Epsilon and the remnants of Kai's team found themselves a truck to use. The team hopped to the back of the truck and Arthuria hopped into the seat on the right side of the vehicle and found the steering wheel on the left.
"Dammit! Why do they have to drive on the wrong side of the road!" exclaimed Arthuria before reaching the driver's seat and hotwire the vehicle. The engine started and she jammed on the gas pedal. She set the gear on low and the vehicle zoomed out of the tunnel in record time. The balls of flames tried to catch up with the truck, but with Arthuria's excellent driving, they managed to escape the flames and ended on the base tarmac. She quickly maneuvered the truck through the burning debris and found an Apache helicopter tailing them. It fired a few rockets but missed the truck. The shockwave was enough to through Arthuria and the truck around, but Arthuria kept the truck in line and at the same time dodging the helicopter's fire. And then, the helicopter exploded. Apparently, the helicopter was hit by a Javelin missile. Arthuria looked around for the person who fired. It was Mao, her brown hair waving in the wind, standing next to a weapons stash with Kairi and Namine flanking her. Arthuria quickly maneuvered the truck towards them and open the side doors.
"Hop in! The base is about to go up!" exclaimed Arthuria. They quickly hopped into the truck and the truck drove south as fast as it could. After driving for 10 kilometres, the base exploded into a mushroom cloud and the ground shook violently. Arthuria struggled with the truck, and she managed to gain control and drove faster. The shockwave was dampened by the ground as it was underground, thus there was no nuclear fallout. Arthuria drove until they reached Naha, where they stopped at a beach. They got off the trucks and saw some Shenyang J-11s flying in the skies, bombing the airport nearby, and followed by transport helicopters and aircraft. The aircraft dropped its load of infantry into the city, while the helicopters flew into the city, trying to find places to drop their infantry. Saya threw a smoke grenade on the ground and waited at position. Rina dropped her equipment on the ground and pulled a beach chair to where she fancy seating. Arthuria stood by her, slinging the rifle to her back. The sun was about to set. Another day has passed.
"That's one step closer to victory, Arthuria," said Rina, lying on the beach chair and crossing her legs. Arthuria knelt down and grabbed a handful of sand and poured into a can with the label "Okinawa" on its cap. She closed the cap and slid it into her skirt pocket.
"Yup, one step closer," replied Arthuria. A helicopter spotted the smoke at the beach and approached for landing.
"We have to go already?" asked Rina as she watched the approaching helicopter.
"I smell of gunpowder and sweat, Rina. Don't you?" asked Arthuria.
"Good point," replied Rina before getting up and entering the helicopter. The helicopter took off and head towards the sunset.
A shower had never been this refreshing! Rina was enjoying every bit of her hot shower in a cubicle aboard the JS Kyoto, sailing on its way to Taiwan. She let the hot water run down her body while she scrubbed her body with soap. Then the shower at the adjacent cubicle turned on. A familiar voice sang out as the person sang in the shower. There was a few parts where the song went out of tune.
"Arthuria, that's terrible," Rina teased.
"You can't do better yourself, Rina," she retorted. Rina giggled at Arthuria's comment before putting shampoo on her brown hair.
"Hey Arthuria," called Rina. "Do you happen to like Russians?"
"Well, without their arrogance and horrible accent, yea I do," replied Arthuria.
"Wow, your standards are high. Not to mention you're a bit arrogant," commented Rina.
"What!?" Arthuria exclaimed in the most purest of British accents. "Who says I'm arrogant?"
"There you go," replied Rina.
"Ay, just because my accent is British doesn't mean I'm arrogant!" she rebutted. Rina sighed while scrubbing shampoo off her hair.
"So, how about you? What are you interested in?" asked Arthuria.
"A German man. Tough build, Tall….." said Rina, slightly blushing.
"That's a bit rascist isn't it? Why not Russian or British?" teased Arthuria.
"Just because I like one type doesn't mean I'm rascist!" retorted Rina. Arthuria giggled at Rina's retort. Rina turned off the shower and came out of the cubicle with a tower wrapped around her body. She reached to a set of new uniform in her bag and started wearing her undergarments. Arthuria came out seconds later.
"Ah! I'm so refreshed!" exclaimed Arthuria as she had a towel wrapped around her body and a small towel wrapped over her head like a turban.
"Hey Arthuria, want to see the Russian I was talking about?" asked Rina as she drew out a picture of Ivan Gredenko and showed it to Arthuria. Arthuria had her eyes wide open and was blushing a little. Rina smirked.
