You know what's nice about side characters that probably aren't going to return to the main series? When writing about them, you're not restricted to keeping them in perfect character. You can do whatever the hell you want with them.
Chapter 11: Atlas vs Spetsnaz, Part I
Beacon amphitheater 1025
The meeting with Ironwood went surprisingly well. True to his word, he didn't ask a lot of questions regarding their military careers or any specific details about organization or capabilities of Russia or any military of Earth. They were okay with telling Ironwood about some of the stuff they did back on Earth, but they refuse to disclose any information that was classified by their standards. From the Russians perspective, they've already upset the balance of power on Remnant with bringing in weapons that accelerated the process of making Aura users obsolete. It's good for them because it gives them an edge, but for how long? How long until Atlas starts mass production and they become readily available? What about when they find their way into the hands of criminals and terrorists? But that's nothing compared to real danger involved: How long before Atlas starts making bigger and more advanced weaponry? They're the technologically advance, superpower of Remnant with the only standing army. The guys knew that if either Russia or the United States became the sole superpower of Earth, then that nation basically ran the show. So, who's to say Atlas wouldn't use these new weapons to muscle around the other kingdoms? The last thing Atlas needs to know about is the idea of first strike capabilities. Even a non-nuclear triad structure would be enough to threaten any Kingdom on Remnant.
Of course, all this is just speculation. Maybe Atlas does have everything under control with the best intentions in mind. Still, better safe than sorry.
Instead, Ironwood asked general questions about life on Earth and how the Russians felt about being so far away from home. They started off with the obvious by telling him about the lack of Grimm, Faunus, Dust, Aura and every other unique aspect of Remnant not found on Earth. Then they told him the stuff he actually wanted to know about such as all the countries, technological similarities and some of their history. When he heard about all the global conflicts that occurred on Earth, he was shocked to say the least. Remnant barely survived their Great War and yet Earth has had two World Wars, in addition to several conflicts since then, that made Remnant's war look like an argument between children. They finished up with telling him about the current state of affairs on Earth like the conflicts in the Middle East, economic status, politics and what not. Ironwood, for some reason showed interest when they talked about their…unique relationship with their geopolitical rival, the United States. They weren't openly hostile to each other, yet they weren't best friends either. The word "frenemy" best describes their relationship. As much as Ironwood would like to know more, the guys could only say so much due to their limited knowledge on politics.
Now, when it came to them being far away from home, they were very ambivalent about the whole thing. On one hand, they'd never see their friends and families ever again, which can be good or bad depending on how you want to look at it. On the other hand, they literally cheated death and can technically view this as a way to start over in life. It's all about how you can look at things. One thing they said to Ironwood that got the General thinking, was that to an extent, the Russians envied the people of Remnant. When he asked why, they said it was because of the Grimm, the people had a common enemy to unite against. Conflict is inevitable. Case in point, Remnant's Great War. But even in the midst of battle, both sides had to fight off the Grimm hordes. Even the reason for the war, was because of the Grimm. The people of Earth don't have that luxury. There's no common enemy among the people of Earth, so they became enemies with each other. The guys knew this was an extreme way of thinking and weren't that committed to the idea, but there is a hint of truth hidden in there. Of course, the threat of the White Fang and other groups might shake things up a little, but they'll be ready when the time comes.
In the end, they'll always have the memories of Russia and Earth in their hearts, despite being in a new world. All they can do, is what they've been doing their whole lives: take it one day at a time. Speaking of which, today was the day that the Russians were going to see what the Kingdom of Atlas is capable of.
It didn't take long for word to spread about the upcoming exercise between the Russians and the Atlesian forces. The halls of Beacon were filled with the excited mummers of students and faculty alike, eager to see the Russians in action. Due to popular demand, classes have been cancelled in anticipation for today's event. With the addition of the transfer students, the amphitheater was packed tightly with not much wiggle room. Even though they don't know anything about the Russians, they were inclined to join their Beacon counterparts to see what the fuss was about. With the event taking place outside in the training fields, the audience will be watching from the screens in the amphitheater via multiple cameras set up all throughout the fields as well as direct feed from the Russians' helmet cameras for a POV perspective.
