Chapter XXVI: Change For the Ferryman
7 Oct 1949 KST
Seongnam, South Korea
Vargas and Bremer brought the survivors from the church back to the hospital and another group of soldiers went out on patrol. At the end of the day their meager band of stalwarts had grown to almost a hundred persons, of which were 33 armed soldiers and civilian conscripts. Once they had enough weapons for everyone that number would be closer to 70 armed combatants. For the meantime however the soldiers would hand off their weapons to the next duty section when going off duty. Each of the new survivors along with those already incorporated into the group were set up in a section of the hospital close to the emergency room. The non-combatants were housed several to a room, taking care to keep families and close relations together, in patient rooms on the mid floors of the hospital so they could be easily defended. The soldiers and civilian conscripts were housed two to a room on the floors directly above and below the non-combatants as well as in the top and bottom floor. The ER waiting room along with the exam rooms and offices adjacent to it had been converted into the main guard post and command center for the small reconstituted army. Several roving watches took shifts patrolling the unoccupied sections of the hospital and the immediate environs. There was also a permanent watch stationed on the roof with the last remaining RPG in case of an aerial attack. The hospital kitchen and several hallway vending machines had been raided to provide the group their meals for the night along with what food the church group brought with them. Come daybreak they would send people out on supply runs but for now they had to make do with what they had.
Bremer went with another soldier to search the hospital while Vargas remained in the vicinity of the emergency room and helped show the new arrivals where they needed to go. He later went downstairs and handed off his rifle to the soldier that would be relieving him. "Better enjoy what sleep you can get. Tomorrow's bound to be busy again." the soldier told him. "Don't need to tell me twice. I feel like I could drop right now." Vargas replied. He then left and made his way upstairs, stopping at the room Father Yang was being housed in along the way. "It's Sergeant Vargas, may I come in?" Vargas asked after knocking on the door. "Come on in." Yang called back to him from inside. Vargas entered and shut the door behind him. "Got a room here all to yourself?" asked Vargas noticing that Yang was alone. "No, and I didn't ask for any special treatment. They put a few children that lost their parents in here with me. Miss Do, my Sunday school teacher, is taking them to the hospital library and gift shop so they can pick out some books and games to bring back up here." Father Yang explained. Vargas walked over and sat on the second bed opposite Yang and yawned. "Your work is never done." Vargas said with a smile. "Indeed. I enjoy it though." Yang replied. "Well I just came by to say thank you for earlier today. I really needed to get a lot off my chest." Vargas said. "You're quite welcome. If there's anything else I can do, or if you just need to talk, you can come by anytime." Father Yang replied. "I might just do that." Vargas said before he got up and headed back to the door. The door opened before Vargas got there and 3 children, two little girls and a boy all around the ages of 5-8 ran inside with two books and a few crossword puzzles. Miss Do followed in behind them. She smiled at Vargas briefly and caught up with the kids who were climbing on and around Father Yang in excitement. "I'll leave you to your bedtime stories father. God bless." Vargas said as he stepped out the door. "Be seeing you Sergeant, God be with you." Yang replied as the kids sat down around him and picked out a story from the book. Vargas shut the door and went up to his own room for a quick nap before his duty rotation started up again.
Sobieski and Major Han were in the third floor of the parking garage next to the hospital finishing repairs on an old Toyota truck. Lyndsey was underneath the truck while Han was leaning into the driver's seat. A Korean soldier was in the garage at the far end overlooking the street keeping a lookout for any threats that may present themselves. The truck that Sobieski and Major Han were working on was more towards the center of this floor of the parking garage. A cake pan with oily rags in it, some miscellaneous tools and three half drank bottles of Pocari Sweat were on the ground next to her. "Alright, start it now." Lyndsey told the Major. Han started the truck; it turned over and fired up just as it should. "How's the oil pressure?" she asked. "It's holding steady now. Looks decent." Han reported back. "Good. That should do it then. You can shut it off now." Lyndsey called back to the Major. While they were wrapping up Bremer came up the ramp of the parking garage wheeling a cylinder of nitrous oxide he had taken from the hospital. "Sergeant Sobieski." he spoke up as he approached to get her attention. Lyndsey got out from under the truck, stood up and walked towards Bremer. "Yes sir?" She asked. "I need you to find the fastest car you can and rig it up with this." Bremer instructed her. "Also I need you to set up the loudest stereo system you can find and put it in said car. Oh, and it all has to work." Bremer went on. Sobieski took the nitrous cylinder from Bremer and let out a deep dissatisfied breath. "I just got this truck running for us to use and now you want me to rig up some hot rod race car for what? Just so you can get your kicks? Sir, with all due respect I'm running on empty here. I've hardly had any sleep the past three days and been fixing stuff nonstop. Half our team is dead and that still hasn't registered yet. My mind is all over the place and I haven't had a cup of coffee or anything more than that bowl of cereal to eat all day. I'll get to it in the morning." Sobieski complained. "Lyndsey." Bremer said in a short, assertive tone. "Yes sir?" Sobieski answered turning back and focusing her attention on Bremer. His voice indicated he meant business, Sobieski expected something along the lines of "stop griping and get to it, soldier!" but instead Bremer reached into his pocket and tossed her a snickers bar. "Have a snickers." Bremer told her. "You're not you when you're hungry." Bremer joked as Lyndsey caught the candy bar. "Yes sir. Right away sir." Sobieski responded pretending to be stone cold serious in her mannerisms. She unwrapped the snickers and took a bite in front of Bremer. "Better?" Bremer asked. "Most definitely." Sobieski sarcastically replied. "Alright then, back to work! I'll catch up with you in the morning." Bremer said clapping his hands together once for effect. Bremer then turned around and left Sobieski and Han alone in the parking garage. Just as she was about to start hunting for the perfect car for Bremer it started raining outside. The rain was light at first but quickly picked up into a heavy downpour complete with thunder and lightning. "Great. Now we're stuck in here all night." Sobieski complained. "At least we've got each other to keep us company through it." Han said, trying to cheer her up. "He did not just try and flirt with me did he?" Sobieski wondered to herself. She really had to keep a lid on this fraternizing with the officers thing, especially one that is married. "We're under cover too, and if it keeps going any of these cars would work as a bed for the night." Han explained. "You've got a point. I'm just really burnt out that's all." Sobieski said. "I understand and I feel you there. I'd be nice just to get a break from it all but dammit these aliens don't give us a moment's rest it seems." Han replied. "Tell you what, let's find us the right car and I'll work on the wiring while you take a nap. Tomorrow morning all you'll have to do is find some speakers and that part will be out of the way at least." Han offered. "Thanks." Sobieski replied. He was a genuinely nice guy, one she believed in time could wear down her thick exterior and they could be the best of friends. Together the two of them headed up to the next floor of the garage seeking the fastest of fast cars the city of Seongnam could offer them.
