MDAM- yes, your eyes don't deceive you; I actually got the chapter up. Yeah… I should work be writing more and not playing EU4 or CIV. Sorry about that; I will attempt to get the next chapter up this week. Lets see if I stick to this promise… MDAM out
C14: Division
1047 Hours 5 April 2014 (Military Calendar) (0439 planet side) / PX343, United Republic of Nations, Republic City, Subway Green Route
Left, Right, Left, Right. The boots drumming against the concrete subway tube flooring, the dim lights of the tunnel blinking on and off. The remnants of the UF and UNSPKO troops made their way down the deserted passageways, passing around and through the behemoths of subway trams. But they made their way quickly, the sound of enemy footsteps growing louder by the second. The team came to a sudden stop as they came across the burnt and charred carcass of a subway car, the doors melted shut from the intense heat that once filled the metal body.
Mac lowered the Ivy onto the floor, her head bobbing in a dozy manner around from her induced high. The remaining eighteen soldiers got either into defensive position or where trying to get the door open. James removed the C-4 bandolier from Ivy and took some of the white grey explosive out its brown packaging. Quickly rolling it into a strip in his hands, he broke off four pieces and put them on the subway car's door joints and the remaining down the area where the doors had fused shut. He placed a fuse and linked it to a detonator. "Fire In The Hole!" He shouted, quickly followed by the flick of a switch and a loud bang. The door caved in, the sound carried far down the large concrete passage, if anyone didn't know where they where, they did now.
Mac picked up Ivy and two by two the soldiers broke their defensive position and ran into the burnt out husk. James let everyone through first before then filing through with the General. The sound of boots encroaching on their position could be heard as they got out the other side of the train carriage. "They are not far behind commander." Iroh said.
"I know. Any ideas?"
"We could use some of that explosive clay to cave in the tunnel." He offered.
James looked at his team. "I'll set it up." He said, glancing around his team.
"Are you sure?"
"I don't like pushing things on people if I wouldn't do it myself. Trust me, it is how I get to sleep at night." James said honestly. "I will go last, it is a sign of good leadership, putting yourself before the rest of the team. Even though the last time it nearly killed me." He continued glumly.
"Okay. Commander."
James took out the remaining two blocks of the explosive. The team looked back. Gwen spoke. "Sir?"
"Don't worry I will be right behind you. Keep moving." He said as he attached some of the explosive onto the wall, placing the small circuit into the block before walking to the other side. The rest of them slowly made themselves into a defensive position. James kept an eye on the old husk of a train that blocked the path. He removed his pistol and pointed it down the towards the subway car as he fixed the second block.
The first bullet was fired from the carriage, the metal bouncing of the wall and ricocheting. James quickly attached the last detonator and ran towards the group. Detonating the C4 as he went, the tube breaking and cracking as he sprinted down toward the fireteams, but the cracks took over him and suddenly a pile of dirt, dust and debris came down upon track in font of him. He quickly kicked and sprang back to avoid the collapsing passage way. The blackness enveloped his vision.
1056 Hours 5 April 2014 (Military Calendar) (0448 planet side) / PX343, United Republic of Nations, Republic City, Subway Green Route
"Fuck." Started Peter. "Fuck, Fuck, not good." He continued, as he scrambled for the rubble only to have Gwen grab his arm.
"Pilot Officer Peter Alexander O'Riley, get your shit together." She glared. "We keep moving."
"But Jam…"
"James is dead, and even if he was alive in that rubble, we have alerted the entire invading force to our position, a position without the heavy equipment that would be required to get him out, even with Earth benders on our side, we could just weaken the tunnel causing it to collapse." She said.
"How, why." Peter was stuttering, his eyes where like dams on the verge of collapse.
"He knew what he was doing. He put himself before the rest of the team, just like he did in Afghanistan; he put himself in danger so we didn't have to. Do you understand sir?"
"Yes Flight."
"Good man." She croaked. As much as I don't like leaving him behind, we have a mission to complete; you won't die in vain James. She thought glancing at Mac, and subsequently Ivy who had her arm around his shoulder. "We need to keep going."
"We need to get out of these tunnels. They know our position now, which is a fact." The General said.
One of the UF lieutenants spoke up. "My dad used to work for the Republic City Transit System as a maintenance man. When I was younger he took me down into the tunnels, where there are a number of unofficial entrances and exits in the form of ventilation shafts. We go into that maintenance tunnel, we should be able to go up and outside."
"Sounds like a plan." Said Major Haubach as he adjusted his MP5 shoulder strap.
Without another word the team made their way through the service hatch. Which led them up to a long rectangular passageway that ran parallel to the train line. The wall to their right filled was covered with wires, pipes and red emergency lights. They came to a ladder, not to dissimilar to the one Sierra used the previous day during the initial invasion.