The outdoor field was a massive 6000-acre area, built from clearing a good chunk of the Emerald forest, surrounded by an equally massive perimeter wall to keep the Grimm out. There were two main sections: the inner area that was cleared of trees and the outer area that kept the trees. The inner area had most of the obstacle courses and fighting pits while the outer forest area encompassed the many running and hiking trails. Additionally, there was a large simulation town near the center of the forested area called "Combat Town", that simulates fighting in urban environments.
One must ask, how much did all this cost? Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as the accountants in the school financial office predicted. Granted, Ozpin won't be able to have his fancy exotic coffees that get imported from Vacuo until the next fiscal cycle, but it was worth it in the long run. And all those trees that got cut down? They were put to good use. Whether they were used for obstacles, exercise tools, or used to help build combat town, using those trees was a good way to reduce costs. But the most impressive aspect of the training fields? It was how fast the damn thing was built. In a short two weeks, the construction crews cleared the trees, built the perimeter wall and set up everything to the exact specifications drawn up by the guys. No way in hell would a project get done that fast on Earth. Plus, using students as "volunteer" workers in addition to fighting off the Grimm was very cost effective.
The exercise itself was going to be a simulated mission where the Atlesians were going to play the opposition forces and try to stop the Russians. The mission objective was to conduct a raid on the Atlesian forces to search for and rescue a VIP taken hostage in the main compound, while disrupting the Atlesian presence by any means necessary. Since the Atlesians have numbers on their side, this was a test of the Russians stealth and infiltration abilities. When the exercise begins, the Russians are going to HALO jump in via an Atlesian transport ship, into the combat zone. From there, they'll make their way to Combat Town while taking out any patrols along the way. Once they get there, they'll need to come up with a plan to rescue the VIP from the police station in Combat Town and then safely escort them away to the extraction point where a bullhead will pick them up and complete the mission. The exercise is over when either the Russians accomplish the mission or the Atlesians "kill" them. Both sides will be using training weapons and special non-lethal hard rubber ammunition tipped with Dust that causes temporary paralysis. The paralysis dust tipped ammo is commonly used by police units to take down suspects non-lethally from a distance. The main benefit was that they could be used on non-Aura users without causing major harm. The drawback was that the paralysis effect was only potent enough to affect Humans and Faunus, and only for a short time on top of a painful sting when they hit you. When used against Grimm, all it did was piss them off more than they usually are.
Additionally, the guys had training versions of the various explosive type weapons they used. When triggered, the weapons "explode" by releasing a cloud of sticky, brightly colored powder that's similar to flour, mixed with paralysis dust. This delivery method was applied to most weapons such as the grenades for Alex's under barrel launcher, a reusable RPG for Nick and low-grade explosive charges that everyone can use. For the throwable weapons, the smoke grenades and flash bangs remained unchanged, while dummy frags and CS gas canisters replaced the normal frags and incendiary grenades. Compared to the Atlesians, the Russians had a wider variety of weapons to use for various situations. Still, they were outnumbered by a significant margin, sort of like their last mission that ended with them entering Remnant. But unlike last time, the guys weren't given bad intel on troop numbers and know what to expect when they land. Plus, it's a controlled training environment that shouldn't lead to anyone dying. Key word, shouldn't. It should be noted that the guys were going up against regular Atlesian soldiers, who don't have the training or experience the Russians have, let alone any idea what it's like to train to fight unconventionally or against another military force of equal strength and capabilities. Being the only military force on the planet tends to create that attitude of arrogance and complacency that proves to be their downfall. The Atlesians are about due for a wakeup call.
"Ruby! Can't you sit still for at least five minutes?" Weiss scolded her partner.
"I can't help it Weiss. We finally get to see Alex and the other's in action! Oh, I can't wait to see what their weapons can do!" Ruby squealed.
"I don't think their weapons do anything special Ruby. They seem very simple and straight forward." Ren commented.
"Nothing wrong with simplicity." She replied.
"I agree." Jaune added.
"Says the guy who uses a simple sword and shield." Yang teased.
"Still, we've seen what they're capable of without using a weapon. I'm curious to see what they do when they're armed." Pyrrha commented.
"Being awesome is what they're going to do!" Nora exclaimed.
