodded.
Gurdeaux's heli then picked up height and turned around. As Gurdeaux's side got a complete view of Oaken's chopper, everything, including him, suddenly blew up. It was utterly amazing for Gurdeaux to see his superior disappear in a blink of a flashing and raging inferno. Pieces broke apart like a cracker on concrete. Nothing remained as the huge fireball consumed the colonel and his men. His body flew backwards and out of the chopper. The impact with the floor further broke his plastic body into several pieces. The entire chopper disappeared into the enormous fireball and went as high as the dining room table chair, landing ferociously loud. It smacked into the wood, causing scratches and wood to fly up at the others. Gurdeaux took a big gulp and turned to face the table. "LET'S GO NOW!!" he screamed at the cockpit.
Eckers commenced firing at the bottom of the table. The chain of bullets went through the machine gun as fast as possible. Firing without any pause or moment of deliberation, Eckers attacked the tanks that still rolled along the floor and carpet. They hadn't gotten a good shot at Gurdeaux because from up above there was still two escorts, circling the base and launching missiles at the forces below.
More bullets could now be heard as the fire raged on in Gurdeaux's sight. The Tan tanks kept on moving and were trying their hardest to kill any Green soldier in their vicinity, but still couldn't get a hit. The chopper began to rise and Gurdeaux could feel his body getting light as the wind came in and started to cool his warm skin. From his left and through the whole in the
belly of the copter Gurdeaux could see the entire window, and all the intricate cuts of broken glass.
The Tan tanks had made their way past the shadow of the table and now had passed the carpet under the table. They were heading for their second target, creating panic in Gurdeaux's mind. Not many troops walked alongside the tanks. Most of their bodies lay still near the table's legs. Some were crawling for help but none was going to come soon.
Eckers paused for a moment to inspect his damage. The chain of the machine gun still hadn't reached the halfway point and already the private must had fired a hundred rounds. "Eckers keep firing!" Gurdeaux yelled at him.
Eckers shot at anything below the table as his machine gun slanted downward. He went a little on his toes just to see what his bullets were getting launched at. Gurdeaux, who when coming onto the chopper had put his gun on his lap, grabbed the murdering weapon and tossed it towards Dachun's feet. The corporal looked at Gurdeaux with a puzzled demeanor. "It's alright," he started, "we're getting out of here."
His eyes closed and tears were about to come out. The sounds of Eckers' rampage started to fade out and sudden glimpse of his family appeared into his mind. His family came into sight but vanished without warning, and then a black car drove by him, only letting him see the trunk and back two wheels.
When the noise of assault rifle bullets hitting the metal floor below awoke him from his fright, he looked down and then saw a magazine being held in front of him by his leader's hands. There were three long clips, fully loaded and shiny. "You'll need these," Dachun said to the sergeant. Gurdeaux took hold of the clip and grabbed his gun back. He looked around but didn't
see any troops, so he swung it around his back. The chopper was hovering even more above the ground.
"What's the hold up?!" screamed Gurdeaux. Eckers had stopped firing. The tanks had turned back from the pressure of the helis up high. "The engine must be damaged. We did take fire coming in and sitting here," responded the pilot. Dachun one of his clips and loaded his empty gun. Loaded, he pointed the weapon outwards to make sure no Tan soldiers stood atop the cabinet to his left. None could be seen but he still didn't want to take that chance.
Eckers started firing again. The jackets that flung out of Eckers' machine gun started to pile up inside the chopper. Higher and higher they began to rise as the chopper went above the table's height. Both pilots wanted to get distance between them and the ground before charging out the front side of the house.
"Do you want to go out the front of back sir? We've gotten word that more unites are stationed out on the front lawn." "We're pointed in that direction, so we might as well go that way! Just get us moving."
Turning around now and escaping out the backdoor window would be a very costly mistake. Off in the distance on the kitchen counter, unbeknown to Gurdeaux and his men, Tan troops were getting into position to shoot at them with whatever they had, if they so chose to come their way. Things were about to get interesting… but only if they were to chose the contingent path.
Rigger and Tyson, who sat on opposite sides but closest to the adrenaline pumped private behind the machine gun, looked out below and to each possible corner to see the war zone that had emerged underneath them. Another explosion came from the bottom. The smoke of the flames went up and soon the smell of burning plastic penetrated their nostrils. They looked at
each other when the smell came to them and nodded. They whipped out their guns and held it firmly to their bodies.