"I see love at first sight…….," whispered Rina to Arthuria's ear. Arthuria snapped out of her trance and turned her head away.
"N-nn-n-o-ooo, I don't think he's my type," remarked Arthuria. Rina frowned at the answer.
"Admit it, you want him," teased Rina. Arthuria's cheeks were blushing red.
"He's a bit cute…," replied Arthuria.
"It is him then! Here you go!" exclaimed Rina before handing the photo to Arthuria, wearing the rest of her clothes and racing out of the shower room, leaving Arthuria to stare at the picture with her face red and confused.
It was dawn. A Nationalist Humvee was driving on the streets of Nationalist-controlled Perth city. The city was in ruins from the nuclear detonation on the city five years ago, thought there has been some reconstruction of Nationalist buildings in the area. Many of the people were walking with their heads down, unknowing of the oncoming invasion of the Western Australia state. The Humvee exited the city and headed north to the Scarborough beach. That was when a bomb struck the Humvee from the sky. Then several massive hovercrafts skied across the water and onto the beaches. Several artillery rounds flew in but missed the hovercrafts. Jeeps and Type-99 Chinese tanks rolled out of the craft. One jeep came close to a hidden landmine and exploded, sending its occupants flying in all directions. A smoke trail cut across the sky as a Nationalist Raptor crashed into the beach, its pilot long ejected from his aircraft. A soldier from the hovercraft ran out and launched a rocket at an oncoming Nationalist Abrams tank. The missile bounced off its armor, and the tank fired at one of the hovercrafts. The craft was rendered broken and beached. Other hovercraft turned back into the ocean after unloading its load. The Chinese Type-99 tanks outgunned the Abrams tank and blew it to bits. From the north, transport planes dropped troops into the Karrinyup area, with PT-91 and Leopard tanks rolling in from the North Beach landing area. Several gunships, transport helicopters and jets approached east, heading towards Perth International Airport. A Eurocopter Cougar with Epsilon team was in that group.
"Perth Airport, ETA 5 minutes," announced the pilot. Rina and her team put on their earpieces and looked towards the back of the helicopter.
"ETA, 3 minutes," said the pilot. Rina checked the ammo in the magazine of her HK G36 rifle, Arthuria charged up the laser rifle that has been recently produced for field trail, and the rest carried their specialized rifles to battle. Saya and Diva had their MP5 SMGs and Kairi and Namine were carrying their Arctic Magnums.
"Sad the new rifles were phased out, they stood quite a long time," commented Kairi.
"Yea, but they're very bulky for smaller people, you have to meet the height requirements of 5ft 2in just to hold the rifle itself. That rifle was a whopping 4ft 11in for a start," replied Rina.
"I guess you're right, but this is even bulkier," commented Arthuria, showing the laser rifle and the battery pack she was carrying around her waist. "I feel like a walking bomb, for Christ sake!"
"Oh stop complaining, they're fuel cells. They don't go kaboom like a nuclear bomb. You watch too much 'Terminator'," replied Rina.
"Furthermore, the weight of the damn rifle and the battery packs only weighs 4 kilos," commented Saya.
"30 seconds," said the pilot. The back of the helicopter started to open, showing the ground several feet below. The helicopter was in hover, slowly landing on the ground. Several helicopters in the distance were also slowly landing on the tarmac, with the rest of the attack helicopter group launching volleys of missiles onto the airport terminals and hangars. Jets zoomed past and bombed the fortified control towers, leading to the tower's collapse.
"Go! Go! Go!" said the pilot as the helicopter landed on the tarmac. Epsilon quickly exited the helicopter and looked at the surroundings. Several gunshots were ricocheting off the tarmac and the helicopter hastily took off. The other helicopters took off quickly after unloading troops on the tarmac. A missile came flying by and hit a helicopter taking off the tarmac.
"Oh hot damn!" exclaimed Rina. She quickly waved the team to move forward towards the international terminal. There were some airport trucks laying burnt near the terminal. They took cover behind them as a hail of bullets from machine gun emplacements around the terminal opened fire. The machine guns did level some troop squadrons, but most of them took cover behind some burnt vehicles and debris scattered over the tarmac.
"Are the AC-130s in the sky?" asked Rina on the radio, with bullets ricocheting off the burnt trucks. A vehicle blew up as bullets pierced its fuel tanks, sending some of the soldiers nearby flying off or stunned, becoming prone targets to the machine guns.