"Yeah. Show those Atlesian scumbags who's boss! No offense Schnee." Coco said to Weiss, who let out a scoff.
"They're going up against two whole companies of soldiers led by my sister. Capable as they are, there's no way four guys can take them all on." Weiss commented.
"Your sister?" Blake asked.
"You have a sister?" Jaune asked with a little too much enthusiasm for Pyrrha's liking.
"Yes, Winter called me and said she's been deployed to Vale for the festival." On the outside Weiss was her usual refined self, but on the inside, she could hardly contain her excitement. After all, Winter was the only family member that she got along with and maintained regular communication with.
"How many soldiers are in a company?" Velvet asked.
"Winter said there's about 150 in a company so double it and you have 300 men total." She replied.
"That's a lot of guys." Ruby said in awe.
"Don't worry sis, I'm sure Alex and the gang are going to be fine." Yang reassured Ruby, who beamed a smile at her.
"I thought you guys said they didn't like it when you called them by first names?" Sun asked. He and Neptune decided to sit next to Ruby and the gang, seeing as how they became recently acquainted with each other.
"In class yeah, but afterwards they don't care." Yang replied to the monkey Faunus.
"But you guys said these guys are major hard asses." Neptune commented.
"During class or if you get in trouble, but again afterwards, they're pretty chill. Actually, they're the chilliest, funniest, most easy-going guys you'll ever meet." Coco replied. Sun and Neptune both raised eyebrows at what she said.
"Trust me, it was also weird for us watching them switch over from being focused and serious fighters, to a bunch of guys joking around and acting like idiots in a matter of seconds." Blake explained. Both guys nodded at her explanation.
"Hey, I think it's starting." Jaune said. The random conversations in the amphitheater came to a halt when the screens lit up and came to life.
The audience got a nice view of the passenger bay of an Atlesian transport and its occupants. There was a man in an Atlesian pilot uniform, a crew chief, and then there was the Russians. They were fully geared up in their usual attire that the Beacon students were already accustomed to, with some noticeable differences. Instead of the balaclava, they were wearing a dark goggle and oxygen mask combination that covered most of their faces, giving them a robotic super soldier appearance. Additionally, they had on a parachute, and were huddled around two large metal drogues that their weapons were stored in. They were currently looking each other over in the bay, making sure everything was secured. The crew chief heard a radio message in his headset, then pointed to his watch and held up two fingers to the Russians, who nodded at him. Excitement and astonishment radiated off the amphitheaters occupants.
"Whoa, they're going to parachute in? That's awesome!" Yang exclaimed.
"But why are they wearing oxygen masks? I thought only pilots wear them when they go up to higher altitudes." Weiss asked.
"Maybe they are up that high." Ren replied. His assessment was correct when one of the helmet cameras panned over to an altimeter that showed they were 20,000ft in the air. There were a few gasps and awes from the audience.
"That's…really high." Jaune commented, feeling a little nauseous.
"They're not really going to jump from that height? Right?" Velvet nervously asked. The crew chief grabbed onto a side rail and pulled a lever, opening the rear bay doors, revealing the magnificent view of Vale from the skies.
"I guess they are." Pyrrha remarked.
"Are they crazy?!" Weiss shrieked. The crew chief waved over to the Russians, and gestured for them to check their straps and masks one last time and give thumbs up. Alex gave a quick tug to his straps and placed a hand over his mask and took a few breaths. He looked back to the rest of the guys, who gave thumbs up to Alex. A final thumb up to the crew chief let him know that they were ready.
"They're going to do it." Coco said with a hint of worry.
A red light came on by the crew chief and the Russians moved closer to edge, waiting for the green. The guys have done a number of HALO and HAHO jumps during their careers, but the hardest part was always the wait. Waiting for that damn red light to turn green. The guys did some last-minute stretches to loosen up before grabbing on to the drogues and getting into position. Alex took one last look at the view, noticing that they can practically see the whole city. And then just like that, the light turned green. He took a deep breath…and took to the skies.