The chopper now started to tilt forwards, meaning that the ride was about to begin… but it didn't last long. Guns were still being fired and another explosion came about. But smaller explosions were also coming into the air and echoing around the men's ears. Little holes started to get knocked in the wood-door frame and white walls that enclosed the men in the room. Wood chipped off and flew inside.
Gurdeaux kicked the pieces away but knew it wouldn't be enough. As wood peeled away from the frame and tumbled down to the wood floor the men inside, except for Gurdeaux, shouldered themselves to safety and covered their heads with their unarmed hands.
"We're getting shot at by an anti-aircraft gun. We only have four missiles left sir. What do you want us to do?" asked the copilot. On the windowsill was a lone anti-aircraft unit. They were in the middle of reloading their barrel of ammunition when the pilot spoke. "Shoot one and kill them!" replied Gurdeaux to the pilot. The pilot looked through the windshield glass, waited for the locked-on sound, and pressed down on the little red button.
A thin white cloud came streaking through the air and curved down, just in time to blow out the entire gun and its operators. When the missile hit the gun from the right, they flew to the left and disappeared behind the chair that towered over the men Gurdeaux had killed only moments ago. There was no doubt in his mind that in that corner lay more Tan reinforcements.
"We're clear to go," said the pilot, or so he assumed. Before he could even push down on his throttle, Tan helicopters appeared, flying towards them, emerging from the kitchen. "We've got TAC42s inbound sir!" yelled the pilot, watching his radar as red lights started to flash alongside a small beeping siren. They each flew with missiles underneath and turrets on their
wings. The cannons were the size of a small car and had many holes drilled in their front sides. This meant more bullets were going to come, and going to cause damage.
Not being able to look behind him, the pilot lunged for the dashboard. "Hang on!" he yelled. The copilot reached in front of him and flicked some buttons up and down along with the pilot. The pilot turned the Green chopper in the direction of the incoming flying foes. With a flick of an index finger, the copilot moved a switch. The men in the back, with the exception of Gurdeaux, had absolutely no clue of what was about to happen.
The copter fell. It seemed like a rollercoaster ride at theme parks in the Old World, where they brought children up and high and then let you freefall, but now there was no certain stop before hitting the ground. Eckers hugged the machine gun and the rest clung to the handles inside. The Tan choppers sent missiles at them but narrowly missed the blades that spun above the squad. Three must have been fired and the men in the cockpit saw them come out and zoom over their heads. All three went past them, hitting and exploding on the door of the window wall. The pilot and copilot, who had kept their hands at the dashboard, then switched buttons back on just as the missiles went by and the chopper began to fall slower until it leveled out in midair. In all, the chopper lowered half the distance to the ground.
Eckers kept his eyes on the Tan choppers waiting for them to get in close range but knew it was not going to happen. As they approached Aesa Team's heli, the assemblage of aerial Tan fear veered left and then circled around the fortress atop the table. The two Green helicopters that had laid down devastation to the fort were now the new prime targets of the collection of Tan helis. Perhaps eight or ten were now in the dining room and sending missiles and bullets down at the enemies who flew around. More explosions erupted and Eckers saw the fireballs as he turned around. Tyson and Rigger, who sat on the left side of the belly, saw the carnage happen.
In a matter of less than five seconds, a Green chopper, who had already descended back to the floor with flimsy and burning blades, hit the hardwood floor. Some Green soldiers started to run out of their deadweight chopper and head for safety under the sofa and chairs that laid behind them. The chopper had come in at a funny angle, as though wanting to make it out through the back. None made however, as the Tan choppers stopped above them at the sofa's height and unleashed their weapons upon them.
Bullet after bullet hit either them or the floor, tearing holes in their bodies and then into the wood. Those that missed the moving targets flung back at upward angles, vanishing completely, or to the sides and landing in the walls. Flipping over as it contacted with the floor, the Green helicopter became shrapnel as the Tan missiles hit the right and back sides, making all the expensive metal pieces useless.
The second Green chopper dashed for safety, outrunning the Tan followers. It passed Gurdeaux's heli and went into the kitchen. Four tan helicopters followed the desperately fleeing copter, going behind the wall and doing whatever they could to bring down the worthy adversary.