8 Oct 0620 KST
Seongnam, South Korea
At daybreak Major Han, Bremer, Vargas and Tae-yang met in the on call doctor's office in the ER to discuss the day's strategy. Tae-yang also brought with him another soldier that had arrived shortly after midnight. He had the appearance of a man who had just gone to hell and back. His face was unshaven and weathered. His uniform was tattered and torn in places. In some of those places where his clothing was torn there were day old scars clearly visible. Overall he looked like a strong, healthy man who had gone lean from several days without food and little water. He carried an unloaded MSG90 sniper rifle and wore a combat knife on his belt. He didn't speak but followed Tae-yang's lead. "Before we begin I'd like to introduce the rest of you to Sergeant First Class Bu Ryong-ho of the 707th SMB." Tae-yang introduced his guest. "I've heard of you guys. You're like the ROK version of our Delta boys." said Bremer. "..and according to the soldier that found him he also killed one of those bug things with his bare hands." Tae-yang boasted. "That's not entirely accurate. The creature was wounded in one of its legs." Ryong-ho modestly corrected Tae-yang. "Still that's pretty damn impressive. Even wounded those things are stronger and faster than us." said Major Han. "For a race of super-advance aliens they're still not smarter than us." Ryong-ho added. His voice was steady and serious, without much in the way of inflection or emotion. He was visibly tired as well and his focus seemed a bit off. "So how did you manage to end up in our neck of the woods?" asked Bremer. "The 707th's headquarters is here in Seongnam, but I was coming back from a mission in the North. We were just arriving in Uijeongbu when it hit. First everything went dark, and then the sky lit up to the north and to the south. It was as bright as day in the middle of the night. The ground shook like an earthquake. For a moment there I thought the entire planet was going to blow. We bugged out quickly and made for the mountains before the bombers came in and glassed the area. We made our way around Seoul, trying to evade the alien presence. In spite of our efforts we still had to fight off small alien attacks on a number of occasions. All the bridges were out so we attempted to swim the Han River east of Gwanju. On the far bank we met heavy resistance and those who were with me were killed or taken. I managed to survive and continued on hoping that something would be left standing when I got here. I arrived in Seongnam yesterday to find the city in ruins. The buggers tried to ambush me about the time that your patrol found me. So here I am. Looks like I'm reporting to you Major." Ryong-ho recounted his tale to them. "First thing after this briefing I want you to head to the kitchen and fix yourself up something to eat. Then take at least a 30 minute nap. You look like you haven't slept in days." Major Han told Sergeant Bu. "Haven't had time. Been on my feet since this thing hit, if I stopped moving the buggers would be on me in heartbeat." Ryong-ho commented. "You're among friends now. After you're back at full strength we will definitely have need of your skills." Major Han said.
"Now shall we begin?" Major Han asked. Vargas and Tae-yang scooted the doctor's desk to the center of the room and cleared it off. They then unfolded and laid out a street map of Seongnam and placed various objects on the corners of the map to keep it in place. The five men then turned in towards the table. Han took out a pencil and lightly drew an "X" on the location of the hospital and drew a circle a distance around the hospital. "That's us, and that circle marks the limits of our patrols last night. We've also noticed regular enemy movements in these areas." Major Han said while marking several locations where enemy forces had been encountered. "This area up here and the streets to the north and west are where the damage is most severe. This is also the area where we've seen most of the enemy walkers. That's also where the majority of our dead still are as well. It's only logical to assume the enemy also believes that's where the most survivors would be as well." Major Han reported. "That and they don't want us to get our hands on all the equipment we abandoned there." Bremer interjected. "Now about the dead, those bodies have been out there for a day and a half going on 2 days now. It won't be long until they start decomposing and then we'll be swimming in disease. The storm last night didn't help and it continues to drizzle or rain off and on now into the morning." Bremer added. "I've got several of the civilians coming with me today to dig graves in the fields south of the airport. It's almost in the middle of all the major battle zones." Vargas mentioned. "If you had a thousand men and mechanized earth-moving equipment you still wouldn't be able to dig enough graves for all our fallen brothers in time, not to mention the difficulty in transporting all the bodies there. We've got limited manpower and still have to cover supply runs, search and rescue, scouting enemy positions and so forth. Fifteen people would probably be the most we can spend on grave digging. Health concerns aside I don't think anyone wants their last memory of someone to be that off a rotted away corpse." Bremer said rejecting Vargas' proposal. "Also what do you presume we do about all the dead crabbies out there? No telling what kind of alien germs those things are carrying." Bremer inquired. "I don't care. Burn them." Vargas replied. "You're on to something there. Now I would alternately propose we do something with the bodies while they're still pretty instead of all rotten and icky. We burn them, but we do it in a way where we do care. The bugs, well we can still not care about them. Fuck em' they can just plain burn. It'll be like a Viking funeral, but on land. How about you go and dig about a hundred or so graves. While we're going through and reclaiming our gear we'll be ID'ing the bodies and finding the ones close to the people here. We'll also get Taylor, Won-yong and Colonel Cho and his crew and bury them. We can have an honorary ceremony for everyone today when we bury those select few then tomorrow night we light the funeral pyre." Bremer suggested. "As much as I don't want to see our slain soldiers burned away like refuse the necessity of the situation mandates it." Major Han reluctantly agreed. "I can live with this. Promise me it won't be rushed though." Vargas replied. "It won't be. We'll make it worthy of their memory." Bremer promised. "If you are going to burn half the city down wouldn't it be smart to try and take some of the enemy out in the process?" Ryong-ho spoke up. "Way ahead of you there." said Bremer, now pacing back and forth behind Vargas and Han. "I've already ordered a super fast getaway car to be restored. We can use it to lure the bugs and their robots out into the open. Draw them into the center of our funeral pyre and boom!" Bremer explained. "Alright then. So it is decided." Major Han stated. "Aye." Vargas, Bremer and Tae-yang said in near unison. Bremer had sort of hijacked the strategy meeting but he came up with a plan, which was more than Han himself had going into this. He had hoped to lay out the situation and just wing it from there, taking input from the others as needed but it seemed Bremer had things all thought out beforehand and once again Han would defer to him. Bremer came