"Oh, I can't look." Ruby said, covering her eyes yet leaving her fingers spaced apart. Gasps of shock and awe echoed throughout the audience as they watched the Russians free falling towards the ground at such high speeds. Most students couldn't imagine being up that high. And yet there they were, plummeting from 20,000ft, showing no signs of fear or worry. Many thought they were going to deploy their chutes right away, but they just kept going. Eventually, they formed a circle facing one another and gave a quick wave into each other's helmet cameras, knowing everyone was watching.
"The way they're falling is so graceful and majestic. You can learn a thing a thing or two from them about falling from heights Jaune." Nora joked to her leader, referring to the initiation. However, the blonde knight wasn't paying attention. The thought of being up that high and free falling wasn't doing anything good for his stomach. Good thing his partner was there to help comfort him, gently moving her arm up and down his back. It seemed to help him relax a little, which put a smile on her face.
After almost two minutes of free falling, the audience was finally able to release their breaths that they didn't even realize they were holding, as the cameras suddenly jerked and the speed of their descent slowed down drastically, indicating that they deployed their parachutes. It was about another minute before the Russians touched down into the western edge of the forested area of the field, right by the perimeter wall. They quickly drew their pistols and did a scan of their surroundings for any Atlesian troops that may have been on patrol. Luckily, there weren't any so, they got to work removing their parachutes and oxygen masks before stuffing them into a nearby bush. With their HALO gear out of the way, the guys rolled up their balaclavas from around their necks, up to the lower halves of their faces, helping to further conceal them in the forest. Now first things first, they needed to retrieve their weapons from the drogue containers.
With the Russians
"Alright, they should be on the other side of that tree." Greg said while looking at his scroll and pointing to a tree about 100m from their position. Quickly making their way to the tree, the guys saw the two drogues laying in a clearing with the chutes sprawled out, but held back when they saw three Atlesian soldiers in the clearing, looking over the drogues.
"White armor in a green forest. It's like we're fighting stormtroopers." Nick whispered.
"Nick, you and Greg circle around and make sure there's no other patrols nearby. Ivan, you're with me in taking these three out." Alex ordered, ignoring Nick's comment. As quickly and quietly as they could, Greg went to the right of the clearing, while Nick went left, leaving Alex and Ivan to move closer and get a better shot at their unsuspecting foes. The Atlesians were too preoccupied trying to open the containers to notice anything. Bad move not paying attention to one's surroundings. Six well placed gunshots and you now have three "dead" Atlesian soldiers. First blood has been drawn.
"Wow, those paralysis bullets really work." Ivan commented while gathering up his gear. The three soldiers were still conscious and breathing, but they couldn't move a muscle or speak at all.
"I don't know how those things work nor do I care, so long as they get the job done, that's all that matters." Alex replied, readying his rifle. Just like everything up to this point, they said "fuck it" and just went along with it. Greg and Nick came back a few minutes later and reported the area was all clear for now. With everyone geared up, it was time to plan the raid.
"Based on where we are, we're about two miles from Combat Town. As expected, the enemy presence this far out is minimal but will drastically increase the closer we get." Greg stated, getting things started.
"Well first things first, we need to at least make our way over there to get an idea on what the Atlesians have in store for us." Nick said.
"Alright, file on to me and try to maintain a 5-meter dispersion. We'll go in silent and take out patrols we come across. Ivan you're going to have to hold off until we get to Combat Town, or if shit gets stupid." Ivan nodded in response to Alex. Since he uses a machine gun, he doesn't need to use a suppressor. Yeah, he can technically attach one to his weapon, but he's more suited for suppressing fire or straight up spray and pray as nothing beats that loud, beautiful sound of a machine gun lighting up some poor fucker. Besides, last time he used a suppressor, the high rate of fire caused it to melt and it was a bitch to clean off.
"They're wearing bright white armor, we'll see them coming from miles away." Greg commented while attaching the suppressor to his rifle. As the squads designated marksman, it makes sense he's going to be the front man for taking out any patrols as they make their way to Combat Town.
"Remember, we're outnumbered 75 to 1. We can't afford to get into a large firefight that's not in our favor." Alex commented.
"Who's the VIP we're 'rescuing' anyway?" Ivan asked.
"I don't know, one of the professors I think." Greg replied.
"I wonder who lost that bet." Nick joked.