Gurdeaux's chopper still wasn't going anywhere. "What is the problem?" the sergeant screamed. "The engine is having problems sir, but we're moving now!" the copilot replied. The heli swerved to the left, coming close to the dining room table. The blades didn't come near the legs but were close enough that the wind from their rotations flung body parts into the air. It then began to gain more height, and soon flew above the height of the table.
Above the Aesa Team's heads were still four more Tan TAC42s. They had circled the room and were now heading to Gurdeaux's position. They decided to attack from the right, thinking that this lonely helicopter was just a normal Green heli. Eckers could now see the
incoming helis and moved the gun to get a good aim. He fired at the flying objects, casing them to wait firing a round at them.
The sparks that came off their metal bodies signaled to the private that he was hitting them and alarming them to move out. He fired relentlessly until he saw fire flame out of the top of one of the helicopters. A single TAC42 now stood in Eckers' sight as the remaining "unscathed" three went away, flying back to the sofa to retry another approach. The Tan chopper, with growing orange flames and dark grey smoke, started to turn around fanatically, gaining speed and unintentionally fanning out the flames.
It soon lost control and started to veer away from Eckers' sight and towards the sofa and dining room table. Regaining its balance, it caught a second wind and shot up in height but still couldn't stop swiveling as its speed increased. It was coming at the Tan troops in the fortress, darting in fast with its swirling tail going around and the cockpit revolving in circles as it too went in circles.
Finally Aesa Team watched with smiles as the troops on the table went fleeing for their lives as the chopper crashed and broke apart with the cockpit ejecting from the rest of the aircraft. Troops were hit by the debris and went in every direction, falling off the table and getting caught in the roaring flames that now damaged the polished furniture.
Eckers looked carefully at the new wreckage. The chopper had slammed on its side and broke in half. It was a glorious display of death but was short lived. The pilot leaned his throttle forward and off went Gurdeaux's chopper. Eckers looked out the belly again and could see the remaining three TAC42s drawing in.
He fired again at them and one went high and away. After a few seconds of firing the machine gun, the team's chopper tilted forward once again and began moving away from the dining room and into the kitchen, but now at a faster speed and lower altitude.
The food pantry on the right of the helicopter now appeared and the stairs were becoming more viewable as it crept in from behind the right-side kitchen wall. The kitchen windows where the dinner table was now could be seen with its light and the Tan fortress on top of it glimmered with rays of death and trouble. Before Gurdeaux and his men couldn't see the structure but now it was obvious why. With walls built low and away from the edges it was no wonder why Gurdeaux didn't see the fort.
Smoke and flames were spread on the table's top and LEGO pieces could be seen all over, taken apart from their former constructions. The island in the kitchen was in no better condition. Units stationed on top of the butcher table were decimated and had few survivors. Still there were living and moving Tan troops atop the kitchen's island and they now saw the Green helicopter and began running to their points of attack.
"We're being followed!" yelled Eckers. Gurdeaux stood up and traveled to Eckers who was now scared out of his mind. Leaning outside as far as his rope would let him, he saw danger approaching. Behind the squad were three Tan TAC42 choppers coming at them quickly. A few had puffs of black smoke coughing out of their tails and propellers but were still flying fast and looked ticked.
One of the Tan pilots saw a head pop up as just the Green chopper past the food pantry door and opened fire. Gurdeaux pushed himself back in and looked towards the cockpit. "Swerve!" he yelled at the pilots. Their hearts began pounding in their ribs and quick breaths started to come in and out of their lungs. The pilot tugged to the left and the chopper veered left.
Just at the moment, a Green helicopter came out of nowhere and crashed into the food pantry door. It had impacted above Gurdeaux's helicopter but the debris was going to come down fast.
From behind one of the Tan pilots, pressing hard on his little yellow button, let bullets fly out of the cannons. They whizzed and zoomed past the aircraft, streaking through the air and sending small whizzing air blows into the men's faces.
The Green helicopter was now in the kitchen and below, Gurdeaux and the others could see what before the ground wouldn't let them. On the counters were all sorts of outposts. Guard towers overlooked each corner and protected the sinks, kitchen appliances and counters. They were dug in away from the edges and had low walls.