across as more of a natural leader whereas Han's experience had been predominantly serving directly under senior staff officers who made all the big decisions leaving him to relay them down the chain of command as appropriate. Being the man at the top was something new for him, and a role he didn't fit into quite well. Bremer on the other hand had been concocting plans since last night and had even fallen asleep mulling over the finer details of what their strategy should be moving forward. "I'll take a team and begin combing through the bodies and setting up the fireworks for tomorrow. Once spec ops guy here is rested up I could use his help to keep the bad guys off my back. We'll try to use flammables in the immediate area we're working in first and only use fuel if we have to...or if it's just going to be burnt up anyways." Bremer said. "I'll get with Father Yang and have him prepare the funeral service then take a handful of men to go help dig the graves." Vargas stated. "Great. Now you just need a Buddhist monk and a Wang Chung shaman and you've got all your bases covered." Bremer mocked Vargas jokingly. "We might not have a monk but I can probably find someone that's a serious Buddhist to do their funeral rites. I think they would be cool with cremation for the most part actually." Vargas replied. "Also Wang Chung isn't a religion, not in Korea or anywhere." Vargas snidely commented. "Sure it is. It was big back in the 80s for a little while." Bremer laughed. Vargas then was dismissed and got to work on the funeral preparations right away. "Oh, and Major, If you could send some people out to pick up some guns and equipment from one of our old armory locations. I believe there's a few that are still standing. We had one in a school gymnasium somewhere south of here and there might still be some equipment left at the airport too. I'll make a list real quick of specifically what I need." Bremer turned to Major Han and said. "I'm on it." Tae-yang volunteered. Han nodded in consent and Tae-yang and Bremer left the briefing room. Ryong-ho then took his leave and left for the kitchen while Major Han remained a while longer to finish updating his maps and charts with the information brought in by their scouting parties.
Bremer then sent for and gathered up all the soldiers and civilian volunteers that had were not on watch guarding the hospital grounds or those who had gone with Vargas and assembled them in the ER waiting room. They had been divided into groups of five to seven, each with a squad leader, one additional armed fighter and three to five workers and support personnel. With the addition of the soldiers that had arrived overnight they managed to form seven such teams. "Alright everyone listen up! We've got a lot to do today if we're going to dust ourselves off from that ass whopping we got the other day. Each of you were assigned a squad and a duty section last night. Those of you who just got here were given that information when you got here." Bremer announced. "Has everyone here reported in to their assigned squad?" Bremer asked seeing some people were still looking around for where they were supposed to be. "We'll wait a little while for everyone to get where they need to be." Bremer said and patiently waited for everyone to finish falling in. "Alright now. The first assembly of the Reformed First Army of the Republic of Korea is called to order." Vargas announced having himself unofficially re-designated the amalgamation of various military units and so forth as the new 1st ROK. "As I was saying each of you are assigned to a squad. I personally will be leading Alpha Squad. Each of the other squad leaders are ranking military personnel hand-picked by myself and Major Han. Due to the scarcity of weapons at the present moment only one other member of your squad will be armed. As you find more weapons and gear out there we will be able to properly arm and equip more of you. Priority will be given to trained military and police personnel. Our mission today is threefold; search and rescue, gathering vital supplies and containing the public health hazard posed by thousands of decomposing bodies at our doorstep. Search and rescue operations are ongoing and will be the top priority for all teams. Delta and Echo squad will be tasked with acquisition. You will head south to a storehouse inside a high school gymnasium. Major Han will fill you in on the details after you are dismissed. You will gather anything of value you find both there and along the way. The most critical items are of course guns, rockets and rocket launchers, Stinger missiles, grenades and grenade launchers, standard types of ammo, nonperishable food items, gasoline and diesel fuel, and working vehicles, especially motorcycles. I will be needing at least five functional motorcycles before tomorrow night. Also remember when it comes to vehicles, I know it's counterintuitive but old and busted are generally more reliable. Golf and Foxtrot squads will be assigned to the central and southwestern areas of the city to locate survivors and acquire additional equipment. Alpha, Bravo and Charlie squads will be the first squads tasked with preparing the dead. Charlie will take the stadium grounds and east to the old command center. Bravo will cover the area north of the stadium grounds to the northern perimeter. Alpha will cover the area west to the perimeter, including the airport. The plan is for a mass cremation tomorrow night after a proper funeral service today, and if we're lucky we'll be taking a bunch of those aliens up in smoke with them. If you locate any friends or loved ones that you would prefer to be buried please move the body aside and place it in a marked location apart from the others. Don't worry as each squad rotates in throughout the day you will be reassigned to each of the different battle areas to check for loved ones. We must make sure to reclaim as many of the weapons as possible from our fallen brothers before tomorrow. Once you have procured all the equipment you can carry return here and report to Major Han or his staff for your next assignment. Be smart about this people. Don't grab a bunch of junk down the street and come straight back here. Delta and Echo teams especially, make sure you go to the armory first. Some of what we need can only be found there. Also get a vehicle first so you can carry more, this shouldn't have to be said but I'm sure someone out there is going to do something to prove that it had to be said. Alpha, Bravo and Charlie teams make sure you've done a thorough search through all the bodies before you turn around and go back. We only have enough time for each time to go through there once. Those teams should be primarily concerned with getting all the flammables into position for tomorrow; requisition of supplies should be secondary. Pile all the guns up somewhere and another team can come through for them later. Lastly, if you encounter the enemy do not engage unless absolutely necessary. Stealth is our friend, people. The less the enemy knows about our activities the better. Let him think he has us down for the count; it'll make it easier for us to light his ass up tomorrow night. Now I think I've about covered everything. Hop to it people! Dismissed!" Bremer instructed the assembled squads. The squads then dispersed to go about their designated duties with the exception of Alpha squad which waited for Bremer to finish his dealings at the hospital.