"Alright enough chatter, let's fuck some shit up." Alex said with a grin.
Back at Beacon
The audience watched as the Russians made their way through the forests, clearing natural barriers and silently eliminating Atlesian patrols they came across. There was a realization among the Beacon students that what they were learning in Alex's class, was being demonstrated in a practical setting during this exercise. From the importance of physical stamina, to observing one's surroundings and knowing when to strike, everything started to click in their minds. However, the one thing that's still having difficulty registering in their minds was the idea of killing. Even though they're using training weapons and ammo, the Russians treated this like a real mission: shoot to kill and take no prisoners. The students watched with amazement and a little bit of fright as the Russians quickly and effortlessly took down any Atlesian soldier they came across. Their shots were deadly accurate, hitting their marks before the poor bastards could react. At least 21 soldiers have already met their makers with Greg taking credit for two thirds of them. The camera angle panned in on Greg as he sighted in on two more soldiers up in a tower, lazily watching the area. There was a distinctive "ping" and a small puff of Dust when the bullet made contact with the head of the first soldier who went down instantly. The second one was surprised at the sudden demise of his battle buddy, but was unable to even draw his weapon as two follow up shots hit him in the chest and head respectively, causing him to fall over the railing and onto the ground. Luckily, a rock was there to cushion his fall from a 30ft tower. Two more confirmed "kills" for Greg.
"He's going to feel that in the morning." Jaune said, rubbing his lower back as if he felt the soldiers pain.
"Man, Greg is a wicked shot with that rifle of his." Coco added.
"He's a better shot than you sis." Yang teased, but Ruby was too focused watching Greg's rifle in action.
"It's no Crescent Rose, but it gets the job done." Ruby said out loud to no one in particular.
"Is no one going to talk about those brutal headshots?" Sun asked. He, alongside the rest of the transfers who've had no knowledge of the Russians, were amazed at what they were watching. None of the students from the other schools have ever seen fighting like this. Sneaking around and using silenced weapons was not a common practice on Remnant, especially by Huntsmen. Not even the Atlas students have seen their military forces use tactics like this before. Speaking of the Atlas students, they weren't sure how to feel about having their military fight against the Russians. They know next to nothing about them and yet they've already taken down about two dozen of their soldiers fairly quickly and with ease. Either way, it's too early to make any judgement calls, but they felt confident in their military's abilities once the Russians make contact with the brunt of their forces.
"On the first day of their class, they made it clear that they're trained to fight and kill people." Pyrrha answered. Both Sun and Neptune went wide eyed.
"Like…seriously?" Neptune asked.
"Yeah, every fighting technique we learned had a killing intent behind it." Yang said as she remembered almost being choked to death in the first class.
"So, have those guys…you know?" Sun hesitantly asked.
"We haven't seen anything but yes, they have killed before. There's no doubt in anyone's mind about that." Blake answered in a serious tone.
"The unsettling part is not that they've killed, but the fact that they're so indifferent to it." Velvet commented. Even with how she's been treated in the past, Velvet couldn't even comprehend the idea of taking someone's life, no matter how terrible they were.
"What did they do before they became teachers?" Neptune asked.
"No one knows exactly, but supposedly they're a special purpose unit trained to fight threats like the White Fang, using unconventional tactics." Blake answered. She knew the real reason why they fought indirectly with unconventional and unorthodox methods. But even though her friends now know about her Faunus heritage, Blake wasn't going to break her promise to Alex in keeping quiet about their lack of Aura. He's been fair to her and she wasn't going to mess up their mutual respect for each other like that.
"Damn." Neptune and Sun said at the same time.
With the Russians
"Hold up, there's a truck coming up the road." Alex said, signaling for them to get down. They watched as an Atlesian military truck carrying 20 men in the back, drove down the road, ignoring the presence of the Russians. Due to utilization of the entire field, the Atlesians had several trucks and jeeps brought along to get around quicker via the dirt roads that ran throughout the area. Alongside the foot patrols and outposts, there were vehicular patrols that traveled along the main roads that circled Combat Town, only stopping at checkpoints along the road or to rotate out with another when they circle back to town.
"Alright, Combat Town is just on the other side of that hill." Greg said, pointing to the large hill on the other side of the road. "We should be able to get a good view from the top."