The German Major pushed up the metal manhole cover that led into the no deserted streets of downtown Republic City. Glancing at a shop, the six foot six Major pushed the cover out of the way and clambered out of the street. He aided people out of the hole, before they got into a defensive parameter around it. The final member of the team climbed up. And slid the metal plate back into place. The orange artificial light flickered on and off from time to time, as the seventeen soldiers walked towards the Café.
The door was still unlocked from yesterday, two Canadians, Nautilus Two and Three, scanned the inside of the café. "All clear." Said N-2.
"Copy that." Said Iroh. "Move in."
The fireteams entered the establishment, Iroh closing the door, and Gwen the blinds. Mac propped Ivy against a wall, before walking over to the General. "So what's the plan sir?"
"Grab some rest, I think recent events have been taxing on people." He said, subconsciously glancing at Peter who had his head in his hands. "We will stay here until the street lights go off, that should give us thirty minuets of twilight to work with. Ground viability will be low enough that only these thermal sights would be able to spot us. Never though I would thank the spirits that the Transport Authority had a budget cut and had their energy allowance cut."
"How long away is that?"
"Just over two hours."
"So 0700 hours local time."
"Yes Lieutenant."
1408 Hours 5 April 2014 (Military Calendar) (0700 planet side) / PX343, United Republic of Nations, Republic City, Roasted Bean Express
Mac couldn't sleep, so he took the first guard shift, his L86 pointed squarely at the door, waiting for someone to try and enter. His watch bleeped, in response he stood up and flicked it off. He began nudging the others awake. Peter had cried himself to sleep, the last time he saw him like that was as they where heading back to base after James nearly killed himself after taking out half an insurgency cell with C4. The team was very close, all of them mentally saddened by the latest turn of events, they all had different ways of express this though. Peter cried, Gwen attempted to bottle it and remain quiet, Ivy would lose her nut, and Mac just would sit down and think.
Ivy was beginning to sober up, her stump of a right arm was moving. Mac rushed over. "Hey there. Slow down, you have been out for a while." He said quietly. She looked around.
"How long was I out."
"Five to six hours." He said. She moved he right arm, a confused look crossed her face, and she glanced down and saw her stump. To Mac's surprise, she didn't break down and cry. She just stared at what remained of the limb, in complete silence, trying to compute what happened. "Ivy?"
She glanced around the room, looking for someone. "Mac, where is James?"
The colour from his face drained. "James, got," He chose his words carefully. "separated from us when we were down in the subway system." He looked into her eyes, they where welling up, she bit her lip in an attempt to keep the tears at bay.
She sighed. "Okay, no the best thing to wake up to." He could see her fidgeting with the tongue in her mouth. "Okay, it is okay." She repeated to herself in an attempt not to break down.
"I'm sorry." He said finally, before going about his rounds waking everyone up, leaving Ivy to think about what he just said, and its repercussions. She sighed, not quiet sure what to do, she pushed herself up with her left arm, her knees relatively shaky, her head spinning and nauseated from the medicine withdrawal. She grabbed the tube from her camelback and took a swig.
Undoing her pistol holster, she relocated it to her left side forcing the pistol against the wall to hold it in place, before then fumbling with the straps. Click… Click. She smiled meekly at the small victory as the straps remained in place, but she tightened them for further comfort. She grabbed her daysack and clipped it together so it wouldn't fall off.
She glances once more at the bandaged limb. What a Shit start to a day.
The first thing he saw was a dim light above him. The first thing he heard was the rhythmic jolting of a train. But the first thing he felt was a pain in his left arm. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he looked at it in its makeshift sling. He lowered his gazed to his hands, to see two metal rings clasping them together. He pulled them upwards, and break through them, without much avail. He rocked his head back and sighed before rolling his head down to the left side of what seemed to be a train carriage, filled with people, each on a separate seat, but he was at the top, separated from the rest by a rudimentary iron grate, bar two people.
He looked forwards, to see a woman in blue apparel and dark brown skin. She had short black hair, which stopped before her shoulders. She was asleep on the shoulder of another woman who was awake, staring at him malachite green eyes and long platinum black hair. She looked familiar, but his mind was so rattled he couldn't put a finger on it. "You are awake." She said, plainly.
"Good Morning would be nice, miss..?"
"Sato. Asami Sato. From the spirit world?" She said. "Did you really knock your head that badly?"
"Spirit world?" he muttered. Before it clicked. "Ah yes and this is Korra right?" He said glancing at the sleeping body. "Where are we?" He asked.
"On a train." She said.
James huffed. "Great time for a joke. My friends probably think I dead."