Later that morning Bremer returned to the hospital parking garage. It was still cloudy and overcast outside with a light mist of rain. He made it inside the garage just seconds before the rain picked up again. He went up several floors to find Sobieski back at work on a modified 1967 Shelby Cobra. It was painted shiny metallic blue and looked like it had been fully restored prior to Lyndsey tearing it apart. The trunk door was removed and two large speakers and a subwoofer were awkwardly mounted inside it at an angle. Freshly laid wiring crisscrossed the rear of the vehicle and was threaded under the passenger seat. The nitrous tank had been installed with its opening valve sitting just behind the gearshift between the driver's and passenger's seats. Overall what had been a sweet classic sports car had become a cluttered mess. Bremer whistled when he saw it. "Where did you find this baby?" asked Bremer. "Found it in a space marked reserved for Dr. Kang, chief of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery." Sobieski said while tightening some connections under the hood. "There were some faster vehicles up there but they're all too reliant on modern electronics to be any good. It would take days to restore and we'd have to drive into Seoul to find the parts and pray that they were still in working order. Everything else that could run would either be a mid-size Toyota or a Daewoo." Sobieski added. "She'll do fine. Must've paid damn good to give nose jobs in this country." Bremer remarked. "It paid damn good to give nose jobs back in California." added Sobieski. "True but Hollywood can afford to pay outrageous prices for a new nose and a pair of fake titties." Bremer commented. "That's something this country needs, more fake titties, seriously, when this war is over someone might want to think about coming over here and setting up shop." Bremer mused out loud while looking the car over. "I'd say Dr. Kang was already doing that." Sobieski said. "Yeah, but that's just a start. I mean if you really milk the demand you could buy a lot better cars than this. I'm talking a fleet of tricked out over the top super cars." Bremer replied. "You're over estimating the demand, Captain. Just because you think the women around here have small breasts doesn't mean they think the same way." Lyndsey said as she stood up and walked towards Bremer. She took out a crumpled piece of insurance paperwork with various items written in black marker on the other side. "I've made a list of what I'll need to finish the job. So if you can, please have one of your teams pick these items up on their next supply run." Lyndsey told him as she handed the list to Bremer. "Will do. We might have picked up a couple more mechanically inclined people to help you out up here too." Bremer replied. "Thanks. It'd take a lot of the pressure off if I wasn't the only one up here." Sobieski said. "There will still be plenty of pressure to go around, girl. I'm going to need the new guys fixing up some more vehicles to help move the bodies we're burying over to Vargas and company." Bremer replied. "Ok. Do you want me to install some armor plating on your car? This thing is built for speed so it won't hold up under fire." Lyndsey asked. "No. that'll just slow it down. These guys can pierce through steel as if it were butter anyways so you'd be wasting your time." Bremer said before leaning into the trunk. "Jeez, this thing looks like an electrical fire waiting to happen." Bremer commented upon inspecting the trunk. "Would you rather drive a Daewoo? I've got limited space to work with here. Everything is grounded properly and well insulated, nothing will blow on you. It just looks like a clusterfuck that's all." Sobieski explained. Outside the rain lightened up to a slow trickle as Bremer gave the wiring a closer examination. "Well." he said as he exhaled deeply. "Looks like I should get going now. I'll let you get back to your work. Oh, and I'll see about your parts and sending some help your way." Bremer said and began to walk away. He then stopped as if he forgot something and turned back around. "Are the keys still in the truck?" he asked. "No. I've got them here. Catch." Sobieski replied. She took the keys out of her pocket and tossed them to Bremer. Bremer snatched them in midair with both hands, leaning over slightly to make the catch. He then went back down to the lower levels of the garage to find the truck Sobieski had fixed up the night before.
8 Oct 1400 KST
Seongnam, South Korea
After he had spent several hours getting his sections of the city ready for the big day tomorrow Bremer drove up to the field near the airport where Vargas and his team had been digging graves all day. He had just recovered the bodies of Taylor and Won-yong and placed them In the back of the truck along with several weapons he had found along the way. In the passenger seat he had placed his duffel bag with all his clothes and uniforms in it. He found it roughly where he had left it, in the remains of what had been the American encampment. He had held onto that bag ever since the evening he left the base prior to the attack. Bremer parked the truck and got out to meet Vargas. They had dug many graves already, more than Bremer had expected them to be able to. There were empty jugs of water and cans of Korean Gatorade lying around on the field along with a couple spare shovels and a wheelbarrow. Vargas took a break from digging when he saw Bremer get out of the truck and went over to meet him. Vargas was in a pair of plain black pants and a white tank top. He soaked through and through with both sweat and rainwater. His hair was wet and matted down and his hands and face were muddy. "I think this is going to have to be a closed casket Chico." Bremer told him. "Our boys aren't looking too good." Bremer elaborated without going into the gruesome details. Won-yong was tore up pretty bad when the bugs got him so his insides had been exposed to the elements all this time. It also appeared that some of the local wildlife had started chewing on him too. Taylor was in even worse shape, having been crushed underneath the Abrams when it exploded. His body was torn apart and Bremer had the task of putting him back together in pieces, which took its toll on Bremer as Taylor was the one he was closest to from his tank crew. Bremer would have had no problem putting him back together like Humpty Dumpty if Taylor was just "some guy" to him. He couldn't even find all of Taylor's body amidst the wreckage of the tank. In the end he managed to scrape up roughly 70% of Taylor to bury. It was good enough, it was all ceremonial anyways. If Taylor was buried without an ear or part of his legs it wouldn't really make a difference. Bremer and everyone else would know what it represented. "I see what you mean." said Vargas after glancing into the truck bed. "I've got some linens we can wrap them in." Vargas suggested. "Ok. You go get them then come back here and help me carry them to their graves." Bremer told Vargas. Vargas went to get the sheets and came back. He and Bremer carefully wrapped up Won-yong and Taylor. "Can we put them in the front row? Next to Cho and the others we knew?" asked Bremer before they picked up Won-yong. "I don't see why not." Vargas replied. Vargas and Bremer then carefully carried the bodies one at a time to the grave sites and laid them down inside. Afterwards Vargas continued with his work to dig the last of the grave sites as the bodies started to arrive within the next hour. Bremer returned back to the hospital to finish up his duties and then change clothes for the funeral later in the afternoon.