"Isn't that why we built Combat Town over there, so it would be in view of that hill?" Ivan asked.
"It's nice having homefield advantage" Nick replied. A short walk and another three "dead" Atlesians later, the Russians were on top of the hill looking down at Combat Town and the surrounding areas. From the hilltop, they were less than a quarter mile away from the town. Taking a knee, Greg used his rifle to scan the area, while Alex pulled out a pair of binoculars to check out the activity in the Town. Despite being a training town, it was well built and very detailed to the point it could pass for a real town. Combat Town was about half the size of Oxford with a smaller perimeter wall and many buildings that resembled houses and stores running up and down the narrow streets that divided up the town. Some other landmarks that dotted through the town were the police station that VIP was in, a hospital and a clock tower that overlooks the whole town. Normally, Combat Town was pretty quiet, but that was not the case today as the town was bustling with activity from the Atlesian forces. There were dozens, if not hundreds of troops spread throughout the town and surrounding areas. A combination of foot and mechanized patrols were rotating in and out with the main garrison in the town. There were men up on the rooftops armed with sniper rifles and machine nests set up on top of the police station. It doesn't take a genius to see that the police station was the main base of operations. Anyone can tell going by the concentration of troops and defensive positions near it, on top of the gray Atlesian symbol on a flag with a white background flying proudly in the breeze, hanging off the side of a portable communication tower. Next to the police station was a large building resembling an apartment complex that was being used by the garrison as a make shift barracks, and it's parking lot as a vehicle depot for their trucks and jeeps. Soldiers were either standing guard, or relaxing off to the side, smoking and joking among themselves. However, they stopped fucking around when a young woman with white hair, wielding a sword and wearing a modified field variant of her normal uniform walked by, and the men immediately snapped to attention and saluted her.
"That must be the officer in charge." Alex said while keeping an eye on her.
"Wow, she's gorgeous." Greg commented.
"She looks very familiar, but I can't put my finger on it." Alex replied, watching as Winter entered the police station and closed the door behind her.
"Man, I wish I had a pair of binoculars." Nick commented, while he and Ivan continued to kept watch.
"Alright, if I had to guess, I'd say the VIP we need to rescue is most likely in the police station jail cells. That's what I'd do at least." Alex said to Greg.
"Makes sense, but how are we going to get to them? That area is locked down tight and there's no way we'll survive a direct confrontation." Greg replied.
"When's the last time we charged in for a direct assault?" Alex asked.
"Syria." Greg said with a light smirk.
"Hey! That was bad intel and you know it!" Alex shot back, smirking back at him.
"Alright, then I suggest we create a diversion to draw out the bulk of their forces and be able to slip in with a less significant enemy presence." Greg replied.
"Nick, Ivan, get over here." Alex called to the others, who quickly circled around him.
"What's the plan boss?" Nick asked.
"Like Greg suggested, we need to cause a distraction that'll draw out the Atlesians from Combat Town. I think there's a vehicle checkpoint not too far from here." Alex said.
"We're going to attack it?" Ivan asked.
"Yes, but attacking five or so guys in a small blockhouse isn't going to be enough. Once we take out the sentries, we'll set up for an ambush for the next vehicle patrol that comes by." Alex continued.
"And hopefully we'll cause enough damage to draw out the garrison?" Nick asked and Alex nodded in response.
"We're going to hit them quick and dirty, so go loud and don't give them a chance to spread out."
"Got it." Ivan replied.
"From there, the attack should be big enough to draw attention away from town and while they mobilize their forces, we're going to have to haul ass straight to town."
"Ugh, more running." Nick complained but was ignored.
"When we get to town, that's when the fun begins. They'll be too focused on the checkpoint to notice our presence in the town. Greg, make your way to that clock tower where you can provide cover fire. Your priority is clearing the snipers and machine gun nests off the rooftops. Ivan, set up in the buildings across the street between the police station and the apartment complex to maximize your field of fire, but give me and Nick your extra explosive charges. Nick, you and I are going to hit the police station and rescue the VIP. But before we do that, we'll set these charges up around the area for either a distraction or our getaway depending on the situation."
