Bullets sang in the distance, as if they were in a orchestra.

An orchestra of red that is.

Blood stained the volcanic ash purple.

"It'll be alright, take it easy, the more you move, the worse it'll hurt.".

Kay grimaced as bandages were tightly wrapped around her shin.

"Lucky, it was just a flesh wound, it did mess up your bone a little though, nothing major.".

Kay hacked and coughed.

Kay looked away from her leg. She remembered where she was.

Iwo Jima.

A tiny island that was nothing but a graveyard.

Regaining her composure, she grabbed her model 1912 trench gun and pumped the slide, then she poured the sand out of her helmet with a frogskin camouflage covering and put it on.

She looked around to her Comrades.

Most were male, but not all.

Naomi, Alisa and Yukari were busy firing away, despite her wounds, Kay moved up ahead.

The three had hastily dug a foxhole, for they were being shot at by a pillbox and a trench line of Japanese soldiers.

"GLAD TO SEE YOU'RE ALL RIGHT!". Alisa yelled over the gunfire and explosions.

"HOW WE DOIN?". Kay replied.

"WE CAN'T CLEAR THE NIPS OUT QUITE YET, WE'RE EXPECTING A FLAMETHROWER UNIT.". Alisa explained.

KRUMP

KRUMP

KRUMP

Massive 600mm Spigot mortars hounded their position.

"TRY TO HUNKER DOWN, WE DON'T NEED TO BE KILLED!". Kay directed.

More shells and mortars dropped around them.

Gunshots cracked like wood peckers in the distance.

"GET DOWN!".

An Earth splitting thump shook Kay and her crew, beside them, lay a pool of red and body parts.

Kay's ears rang from the deafening sounds of battle.

The Japanese pill box spat more fire.

The sound of clinking equipment and sliding sands were heard from the rear.

"PVT. RED MA'AM HERE WITH THE FLAMETHROWER.". Helmet Chan shouted.

"MOVE UP AND BURN THEM!".

"YES MA'AM.".

Helmet Chan crawled up through a blind spot from the pillbox, a jet of fire engulfed the inside.

The occupants screamed as they were cooked alive.

"ATTACK! ATTACK!".

The Marines pushed up and crested the hill, firing at everything that moved.

Artillery threw up dust clouds.

They pushed far, first past a small set of railway tracks meant to ferry ammunition to artillery, and then an anti air position, past aircraft debris.

"Keep moving! We're good as dead if we don't!". Kay continued ranting.

And then, a sound Kay would never forget, she recognized immediately.

"TENNO HEIKA! BANZAAAIIIIIIIII".

"MOVE!". A voice yelled from behind.

Helmet Chan engulfed the charge in flames as the enemy sprang from hidden tunnels.

Sharp knocking hammered at the door.

"Kay, the commander wants to see you!".

"Coming.. Coming…". Kay muttered.

Kay awoke, thankful she was now on Okinawa.

She donned her fatigues and walked out.

"Good morning Kay, we have alarmingly new developments.". Tommy spoke.

"High command has given the go ahead for a ground invasion of Japan.". He glumly spoke.

"High command doesn't wanna say this, but we've discovered that an alarmingly high amount of Russian spies have infiltrated project Manhattan. As result, President Truman has ordered to halt the project and begin a purge." Tommy explained.

Kay had known about project Manhattan through Tommy.

Tommy had served in Europe during the Normandy invasions and the eventual drive towards Germany.

He was known as the Hero of the West after single handedly capturing a town in the Netherlands during the middle of the night.

Tommy had done so by sneaking in as the German garrison was asleep. He forced them to surrender.

As a result, he was invited to witness the New Mexico test and was temporarily transferred to monitor the project and then, finally, transferred to the Pacific at his request.

"The boys on the number charts predict high casualties for us, and the Japanese."

"As part of the Saunders division, you will take part in operation Olympic, gather your team, I and several others will give out the briefing, you are dismissed.".

Kay walked out.

The Saunders division was unique in the fact it was an all female division within the Marines, originating during the battles of Guadalcanal where overrun U.S soldiers armed nurses to assist with battle.

Kay had joined up a month after Guadalcanal and seen action on the Marianas and eventually Iwo Jima, where after she was temporarily confined to hospital after multiple injuries.

The U.S was winning, but the Japanese refused to surrender. With project Manhattan on halt, there was only one Option left.

A ground invasion.