8 Oct 1602 KST
Seongnam, South Korea
It was almost time for the funeral service to be held. Vargas' group had filled all the graves that they had already dug and it still wasn't enough for all the bodies they had to bury. He and his crew still had a few more graves left to dig after the service had concluded per the request of some family members. For the moment however his crew had to get ready for the service itself if they were to still have it during daylight hours while the enemy patrols were still at a minimum. Bremer's plan was still a work in progress though there was still another entire day left to set it up. The reformed 1st ROK Army had managed to acquire several new vehicles and repair a few others. They were now better armed and equipped to fight. A few skirmishes occurred throughout the course of the day which resulted in the loss of 4 more lives. All of those lost in fighting today were also to be buried at the funeral service. For the most part however the alien forces seemed to be ignoring them so long as the various teams did not come into direct confrontation with them. Either they considered the token human presence in Seongnam to be irrelevant or they knew something was afoot and where withdrawing from the area for the time being. Perhaps they were being studied from afar, the aliens could be curious about human customs and belief systems concerning the dead. They had already proven their curiosity prior to the invasion by observing the planet for two months prior to striking; it would not be a far-fetched theory to believe they were still doing so. For whatever reason the enemy actions served to facilitate the funeral arrangements. The entire population had been extremely busy today and had much to show for it. Despite their losses they were in a much better position in the mid afternoon than they were in at sunrise. Everyone had contributed something today. Those who couldn't fight or work in the city performed administrative duties, prepared meals, tended to the wounded, ran errands and delivered messages within the hospital. Even the small children made flags to place at the soldiers' graves during the funeral ceremony later.
While Vargas and his crew were getting ready at the grave site Bremer had returned back to the hospital. Father Yang and all of the non-combatants who wished to attend the ceremony were now boarding a school bus that one of the teams had appropriated from the high school earlier in the day. The bus had just been washed out after being used to transport bodies to the grave site and still was somewhat wet inside. Those who did not wish to attend stayed behind with Miss Do and the small hospital security detail that remained to guard their base of operations while they were away. Most of these were children who did not yet understand or wish to see death, several of whom still held on to hope that their father, mother, brother or sister was still alive and would return to them. Seeing a body or hearing their loved ones name read aloud would destroy what little comfort they had left. While the civilians were getting preparing to leave Bremer cleaned himself up the best he could and changed into his dress uniform. It would never pass a formal inspection at this point but by the new standards he was more than presentable for a military funeral. He put on a pair of aviator's sunglasses and donned his cover and left the rest of his clothes and his duffel bag on the bed in his room when he left. Bremer then met with Major Han on his way out and then with Sobieski who was waiting for them out front in a rusted up white van. Major Han climbed into the passenger's seat and Bremer sat down on one of the middle seats directly behind him. "This van is giving off a total creeper vibe. This is like the exact that people always told you to watch out for when we were kids. Where the hell did you get it?" Bremer commented as he got in and buckled up. "Echo team found it on the side of the road by the tennis courts next to the school." Sobieski replied as she fired up the van. It started rough and shook a little while the engine was running. "Well that ups the creeper factor over nine thousand." Bremer commented. "If it makes you feel any better the creepy dude that might have owned this van is probably some bugs dinner right now." Han jokingly interjected. "Ewww. Kind of feel sorry for the bugs." Sobieski commented. They drove off on what would be a bumpy ride to the grave site. "Say Captain seeing as you don't really buy into the supernatural this is probably all just a waste of time for you huh?" Sobieski asked trying to make conversation. It was a little unsettling being in a car and hearing nothing but the rumble of the road. There used to always be music playing or conversations with her friends and comrades when she drove somewhere. To get her mind off the funeral and how dire their situation truly was she wanted this trip to feel like that. "I wouldn't call it a waste of time. It means something to a lot of the people here. If it gives them closure and helps them cope with the reality of it all then it's worth the effort. Morale is a powerful thing Sergeant." Bremer replied. "True, but for you personally being all science-y and stuff you probably just believe that once you die that's it. Poof! You're gone. Just curious, that's all." Sobieski inquired. "Just because I don't believe in some magic dude in the sky tossing lightning bolts and granting wishes to people doesn't mean I subscribe to the ridiculous notion of annihilationism. The idea that anything can simply just cease to exist requires as much blind faith as thinking that Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Brahma, Zeus, Thor, Shang Di or L. Ron Hubbard will carry them into some blissful utopia or reincarnate them as a squirrel. To be honest with you I simply don't know what happens when the brain shuts down, and I don't really think about it. I would say that I believe in free will, something that's not exactly science-y as most people would think of it and in continuity. It's like everything we know so far about the universe points to the idea that something has always been there and always will be, at least on the quantum level. Then again we really don't know shit about how the universe really works and I'm fine with not knowing that either. We didn't think it was possible to travel the vast distances between the stars either but apparently someone out there figured it out or we wouldn't be having the problems we have right now. The bottom line is that I'm fine with not knowing. Admitting that you don't know is the only option that doesn't require faith. I just strongly doubt that there's some intelligent entity behind everything and somehow we magically know this entity's name here in our little speck in the cosmos." Bremer answered honestly attesting to the way he saw. "You think maybe the bugs know the answers to those questions?" asked Han. "Probably not. They know more than we do about some things but they're probably just as clueless as we are. They might even have their own little ridiculous cults and shit." Bremer commented. "What about you Lyndsey? I've never heard you talk about this stuff before. It's usually Chico that starts with the preaching this, Jesus that, Abraham hit me with a wiffle ball bat." Bremer asked. "Not something I talk about much I guess. I'm a little iffy on the whole organized religion thing although I would describe myself as spiritual." Sobieski replied. "Oh so you're one of those? Should've known with you coming out of the Bay Area." Bremer commented. "Cults and space magic aside, you know what I miss?" Sobieski continued, changing the topic all of the sudden. "What's that?" Bremer said. "Showers. A girl can get funky too with the stink after a few days. There are times that deodorant doesn't cut it either." Sobieski answered. "You're telling me. A crisp clean uniform on a dank ass dirty body really makes you feel it. I guess as long as you're funky fresh we'll be ok." Bremer added. "We're almost there." Sobieski said as they drove into the airport parking lot.