Gurdeaux held on tightly as the swerving force pressed down on his body, as it did to the others. None of his men were secured inside the chopper so they grabbed on to all the handles they could. Eckers clung to the machine gun and wrapped his legs around its base, hoping the fight would end soon and they would get out alive.
The TAC42s kept coming. Though now of their sights the Green helicopter was not out of their minds. They too veered left but only two made it past the pantry door. Just as the middle chopper flew past the door, almost scraping the white wood with its blades, the demolished and wrecked Green heli came down, smashing into the middle of the bird. Like its friend at the dining room table, the cockpit came off and started tumbling in the air. Unfortunately Gurdeaux wasn't able to see the magnificent ruins that came about on the hardwood floor.
When the chopper passed the shiny and silver fridge Gurdeaux looked to his right to see the battle that was raging on without them. Puffs of smoke littered the air above the couches and fireplace as Green tanks and aircraft pummeled the Tan positions. Green troops could be seen, faintly though, running on the hardwood floor and advancing deep into enemy territory.
The noise was getting louder and Tan choppers were still firing, even though their bullets were hitting the walls and possibly their own men below and far off in the back of the family room. Tugging his throttle to the right, the pilot swung the helicopter to the right, making the force harder on Gurdeaux and the others inside.
Tyson, still sitting away from Eckers, kept trying to keep his grip on the handles inside. But right before the second swerve he changed his grip to holding the outside frame of the chopper. Both his hands were grasping the metal as his feet began to slide form under him and lift up. Aesa Team's heli was almost completely on its side, something not uncommon in the Green Air Force.
They dangled for a bit but then reached the floor where they couldn't be held firmly. His feet were slipping, not being able to find a firm footing. Nearly on its side at a steep angle, the chopper was now pushing the men's strengths to their limits. Dachun grabbed onto the handles above him as did Rigger. Tyson was still trying his hardest to hold on.
Tan troops below were now completely stunned by what was going on above. Those who were stationed at the toaster at the end of the butcher block watched as their own choppers were chasing and shooting at a fast Green helicopter with hands sticking out of its sides. Sitting in the middle of the kitchen, the butcher block contained many Tan troops. Though a good portion of them were dead, the remaining soldiers were now fully aware about what was needed of them.
Raising their guns and pointing at the belly of the green aircraft, they started firing all sorts of guns. Hand guns, rifles, sniper rifles and even shotguns were being used to bring it down. As the bullets hit and penetrated the skin of the aircraft like a knife through butter, Tyson began losing his grip. The sounds of ricocheting bullets started to worry him even more than hanging on for dear life.
Finally, as the ricochets started to decrease, the sweat from Tyson's hands became too much for him and his grip became loose. His body slid partially on the floor and partially in the air down past Rigger and in between Dachun and Gurdeaux. The four men watched helplessly as their comrade slipped away and out of the chopper in front of their eyes.
Gurdeaux saw Tyson start to roll over onto his back as the helicopter kept turning a hard right, making the poor private come at him. Letting go of one of the handles, Gurdeaux stretched out his right hand and tried to the private's jacket as he came his way. But only Tyson's elbow got into his palm and quickly got out.
The private fell out and fell with eyes locked onto the blades that had carried him this far. They seemed to rotate slow and make everything drain away. Tyson started to go onto his side but he kept his eyes looking up. Soon only the light from the windows could be seen as the chopper became smaller and smaller. It wasn't long before his body stopped moving and landed on the butcher block. The thick dirty wood smashed into his body, breaking his shoulder and arm on impact. Thankfully, he didn't die, although his squad members thought otherwise. He landed on his shoulder and his head hammered onto the other side. It was good that he wore a helmet, for had he impacted without I there would have bee more than just the right side of his body hurting.
Tan troops who had only seconds before fired upon him, raced to his side to capture him and take him alive. Hung over his back, Tyson's gun lay beside him but he didn't bother to reach for it. He moaned in pain and let out a tear. He saw at a lopsided angle men racing at him and tan objects fly over head. The noise from the background had faded and now his heart could be heard. "Mom," he began saying, "Mom let me come home." The Tan soldiers were now feet
away but had not fired. Tears started coming out of the corners of Tyson's eyes. "Momma," Tyson started speaking, "please let me come home."