"And how exactly are we getting away." Greg asked.
"Well, when the charges go off and the rooftops are clear, we'll 'borrow' one of their vehicles and make for the extraction zone."
"Who's going to get the vehicle?" Ivan asked.
"Me and Nick will be right there by the vehicle depot, so it'll probably be us." Alex replied.
"Wouldn't it be easier for me and Greg to grab a vehicle while you and Nick rescue the VIP? I mean we can do this rescue operation quietly without getting into a large firefight, right?" Ivan asked, pointing out the obvious.
"Well yeah, but remember, the second part of the mission was to disrupt enemy forces." Alex pointed out.
"Plus, Ironwood wants to see what we're capable of. So why not give him a show?" Greg added.
"Besides, where's the fun in being all stealthy?" Nick asked.
"Oh, I'm not complaining. Just making sure that we're not going too overboard with this." Ivan replied.
"Don't worry big guy, it's all in good fun." Nick commented.
"After we crush the Atlesians and complete this exercise, first round at the Voluptuous Vixen is on me." Alex said with utmost confidence.
"Drinks or lap dances?" Nick asked.
"Like I'm going to buy you faggots lap dances." Alex sarcastically replied with a smile.
"Worth a shot. Now let's get this party started." Nick replied.
After making their way down the hill, they shortly came across the vehicle checkpoint that they were pretty sure was in that direction. It was a small blockhouse off to the side of the road with large orange road barriers that can be easily moved to redirect traffic or block the road. From what they saw, there was one soldier outside and another four inside the blockhouse. Like every other patrol they came across, the Atlesians were very relaxed and casual in their movements. So relaxed, that they didn't notice Alex and Nick sneaking up alongside the blockhouse, weapons at the ready. As they stacked up right outside the doorway, Alex readied a flashbang for use while Greg quickly disposed of the soldier outside. The sound of the bullet that took the guy out was loud enough for the men inside to stop what they were doing and investigate what happened. Before they could even grab their weapons, there was a bright flash and an excoriating loud ringing sound that forced them to stop and cover their eyes and ears. Less than a second later, Alex and Nick entered the room and quickly cleared it out of the four occupants.
"All clear." Nick said, lowering his rifle and taking a look around the room.
"Greg, stay where you're at, Ivan come down here and help us move these roadblocks." Alex said into his radio. A few moments later, Ivan came down and was helping Alex move the orange barriers to block off the road for the next patrol that would come by. Meanwhile, Nick moved all the bodies into the corner of the blockhouse and was rummaging through their work desk for anything useful. The only thing remotely useful was a logbook labeled "checkpoint alpha" that kept detailed records of the time that the patrols stopped by. If he was looking at it right, the patrols follow a routine pattern, and the next one should be coming by very shortly. He was interrupted from looking over the log when the radio on the table clicked on.
"All stations be advised; enemy forces are active and on the move. Remain alert and radio in if you see anything. All stations copy, over."
"What's up man?" Alex asked, walking into the room.
"Checkpoint Delta copies."
"Outpost 2-5 copies."
"Looks like they've noticed some of their patrols are missing." Nick replied.
"Team 3 copies."
4th recon copies."
"Checkpoint Bravo copies."
"About time." Alex commented.
"Checkpoint Alpha, do you copy over?"
"That's us, should we say something?" Nick asked.
"Ignore it, let's get set up for the ambush." Alex replied.
"Checkpoint Alpha, Base one; radio check over."
Atlas command center
"Checkpoint Alpha, Base one; radio check over." The soldier repeated into the radio.
"What is it sergeant?" Winter asked.
"Checkpoint Alpha hasn't been responding to any calls ma'am." The sergeant replied. Winter took a moment to think of possibilities on why that is. Either the men were slacking off, their equipment is malfunctioning or they've been hit by the enemy. She looked over to a large map of the area that displayed their troop movements, patrol routes and more recently, a bunch of red x's that indicated a patrol or outpost found to be wiped out by their mysterious host enemies.
"Lieutenant, take two truckloads of men over to checkpoint Alpha and see what's going on. That checkpoint is right down the road from here and I'm not taking any chances." She ordered to the young man.