It was late in the afternoon when the funeral service began. After a couple hours of sunshine prior to the commencement of the service, partial cloud cover had now returned and a slight drizzle was coming down. Nearly everyone was in attendance save for the skeleton crew and a few kids back at the hospital. Snipers, along with Ryong-ho were posted in the nearby airport tower and in the ruins of buildings to their rear in case the enemy decided to crash the event. Furthermore most of the fighters in attendance were appropriately armed as well. Those who had fresh changes of clothes were dressed in their best. The crowd was gathered to the east of where the graves had been dug. In front of them to the west a mound of dirt covered with wooden planks served as a raised stage that would later be used to fill the graves. The graves themselves were already partially covered with dirt to stifle the scent of death in the air. Small South Korean flags were placed in the ground at the foot of each grave. On occasion an American or different flag crossed with that of South Korea was used to identify the soldiers of foreign nationalities. As the ceremony began the attendees filed into ranks in front of the stage and stood at attention until Father Yang started talking. Bremer stood in between Vargas and Sobieski in the front row. Tae-yang and Major Han were also in the front row further down on Sobieski's left. A soldier passing by gave an umbrella to Vargas who held it over both himself and Bremer on account of Bremer being one of the best dressed among them and the one who was set to give the closing speech. There were a few other umbrellas in the crowd but most of the men and women stood exposed to the elements. In the second to last row stood Ji-hwan, Jae-sung, So-hyun and Shi-woo among other fighters and civilians. An introduction and opening prayer was given by Father Yang and an elderly woman who was a devout Buddhist that served as the representative from practitioners of that faith. After the prayer service had concluded Major Han ascended to the stage in between Father Yang and the elderly Buddhist woman. "Survivors of Seongnam, citizens of the Republic of Korea, fellow humans of Earth; We have gathered here today to pay tribute to those who valiant gave their lives in defense of our world and everything we hold dear." Major Han announced. "They were our sons, our daughters, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins. They were our friends, our neighbors, people we barely knew and total strangers. Whoever they were to each of us, to all of us they are heroes. Soldiers from seven nations fought and died here against the never ending tide from beyond the stars. They died not as South Koreans, or Americans, Japanese, Canadians, Chinese, Malaysians or Australians but as defenders of Earth. In spite of their sacrifice Seongnam has fallen, but in their memory Seongnam will rise like the mighty Phoenix of legend and we will retake our city. Then we will lock arms with our brothers in other regions and take back our country and then go on to take back our world!" Major Han orated. He paused for applause as Tae-yang approached him with a plastic binder and a bell. "We will now observe a moment of silence as each of the names of the deceased are read aloud." Major Han said before he was handed the binder. One by one he started to read off the names in the binder out loud. After each name was spoken Tae-yang would ring the bell and there would be a brief pause of silence. The list was not a complete list, not all of the bodies could be identified. There were also inclusions of the loved ones of people in attendance that had been taken away by the aliens and those who were lost and unaccounted for. Notable among these inclusions was Han Min-jung, the Major's wife. After all the names were read aloud the stage was opened for anyone who wished to say some words on behalf of the departed. One by one several people ascended the stage and spoke fondly and tearfully of their friends and loved ones. The last person to offer up such words was Captain Bremer. He marched up the stage and turned to face the crowd. "I didn't know most of these people, but after seeing what I saw during the battle and hearing what I heard from each of you, I am proud to say that these were the finest men and women I have ever had the pleasure of serving with. Yes, our losses were grievous and our city was taken from us, but know this; We sent more of them to hell than they took of ours! We made them pay for every one of our brothers and sisters they took from us with at least three of theirs! These weren't just mindless zombies or brainwashed douchebags from the North either. These were members of a super advanced alien species with both technology and biology that surpasses or own and still we hit them back harder than they hit us! Take heart in that my brothers and sisters. If these men and women can see us from wherever they are now they will see us carrying on their legacy to complete and total victory in this war. I promise you all, their sacrifices will not be in vain!" Bremer declared then paused for applause while he collected himself and continued on a more somber note. "Now if I may have a moment to speak on behalf of those most dear to me. Among the fallen we honor today were two men of my tank crew, Corporal Richard Taylor and Sergeant Park Won-yong" Bremer began. Both of them had been promoted posthumously, in Taylor's case he was promoted three whole paygrades. "Both of these men were good soldiers and excellent tankers. Beyond that, in the short time I knew them I can honestly say they were more than just my brothers in arms. They were my friends; Sergeant Park with his lukewarm taste in music and famous laziness when the situation allowed and Corporal Taylor who was like a little brother to me. He was my companion everywhere we went, both in the foxhole and taking in a good time on the town. I got to know him very well in the time I served with him, and Sergeant Park as well. Park would always pretend to get mad when I intentionally mispronounced his name or made generalized assumptions or called him Chinese just to piss him off. In turn he would rip on me for being from SoCal and made the cliché assumptions just to get my goat. You know the shallow, self-absorbed surfer, the gay frilly Hollywood type that kind of stuff. We were all a tight knit crew. I knew about their hometowns, their families, their friends, interests and hobbies. They told me about their life in high school and before the military. Hell, in Taylor's case they were both one and the same. He left for basic two days after his graduation. To them I was more than just their commander; I was their friend and mentor." Bremer continued. "Those of you who know me know that just about anything can roll off my back. I can be a hard man at times and often come off as unsympathetic. I would be lying to you however if I did not say that their absence today has left a hole in my heart." Bremer went on to say, his voice began cracking a little towards the end. "That's all I have to say." Bremer concluded, not wishing to let his emotions spill over as he was addressing the crowd. As he stepped down and returned his place next to Vargas, Father Yang gave the closing prayer. After he was done Sobieski stepped out of ranks and marched across the front of the gathering where a Korean soldier handed her a set of bagpipes. She took her position next to the stage and started to play TAPS on the pipes. Bremer and Vargas were impressed that she even knew how to play them. This was a new revelation to both of them. A squad of soldiers filed in next to her and delivered the customary 21 gun salute. During the 21 gun salute the rain cleared and the sun came out, shining brightly as if to say a new chapter of life had begun for everyone there. Afterwards a single American and South Korean flag was folded by the burial detail and handed to Major Han and Captain Bremer on behalf of all who had died. As the rest of the attendees left the area to return to their duties, Bremer and Vargas remained dwelling on thoughts of their fallen comrades, Bremer more so. Vargas' faith gave him strength to know that they were in a better place, though he still missed them, albeit he was not as close to Taylor and Wong-yong as Bremer was, especially Taylor. Bremer was taking it much as if he had indeed lost a little brother, and had no such hope of ever seeing him again in whatever, if anything lies beyond this life. "Great speech Captain. On the bright side at least the rain has stopped." Vargas said trying to console both Bremer and himself. "Has it?" Bremer said, his voice cracking and trembling as he spoke. Vargas turned to see a single tear slipping out from below Bremer's sunglasses and rolling down his cheek. "I can't tell." Bremer continued. Vargas could tell Bremer was trying to keep it all inside but it wasn't working. He truly was wounded deeply and only now when his thoughts were focused on the matter the true gravity of what had happened hit him all at once. Bremer was deeply hurting and he could not just brush it away this time. Vargas had never seen this much of any negative emotion come through with Bremer. Taylor was his buddy but it wasn't just Taylor that was getting to him Vargas supposed, but maybe the grief for everyone that Bremer had lost to date was now coming through. They may have been few in number but Bremer's units had taken casualties during his service in the human wars of the past. Vargas continued to hold the umbrella over Bremer as the two of them stood there as the burial detail finished covering the graves. They stood silent for some time while the sun set, lighting the sky in a reddish orange haze reflecting the melancholy spirit in their hearts.