Up above, the bullets kept coming at the Green helicopter. The Tan pilots behind weren't firing any missiles because they couldn't get a lock on. Navigating an escape from enemy fire, the Green pilots inside the cockpit were trying their best to avoid being hurt. Thinking quickly, the copilot screamed to the men behind him, "Get the gun ready! We're going to whip this thing on its side!"
Eckers heard the words and lifted himself up from the gun, but kept his legs around it. The pilots pulled back and to the left on the joysticks hard but then leaned them to the right slowly. Passing over them, the Tan helicopters didn't understand what was happening but circled around for a second try at killing the Green soldiers. They went away, veering right and retracing the path they had just taken.
The pilots move their throttles to the left again, letting Eckers get the whole view of the Kitchen. Eckers stood up when the chopper became balanced and stable. He looked out and saw the window above the sink, Tan troops moving below it and wood cupboards placed on each wall of the kitchen. He could hear the bullets coming from below as the Tan soldiers kept firing. The sounds of action and combat all around his sides were now becoming more chilling as the explosions shook the air he breathed. To his left, he now saw the Tan choppers racing around. They were now vulnerable and he decided to take advantage of this.
Gurdeaux and Dachun were looking at the scene with the private and pulled out their guns. Rigger seemed as though he was about to faint but turned to his right and slumped over to get his rifle from behind him. All four men inside were now holding their guns and taking aim.
Looking behind him, Eckers saw the men lifting their bodies and heads to see what was coming around to shoot them down. He looked out again and now saw that the two helis were still turning, about to face him directly. This was going to be a head-on assault. Eckers waited for the Tan choppers to get into a wider viewpoint so the others could get a good shot as well. Gurdeaux and Dachun stood on one knee each as Rigger sat with his rifle in his lap. His will to fight was now diminishing at the seconds passed by, but he still looked down the barrel of his gun. The closest cockpit was what his eye focused on.
Eckers fired first, hitting the cockpit of the back chopper as it circled behind the other one. After twenty or thirty bullets ejecting out the machine gun, it went on its side and veered downward at the sink. The other men started firing at the front chopper and also hit the cockpit. Leveled and coming at slow speeds, the Tan choppers made themselves easier targets than the ones they were trying to eliminate.
Eckers kept firing at the two and kept hitting the cockpits, and soon started hitting the blades. Rigger held the rifle to his stomach as his magazine emptied. His fired all his rounds and then with a shaking hand reached for a second cartridge.
Shots came from the cannons of the chopper as it flew closer to Aesa Team. Bullets charged at the Green soldiers but only hit the wall, pantry door and frame of the copter. The bullets hit and bounced off the outer parts of the chopper, striking all sorts of areas and even whizzed past the men inside as they came through the openness of the belly.
Rigger held onto the trigger as his clip ran out of bullets again. He was the first to get hit. A streak of metal pellets dug into and out of his body. Some of the bullets dinted the insides of the chopper and went off out into the unknown parts of the house behind the men. Rigger flailed
with his arms and legs kicking as the bullets carved holes into his body, tearing off his leg and hand with immense force.
Gurdeaux finished his magazine and seeing the bullets come at him and Rigger, jumped to Dachun's side where it appeared safer, almost getting hit the head with a string of slugs. Rigger bounced off the wall behind as a final blow caught his torso, projecting out of the chopper. He fell thirty feet before hitting the wall but broke apart on the floor. He fell as the first Tan chopper to be hit crashed into the wall below the window and above the sink. Flames shot out of the crash and engulfed the unfortunate Tan troops who guarded the white wet sink. Rigger tumbled without control to the hardwood floor and when his body hit, he broke apart into many pieces. An arm went to the fridge, one leg to the pantry door and his head to the island. His guts were flung all around, equaling an area the size of a basketball court. He was now unrecognizable.
Eckers hadn't stopped firing at the Tan pilots. The metal jackets were now clumping beside him and on the ground below his buddy had just landed on. The second Tan chopper, now with no windshield and pilots with multiple holes in their bodies, leaned forward and headed downward. As it approached the team, Eckers' left arm flew from the gun and back to the wall, making an imprint of blood in the shape of an L. A couple of his fingers, too hard to tell for Dachun at the moment, were now missing on his other hand.