"Not yet, we still haven't got the skies cleared up. A few friendly APCs and tanks are coming to assist you at the moment," replied command. A missile flew past and hit the tarmac not far from where they were hiding.
"Negative, they have missile launchers, will pose threat to armored vehicles," replied Rina.
"You just cover us from those missile guys, we'll try to take care of the machine gunners," replied command.
"Great…," muttered Rina.
"Kairi, Namine, get to a good sniping position and see where the missile trails come from. Hit the guys there," commanded Rina, pointing to a sandbag covering near Gate 3 of the terminal.
"Copy that, just give us covering fire," said Kairi. Kairi and Namine got ready to run to the other covering position.
"Covering fire!" announced Rina as she fired some rounds at the machine gunners, giving time for Kairi and Namine to run to the cover. One machine gunner spotted them running, but kept missing them by mere inches. They managed to get to the cover and looked at the terminal for missile soldiers. One launched a missile at them.
"Duck!" yelled Kairi before both of them ducked behind the sandbags before the missile hit. Only sand was kicked off into the air. Namine quickly acquired her target before sniping the missile soldier. Kairi got her share, hitting a machine gunner who would be pinning them down if they didn't shoot any sooner.
"Arthuria, now's a good time to test that laser," said Rina. Arthuria quickly took a quick glance at the machine gun emplacements with bullets missing her head by mere inches before getting back to cover. She quickly estimated the positions of the emplacements before aiming at the positions and firing off in burst rounds. The lasers cut through the sandbags like a hot knife through butter, damaging the machine gun and also hitting the gunner behind the emplacement.
"Wow, that was cool," commented Arthuria before firing another few bursts again. But then the rifle became too hot that Arthuria had to let go.
"Ack, it's too hot!!" exclaimed Arthuria as she let go of the rifle and unbuckled the battery pack from her waist.
"That's why it's called experimental, Artie," commented Rina before standing up and firing a few rounds before ducking back. Arthuria had no primary weapon, thus had to fare do with a Desert Eagle. Then the radio crackled.
"This is the 5th Calvary coming in from the North. We'll try hold them off long enough for the Spectre gunships to arrive. State your position," said the commander of the squadron.
"We are pinned down behind debris near the terminals. We still haven't cleared them of missile soldiers," replied Rina. Then she heard some vehicles moving in from behind. She looked back and saw several PT-91 and Type-99 tanks spreading themselves around the terminal, firing shells with ACV-300s behind them, opening the back of their vehicles and emptying their troops. Some missiles hit the tanks, but bounced off from the armor. Then a Javelin missile hit a PT-91 near Gate 1 and destroyed it. The soldiers from the ACVs moved fast, launching grenades into the terminal, though the Nationalist forces were still resisting the firepower the Eurasian forces were offering. Then the radio crackled again.
"AC-130s in the skies. Pinpoint the locations with lasers from a safe distance and we'll take care of it," said the radio.
"Everyone! Get behind the tanks! The Spectre gunships are here!" shouted Rina before running towards the tanks. A Type-99 fired a shell near Rina, disorientating her a bit before she gained her footing and hid behind the tank. The rest of the first assault wave ran back and quickly marked the locations with their laser sights. Missiles flew past them, but were all misses. Another Javelin got through and hit an ACV, throwing some of the troops nearby off their feet. Namine quickly spotted the soldier and took him out. The locations were marked, and a volley of shells and bullets came down from the skies, softening the fortifications on the terminal. At the same time, more troops were Para-dropped into the scene, mostly Russian or Chinese troops with RPGs. They quickly acquired positions behind the armored vehicles, launching volley after volley of rockets into the structure.
"Man, that's overkill," commented a soldier nearby. Then a blonde girl with TSWAT uniform and carrying a shotgun raced towards Rina.
"And who would you be?" asked Rina.
"Alice Peach from Italy. I've been sent here on recommendation by Commander Douglas Kreig to fill in a position in your team," replied the blonde girl with a tinge of her Italian accent, saluting at her. Rina was surprised at the phrase 'on recommendation by Douglas Kreig', but welcomed her into the team.
"This is his sister, Rina. Welcome to the team," replied Rina and offering a handshake. Arthuria and the rest of the team raced and regrouped at Rina, Arthuria having acquired a Steyr AUG rifle.