9 Oct 2017 KST
Seongnam, South Korea
The following day all the preparations for Bremer's plan had been put into place. The bodies were soaked in fuel and the area around them and the nearby structures were packed with incendiaries and explosives. The affected area had been thoroughly scoured for survivors and was completely deserted as night fell across the city. A lone mech marched past the stadium completely unaware of what has about to occur. Though the hospital was deemed to be at a safe distance from the funeral pyre to err on the side of caution the population was moved to an area in Seoul north of Seongnam proper. This left only Bremer, Sobieski, Ryong-ho, Tae-yang and six other volunteers left in the city to execute the plan. Outside the hospital were six motorcycles of varying models, the old truck with two Stinger missiles underneath a blanket in the truck bed, and Bremer's souped up sports car. The modifications had been completed on the vehicle. It looked a little cleaner and more aerodynamic. A tape deck was now installed and connected to the speakers. They gathered in the ER waiting room to go over the plan one last time. "One more time to be sure everyone. Those of you on the bikes I want you to spread out into the side streets in the south of town and make a lot of noise, pop a few bugs if you have to in order to get them pissed off and on your tail. Draw out all the crabby critters you can and lead them onto the main roads. That's where I will be, once you've flushed out the enemy make your way to the northwest and head out of town. I'll be blasting out my speakers at full volume to get the robots to follow me as well. When I pass by the stadium I'm going to ignite the bonfire. Each of you has a pistol, a flare gun and a grenade. Once you see the first flames go up I want you to light up the fires at the airport and the western perimeter. Bike team you're dismissed." Bremer instructed the soldiers. The six bikers then departed towards the south to draw out the enemy. "Spec ops and Tae-yang, you will be waiting at the northern edge of town with the stingers. There's a good enough chance that the enemy will send in zoomies to take us out once we start lighting them up. You only have one missile apiece and their guidance systems are totally ineffective on these guys so it's straight up line of sight and you can't miss. I know both of you are crack shots so that's why I requested you for this role. I intend to pass by you on my retreat after you see, and probably hear me pass by you need to bug out of there pronto. Good luck and I'll see you on my way out." Bremer instructed Tae-yang and Ryong-ho who then went into the truck after he dismissed them. Bremer then took out Wong-yong's old tool box and selected the perfect mix tape for the mission. It was one in the middle of the row entitled "Annoying Mix." Bremer took it out and smiled. "Won ton dude I love ya but really, who makes themselves a mix tape to annoy themselves with." he laughed and got up. "Alright Lyndsey. You're driving. Let's do this!" Bremer said.
The Shelby Cobra cruised down the thoroughfare into the southern part of Seongnam where most of the alien forces had been sighted throughout the day. Bremer was loaded for bear. He had an assortment of four flare guns, a K1A submachine gun and an M32 multi-shot grenade launcher in case things really got ugly. Time to start it up, thought Bremer as he inserted the cassette into the tape player. Bremer grimaced as the first song began booming out the speakers. "Dear no, Taylor Swift as the opening salvo here. Talk about weapons of mass destruction aye yai yai!" Bremer muttered. "Lyndsey, if we ever get brought up on war crimes charges when this is all said and done remember that this never happened! I'm about to violate the Geneva protocols right now!" Bremer said looking over to Sobieski and then turning up the volume halfway. As he went down the road he indeed began to attract attention. Sobieski quickly made a loop through some other streets near the far southern edge of the city and got turned around heading north. There were already about 40 skitters tailing them before one of the motorcycles darted out of from a side street in front of them bringing a whole new horde out onto the thoroughfare. Lyndsey sped up and just barely beat the skitters coming out of the side street. The skitters themselves were surprisingly agile, keeping up with the Cobra cruising at around 40-50 mph, climbing buildings and leaping ahead as a means of gaining on them. Even so, Bremer and Lyndsey knew they had enough speed in reserve to outrun them if they had to. Right now they were just stringing them along. Bremer turned up the volume louder as the song "Gangnam Style" came on. "Of course this song must be included in any annoying mix compilation." Bremer laughed. The noise drew more skitters out of a building to their right as they were passing by. Bremer had to fire a few quick bursts to keep some of the skitters away from them and Lyndsey swerved to avoid some more coming out from an alleyway to their left. In the distance behind them they saw their first mech give chase. It ran past the skitters as if they were standing still and started to close the distance on the Cobra. "Give it some more gas Lyndsey!" Bremer goaded her. She accelerated up to 70 mph, whipping through the disabled vehicles and skitters ahead of them. Bremer opened fire and cleared a path ahead of them. The mech was still gaining on them but they were putting too much distance between themselves and the skitter horde; they couldn't afford to lose their prey before they could draw them into the trap. "You see that walker back there?" Bremer asked Lyndsey. "Yeah." she replied. The mech's searchlight reflected ever so often in her rearview mirrors. "We're going to need to juke and jive a bit, make it hard for it to hit us." Bremer told her. "And slow down, we don't want to lose the crabs." Bremer continued. "Are you fucking crazy!" Lyndsey said to herself but she obeyed orders and dropped their speed. Meanwhile the other motorcycles were combing through the areas to the east and west of them, drawing out the enemy garrison towards the stadium and western perimeter. Along the route one of the motorcyclists was ambushed from above by a skitter and battered into the ground. Bremer picked up the grenade launcher and got ready. The mech darted out in front of the advancing wave of skitters and opened fire. Lyndsey swerved erratically to evade the incoming fire. As the mech got even closer it a series of light beams converged onto the back of the Cobra indicating it was locking on. During this time Bremer fire a grenade round even though he was out of range. The grenade detonated on top of a disabled KIA and destroyed the car. The debris from the explosion was enough to shake up and disorient the mech. "Speed her back up!" Bremer told Lyndsey after buying them some time. As they drew nearer to the stadium grounds Bremer cranked