The bullets still came out of the guns from the team and kept hitting and wounding the pilots inside but Eckers was now stumbling down to his knees. His hand dripped blood on the floor and his legs were now trembling with shock. Only his index finger and thumb remained intact. He looked into the cockpit of the Tan chopper and saw the bright little fires in the cannons grow larger.
A collision was going to occur. The Tan pilots knew they couldn't win. A fire was starting to engulf their aircraft and blood gushed from their parts and onto the instruments in front of them. But they never let go of their throttles, and never stopped firing rounds.
Eckers took a dozen more bullets and dropped off the gun. Landing on the middle of his back, his body went over the edge and the weight carried him off the chopper just like Rigger.
In a last attempt to survive, the pilots inside the Tan chopper pulled up and to their left. Gurdeaux and Dachun, along with their pilots, watched as it went away to their right and disappeared behind the tail. It moved up too fast however, as its belly clipped the tail and tore off the blades. The collision sent Gurdeaux and Dachun to the floor and shook the pilots in their seats. Their seatbelts now became nooses as both of their necks pulled into them.
The Tan chopper's cockpit was sliced as it bore into the tail. Each blade made another incision into the metal body. At first, it cut through the nose and broke apart any remaining intact pieces of the windshield. But a split second later, the blades suddenly cut through the thick front and tunneled to the cockpit. Rotating fast with axe-like edges, the blades cut off the limbs and torsos of the Tan pilots. Legs sliced off like slivers of meat at an abattoir from the butchers that worked the animals' carcasses. The blades chopped through the bones and broke their legs apart, shattering the tenants and joints with lightning speed. Next were their thighs and hands, then the chests and finally, their two heads became victims as well. They fell over dead and let the blades finish the rest of their bodies.
Veering to the left, the chopper headed for the wall adjacent to the pantry door. Parts of the tail came along for a short ride but eventually came off and dropped onto the hardwood floor. Pieces flew high in the air and landed far away as the cockpit hit the wall. Some pieces hit the stairs while most landed on the hardwood floor in the kitchen, away from the Green chopper. T
chopper's top blades ripped off into sections as it hit the white wall. An explosion came about and sent debris flying at Gurdeaux. When the fireball emerged, the entire chopper went away.
Gurdeaux now realized that his helicopter was beginning to spin and it was gaining speed. The tail was gone and the top blades weren't going to be able to land this thing in one piece.
Alarms and weird noises erupted from the cockpit and flashing red lights started illuminating the body of the aircraft. "HANG ON!" yelled the copilot, as his hand switched on and off buttons above him. The pilot was pounding away at the dashboard but was having no success. Gurdeaux started to lose his balance, along with Dachun. The corporal couldn't get to his feet as the bird kept winding around above the butcher block.
Gurdeaux's heli started spinning slowly counter-clockwise but gained speed in no time, creating high velocity spins that brought the bird closer to the butcher's table. Tan troops who were watching the unfolding events stared at the twirling chopper. It was loosing more control as it made more rotations above them. Without orders, they started to shoot the metal bird. Gurdeaux and Dachun ducked and grabbed onto the floor as the ricochets emerged yet again. Shots were coming from all directions. It wasn't just those on the butcher block who were trying to take them out. Forces positioned along the granite top that wound its way from the fridge to the end of the counter shot bazooka shells, which zoomed by, alarming the pilots even more.
Gurdeaux could see the pale white streaks appear and quickly disintegrate in the air as the whistling noises of missed shots passed his ears. As his hands kept a hold on the floor's handles and the chopper kept going around, a bazooka was fired from the corner where the blender sat. It came rapidly at them and seemed as though it was about to hit the cockpit. But because the chopper kept turning, the cockpit shifted, allowing the shell to come through the body of the
aircraft. It flew over Gurdeaux's back and Dachun's shoulder as he now lay on his side, gripping the ends of the floor. Heat poured over both of them and soothed them for a futile second in time.
The force of the chopper's turning made it start to veer away from the butcher block and towards the stove, which sat in the middle of the counter, under the microwave and to the right of the fridge. Both pilots had given up on the controls and now held on their headrest handles. Mounted on both sides, the handles offered at least some hope that they would emerge from the wreckage. Gurdeaux on the other hand was not so optimistic. He had been in helicopter crashes before, but not after an aerial fight like this. There was only so much abuse a chopper could take before letting its passengers go down with it.