"Rina, are we ready for breach?" asked Arthuria before turning her attention to the new team member. "Who are you, lady?"
"Peach from Italy. My brother's recommendation," replied Rina on behalf of the Italian team member.
"You must be really good just to get a recommendation from the commander's brother," responded Arthuria.
"Peach, we're breaching of what's left of the terminal. You're going in first," commanded Rina. Peach nodded and headed towards a door at the far end of the terminal. Rina was about to head there until Arthuria grabbed her by the shoulder.
"You're going a bit harsh, are you? A newcomer and you put her in the front of the fire," commented Arthuria.
"Arthuria, I'm sure she'll survive. You can't simply be in here unless you're damn good or under my brother's recommendations. You know he's harsh on a person's abilities," responded Rina. They then headed towards the door for breach and got ready on either side of the door.
"Two soldiers inside," said Peach. Rina was surprised.
"How did you know?" asked Rina.
"I can hear them breathe," replied Peach. Rina turned to Arthuria.
"Set the charge," commanded Rina. Arthuria put a stun charge on the door and retreated behind Rina. The timer reached zero and the charge exploded, making the door accessible. Peach ran in first and fired a round at a soldier stunned by the charge. Rina came in later and shot the second soldier covering his ears. Arthuria came in third, looking and aiming towards the flight of stairs that curled up to the first floor. Peach quickly turned and fired a round at the wall near the first floor, where a Nationalist soldier slumped dead and a grenade fell from his hand and on the ground next to Peach. Arthuria quickly grabbed it and threw it back to the open doorway. The grenade set off seconds later.
"Thanks," said Peach.
"No problem," replied Arthuria. Rina came close to Arthuria's ear.
"See, told you my brother is harsh on abilities," muttered Rina. Arthuria sighed. Arthuria continued upstairs and stopped at the doorway. Peach followed suit, then Saya, Diva, Rina, Namine and lastly Kairi. Arthuria took a quick glance at the floor before reporting back.
"Several soldiers nearing the front of Gate 5," reported Arthuria.
"They're calling an artillery strike," said Peach. Arthuria made a quick decision and threw a stun grenade at the soldiers.
"Saya, Diva, up front," said Arthuria before the grenade blew off. Saya and Diva quickly went through the doorway, firing all rounds at the Nationalist soldiers setting position at a gaping hole near Gate 5. Peach followed soon after, firing a couple of rounds at the escalator, forcing a Nationalist soldier hiding there to take cover. Rina threw a grenade at the escalator before Namine threw a stun grenade at him. Arthuria came out after Kairi and fired a few rounds at Nationalists soldiers running at the top floor. Saya and Diva changed their magazines while the rest headed towards the escalator and headed down to the empty immigration counters and baggage reclaim areas. Then the radio crackled.
"Hullo, Delta 13. This is Jonsey with the Australian Freedom Forces, breaching the terminal. You will spot us wearing our stockman's hat," said the radio. Rina smiled.
"Good to hear you again, Jonsey," replied Rina as they put a C4 charge on the quarantine exit door.
"C4's are up!" exclaimed Arthuria as the team cleared off the area. After reaching a safe distance behind the counters, Arthuria pushed the trigger and the door blasted open. Several gunshots flew over the counters before the guns went silent. Saya looked around the corner and saw two soldiers hiding behind an overturned table. They fired a few rounds at Saya, causing her to jerk back into hiding.
"JESUS CHRIST!!!" she exclaimed as a loud shot rang and hit the two Nationalist soldiers. Rina and Arthuria quickly headed towards the opening and looked outside. There were several soldiers in the stockman's hat. One of them was Jonsey.
"G'day mates! Welcome to Australia!" he announced, resting his Barrett M82 on his shoulder with a few of his mates with sunglasses and slinging their Steyr AUG rifles at their backs.
"Nice seeing you again, Jonsey," said Rina, shaking his hand. An ACV parked outside the terminal building.
"We'd be heading to a safehouse in Wembley Downs while we wait for the next assault. Wanna come along?" asked Jonsey.
"Sure, no problem, if they didn't need us to secure the airport," replied Rina. Then the radio crackled.
"Delta 13, this is command. We have secured the airport. Get some rest and be here by 0400 hours. We're invading Sydney," said the radio. Jonsey looked at his wristwatch.
"That's 15 hours from now, come along," said Jonsey as the rest of his team headed towards the ACV. Rina let out a laugh before asking the rest of her team to follow her to the ACV.