"Yes ma'am, we'll head over immediately." He replied while grabbing his weapon.
"Radio me once you've arrived and determined the situation. If it turns out they were slacking off, replace them and bring them straight to me." She said with a firm tone and icy glare.
"Yes ma'am." The lieutenant gave her one last salute before leaving the control room.
When Ironwood told Winter about this training exercise, she felt it was a waste of time considering it was only against four men. However, General Ironwood assured her that its necessary training and just like the good specialist she is, Winter complied with his orders. So here she was, in the basement of a building that replicates a police station in the middle of a simulation town. She was wearing a field version of her normal service uniform that included more practical articles of clothing such as boots, cargo pants and a combat jacket that allowed more flexibility and comfort. Additionally, she carried the training version of the sword she normally uses where the only difference was that the blade was dull and wouldn't cut through skin.
She'll admit that Combat Town was an impressive feature and can see the possible training uses for it. Utilizing the basement of the police station as their command center allowed them a secure and easily defendable position to operate out of. The walls were lined with concrete and a large steel door was the only way to get into the room. The only other possible entrance was a basement window that was too small for anyone to get through. It was currently left open to allow the cables from the communication tower to route into the control room. Inside there were desks, chairs and lots of radio equipment and maps that the Atlesian command element used to control their troop movements throughout the entire field. As Winter took count of the reported "casualties", she was slightly off put the number. There were at least 30 confirmed "kills" with the possibility of more from the surrounding areas. 30 out of 300 was 10 percent of her forces. Nothing to sweat about, but that was done by only four men. Of course, she held onto the notion that the full might of her forces will be able to overwhelm and take down a mere four men. With a satisfied nod, she turned back to the maps and waited for the lieutenants call from checkpoint Alpha.
Checkpoint Alpha
"Three vehicles coming in from the west. I see two trucks with 20 plus infantry in the back and a fully occupied jeep with what looks like an officer with them." Greg radioed from his elevated position.
"Copy. As soon as they come to a complete stop, light 'em up." Alex radioed back. Himself, Nick and Ivan were on left side of the road, 10 meters apart, hidden in the bushes, waiting for the Atlesians to arrive. Nick was the closet to the barriers they placed to block of the road and would take care of the left flank. Ivan took the middle where he'd have the maximum field of fire to take out the infantry. That left Alex with the right flank, where he can come up from behind the vehicles if necessary. Another minute passed before they heard the familiar sound of truck engines rounding the corner. The vehicles began to slow down as they noticed that the road was blocked of by the barriers. Finally, they came to complete stop and the lieutenant in the front vehicle called out for the sentries.
"Where is everybody? What's the meaning of this?" He yelled out. Too bad no one was there to answer him.
"Smoke 'em!" Alex shouted.
It all happened so fast for the Atlesians. The men in the trucks were being torn to shreds by Ivan's machine gun before they could even get up, while Nick fired a rocket at the first passenger truck, covering it in a bright yellow sticky powder, taking out the driver and any stragglers that managed to get out. Alex ran out behind the second truck and fired a grenade into the back, taking out any poor bastard that wasn't quick enough to hop over the side and taking out the ones who managed to get out of the truck. Greg finished taking out the men in the jeep and was focusing on taking out the soldiers taking cover behind the trucks and trying to shoot back. Meanwhile, the lieutenant managed to take cover behind the jeep when the shooting started. He was currently trying to use the jeeps radio to call for backup, but all the shooting and explosions around him made it difficult for him.
"Come in Base one! The enemy's here and we're taking heavy fire! We need back up now!" The lieutenant shouted into the radio.
"Say again lieutenant, you're breaking up." The voice of Winter replied.
"I said…" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw a grenade roll right next to him.
Atlas command center
"Lieutenant, do you read me? Come in, lieutenant!" Winter shouted, but the familiar sound of a grenade going off answered her question. She put the radio down and turned to face the rest of the room's occupants, who only stared at her. "What are you waiting for? Get our men out there!" She shouted to her subordinates.
A/N: Please address all questions, concerns and/or complaints in a PM. Or do whatever, I don't fucking care.
Other than that, always remember that history didn't start until July 4, 1776.
Have a Happy 'Murica day!
Hawk out.