Dachun couldn't take the whirling force of the chopper anymore and ran out of strength. His hands let go but his fingers still stuck out, trying to grab onto anything as he started to slide off the aircraft. His body went in a slanted direction as the chopper kept rotating. Gurdeaux was on the opposite side, holding on so the rope wouldn't have to do all the work. He could see Dachun coming at him and going to the side. With one hand still on a handle, he threw his other at Dachun's arm as he came by his side.
Gurdeaux's right hand had caught Dachun's left arm, but it quickly slid and now became Gurdeaux holding his left hand. Dachun was stunned and confused. The ground was supposed to be coming at him and becoming larger. He looked up and could see Gurdeaux's face. The sergeant's legs stayed inside with his left arm, but his head leaned out to watch him. His neck and arm veins now popped through the skin and began to grow thicker and longer. Gurdeaux was now holding a man with one arm as the chopper he was in continued to flail in circles above enemy forces.
Dachun looked around. The picture was revolving fast around his eyes but he could see images easily. Green troops were now on top of the kitchen table, a window past the sofa along the wall was open and the fridge was coming at him. He widened his eyes at the sight of the huge block at metal the chopper was now coming at. Looking up, Gurdeaux now had his eyes closed as he squirmed with pain from the weight he was carrying. Dachun's feet dangled as the wind brought coldness up his green pants and as far as his waste. He kicked and didn't know why. Nothing was high enough for his toes to tap on and get away from the whirling bird.
Gurdeaux reopened his eyes and saw the fridge, then the stove, then the fridge, and then the stove. In between was a slice of granite. It would take the impact and not gain a scratch. This was where he and Dachun, and hopefully the pilots, would crash land.
Gurdeaux didn't have to wait long for Dachun to come off his arm. The chopper had gone down so far during its tumbling flight that Dachun's feet touched the granite as it came to the counter. Gurdeaux saw this, let go of the corporal who jumped off the same time his feet touched the counter top and his flew to one of the stove's elements. His head hit hard but the helmet took most of the blow. When he stopped rolling from the drop, he went into a daze. His eyes were quickly blanketed by blackness. He was now unconscious, unaware of the fate of the others in the EC13.
But Gurdeaux held on as the chopper hit the granite. Both pilots' bodies went up nearly tearing their belts from their locks and slammed into the dashboard controls. The alarms shut off but the lights continued to flash their colors. Gurdeaux's head hit the top of the helicopter and knocked him out. The belt kept him inside as the tremendous crash made him limp. His grip on the handle went dead and his fingers loosened.
The chopper's belly hit first but went forward. Narrowly missing Dachun as his body rolled away, the chopper kept moving in its counter-clockwise direction, with its blades going over the front and breaking apart on the granite. The whole helicopter flipped over and landed onto its back. Next the tail pounced and tore off, bouncing away and landing on the element on the far end of the stove.
The chopper skidded a bit, tumbled over repeatedly and finally ended up hitting the white wall that hid behind the fridge and continued throughout the kitchen. The sudden halt of the chopper's movement jolted the pilots to the left as they now sat appropriately with their heads above their behinds but faced the east side of the kitchen. The sink was visible, out of the corner of their bleeding eyes. They then lunged back into their seats as the impact ended. Dizzy and not knowing what was happening, they passed out and lay still.
Moving off the wall from the impact, the chopper skidded away on the polished granite and turned. The pilots now faced the back door with their eyes closed, with Gurdeaux lying on his belly on the floor of the helicopter. His right arm hung over the edge and touched the cold dark green granite. Just like Dachun and the pilots, he didn't move.
Pieces of the chopper and equipment from the men inside lay out and all over the granite. One of Eckers' grenades lay next to the fridge and several guns that were clipped on board to the walls littered the stove top. Shredded metal and bolts lay undisturbed with light gleaming off and making them visible against the surface they laid on. Smoke steamed out of the chopper and rose to the ceiling. Gurdeaux was now unconscious, as were the pilots and Dachun. Everyone was knocked out and vulnerable. Soon, Tan forces were going to come to them, capture them, and then do whatever they wanted.