the radio, now playing some Avril Lavigne song, up full blast. Two more mechs diverted away from their rounds and approached the Cobra from the flanks. Bremer launched another grenade, damaging one of the mechs and causing some rubble from a nearby building to rain down on the other two. A fourth mech along with a fresh new swarm of skitters was coming from the southeast onto an intersection behind them. They were now too close to their trap to open fire again without prematurely setting off the fireworks they had planned. This situation was made even worse when a fifth mech stood obstructing their route north past the stadium grounds and opened fire. A few grazing rounds shattered the windshield and blew out the left speaker. Sobieski shielded her eyes and swerved sharply to the right. "You ok Lyndsey?" asked Bremer. "Fine sir!" she replied. "Then floor it, but save the nitrous!" Bremer told her. She slammed her foot down on the gas and quickly pulled back to the left to avoid the next barrage of mech fire from up ahead that instead impacted on the building walls on the right side of the street. Two of the mechs to their rear also opened fire briefly but stopped short of hitting the mech in front of Bremer and Sobieski's vehicle. A Korean rap song came on as Bremer took a flare gun in each hand and pointed them towards a pile of bodies lumped together with homemade explosives in 55 gallon drums and large sacks. He fired the flares moments after they sped past the flares' intended targets. One of the pursuing mechs fired an explosive energy bolt towards the Cobra just before the flares ignited the bodies and detonated the drums causing a chain reaction of explosions from within the nearby structures that consumed the mechs and skitter hordes behind them. Lyndsey quickly swerved to avoid the rocket which caused another series of explosions to prematurely go off that knocked over the mech in front of them with large fragments of burning steel, wood and concrete that were hurled outward from the blast. She managed to race through the narrow path between the rubble and the flames to get through the main intersection at the stadium grounds. They scraped up against a parked car in the process that completely tore off the passenger's side door. As new hordes of skitters accompanied by a handful of mechs closed in from the east and the west a cascade of explosions was triggered from the first detonation and rapidly spread through the city setting everything ablaze. The biker teams passing by the airport and western perimeter saw the fires billowing up into the night sky and ignited their parts of the city as well. A desperate skitter on the western perimeter managed to tackle and dismount one of the bikers however before both he and the skitter were consumed in fire. The Cobra raced towards the north edge of town as the flames fanned out behind him. Lyndsey was giving it all she had without reaching for the nitrous as the heat from the all-consuming fire grew ever closer, devouring skitters, mechs and the slain of Seongnam as it spread. To the north the dim blue lights of a single beamer appeared on an intercept course. "Look alive Lyndsey, zoomies incoming!" Bremer shouted. As the beamer dove down in preparation for a bombing run Tae-yang and Ryong-ho fired their stinger missiles. All would have gone perfectly to plan if the beamer had not suddenly stopped on a dime in midair, thus allowing the missiles to pass harmlessly in front of it. "Sons of bitches are learning! They've adapted their strategy!" snarled Bremer. "Now's the time for that nitrous Lyndsey!" Bremer shouted. Bremer reached down and opened the nitrous valve fully. The car took off, shaking violently as the beamer fired a pulsing warhead at a point well behind where Bremer and Sobieski were. The right speaker became loose and fell out of the vehicle onto the road where it broke apart in bits. Ahead of them he saw the tiny image of the old truck with Ryong-ho and Tae-yong speeding off in the distance to the north. Smart move, glad they didn't wait up for us he thought. Bremer took out his remaining two flare guns and fired them into piles of corpses ahead of them causing a pillar of fire to shoot up into the sky directly below the beamer before the flames radiated outward to the east and the west. The fireball torched the underside of the low hovering beamer, destabilizing it slightly as Bremer and Lyndsey drove underneath it moments before the entire area burst into flames. The beamer's warhead struck south of the stadium grounds and detonated in a violent flash, intensifying the flames consuming the city by an order of magnitude or more. The biker cruising along the narrow roads on the eastern edge of the city was enveloped and consumed by the flames he was unable to outrun. The shockwave from the expanding explosion reached the edge of the city and knocked the beamer that caused it out of the sky. The Cobra shook mercilessly and the remaining speaker and subwoofer blew out as the shockwave dissipated behind them. They had made it out alive after all.
The Cobra sputtered and ground to a halt as it reached the base of a hill where all teams were to rendezvous after the mission. Sobieski and Bremer got out and looked over their once magnificent car. It was scorched and covered with soot, the tires were smoking and worn bald, the tail pipe was dragging on the ground, it was missing a door and the windshield and steam was rising out from under the hood. "She's in some sad shape but she got us out." Bremer commented. He and Lyndsey then gathered up their things and walked up the road to the top of the hill where Tae-yang and Ryong-ho were already waiting for them. "Glad to see you made it." Tae-yang greeted them as they reached the summit. "The bastards are wising up to us, and picked a damn good time to do it too." Bremer complained. "..But we still got the best of them!" Bremer exclaimed and high fived Tae-yang into a stylized handshake. Ryong-ho reached into the truck and tossed a bottle of Korean Gatorade to each of them. "I would offer you a victory beer if we had any, so take this instead." Ryong-ho said. "Victory still tastes just as sweet." Bremer said after finishing the first long gulp that consumed half the bottle. Bremer leaned up against the hood of the truck next to Ryong-ho while Lyndsey sat on the grass in front of them and Tae-yang leaned on the driver's side door. Together they watched close to half of Seongnam burn while they waited for the three surviving bikers to arrive. "If only we didn't raze such a large chunk of Seongnam to the ground." lamented Ryong-ho as he watched his hometown reduced to ashes. The four of them sipped their Gatorade and went "mmmmhhh." in concurrence. Seongnam burned throughout the night to pay the toll to honor their fallen brothers with the first real victory of the war. "Change to pay the ferryman, that's all this is. Change for the ferryman, no one crosses over for free." Bremer commented.