"Latest intel has the largest cluster of hostiles moving towards the old city." Captain Mitchell was saying as the Osprey shifted to maneuver around the large buildings. "But there are still smaller groups detached from the main force that are apparently spreading out and clubbing any civilians they can find."

"Shit, that's going to be messy with a population as big as Tokyo's." Sergeant Smith, head of Archer One Three, commented over the radio from a different chopper. Joker wasn't an expert on the subject, but he knew that the metropolitan area and the surrounding districts held over ten million people. With how densely packed everything was here, the body count from this wasn't going to be pretty.

"JSDF is moving to head off their main advance, but they want us to set up blocking positions northwest of the government district to contain the situation as best we can." Mitchell checked the GPS locator attached to his wrist. "Don't need to tell you all that we're operating in with a heavily restricted ROE, no airstrikes or strafing runs. Watch your fire and refrain from using explosives as much as possible."

"Any more info on what we're up against?" Joker asked, checking over his M4 one last time. He would have been more comfortable using a long gun, but he'd been forced to leave his behind in Korea after they'd left. A battle rifle was better suited to the current mission environment anyway.

"Still trying to nail down specifics." Something in the Captain's answer put Joker immediately on guard. "Contact reports from Police and chopper units suggest the enemy is using…outdated equipment."

"Define 'outdated'." Reaper said. "Cold War tech?"

"Try medieval. They apparently aren't using firearms of any kind."

Silence greeted that statement, as everyone tried to process what they'd just heard.

"Like…swords and shields?" Another Marine finally asked.

"Along with horse calvary, some sort of flying reptiles, and large biological humanoids akin to Ogres."

"All due respect sir, but this is a really bad moment to start picking up Joker's habit of spouting bullshit." Reaper said, the dubiousness in his voice matched by the expressions of those around them.

"Do you see me laughing, Corporal?" Mitchell answered, his serious tone not quite masking his own uncertainty. "Like I said, no one's sure what the hell is going on down there. Be ready for anything. Oohrah?"

"Oohrah!"

This had to be some kind of complex exercise, or a prank that had just gotten way out of hand. What other explanation could there be for that kind of OPFOR description?

"Thirty seconds." The pilot said.

All the logical explanations faded away as the rear door opened, and the waling of emergency service sirens could be heard punctuating the sounds of distant screaming and gunfire. Further away, Joker spotted an F-15 flying low over the city, firing off a missile at something small and fast before turning it into a fireball. This was real, no matter who or what was attacking.

Fine. If Medieval Times wants to throw down, I'm game to party. He though, choosing to set aside the million questions and focus himself on the coming fight. Others around him were having as much success. Many of them had been to Afghanistan with Joker on his last deployment, but plenty others were green boots who'd never seen combat before. It was easy to tell just from their faces who was green and who'd been bloodied.

"Ten seconds!"

Well, maybe it was time to at least act the part of a competent NCO.

"Time to earn all those free drinks at the bar, marines." Joker called out. "Give your wives something to brag about to their boyfriends."

That brought out a couple of snickers and a few rude gestures, but the edge seemed to be at least slightly relieved. The chopper lurched as it slowed down, dropping lower and lower until it was at ground level.

"Green light! Let's move!" Mitchell ordered, freeing himself from his restraints and being first off the chopper. Joker was right behind his CO, stepping down onto the black asphalt and taking a covering position that gave a wide field of fire. They had landed in the heart of Tokyo, large buildings lining the street to either side dotted occasionally with smaller structures that looked like convenience stores or some other businesses. It was largely clear of vehicle traffic, though some cars were still parked on the sidewalks as panicked civilians fled away from the direction of the danger. "Showtime, this is Archer One Actual. We've arrived at LZ and are setting up defensive positions now. Be advised, we have a large number of civies coming from the direction of the Government district."

"Showtime copies all, Archer." The voice of Command was nearly drowned out by the sound of the Osprey lifting off behind them. "We're working with Tokyo PD to gain access to surveillance cameras watching potential movements of hostiles, but they've got their hands full at the moment."

"Understood, keep us in the loop. Archer out."

The marines posted up along the street behind whatever cover they could find, most setting up around cars or walls, while the rest choose opted to just go prone. No one spoke, the air filled with the sounds of distant battle. Or not so distant, Joker's ears picking up on some screaming that was coming closer.

"Eyes up boys and girls." Reaper said from beside him. "Someone's bringing a party our direction."

Everyone tensed up, fingers on their triggers as they waited expectantly. Emerging from around a corner came a group of three people, a man carrying a small child and a woman right behind them. They were yelling something Joker couldn't understand while sprinting in a panic towards their blocking position. His translation came just a second later as another group of figures emerged. Four of them, humanoid monsters that walked on two legs like humans but looked like monsters from hell with strange deformities that ranged from one having blue skin and another that looked like a demented farm animal. All were armed with blades that glimmered from fresh blood. No doubt about it, these were invaders from another world. And they were chasing after the family like a pack of rabid dogs. The civilians wouldn't be able to reach the marines before their assailants were on them, which left only one choice.

"Drop them, but don't hit the civs!" Mitchell ordered, reaching the same conclusion Joker had.

The two squads opened fire, none coming close to the family that screamed even louder once the shots rang out and began to devastate the attackers. Blood spurted from the gaping wounds in three of the attackers, and then stumbled back dead before they even hit the ground. The fourth one dove forward and seemed to somehow roll itself into a ball as it charged forward once more. It sprang back up a moment later, jumping high into the air and brought it's dagger up to impale through the man carrying his child. Letting motor reflex guide his aim, Joker directed his barrel toward just below the creature was and snapped off two shots. As he'd planned, it's downward fall took it right into the path of the Sniper's bullets, one striking in its chest and another at the crown off its head. It gave a squealing noise as it fell back to the ground, some of its blood getting on the man's clothing. But the family wasn't hurt.

Realizing their tormentors had been dispatched, the three of them stopped in front of the marines and looked like they were about to thank them, but Captain Mitchell waved them on.

"Keep going! It's not safe here!" He yelled. The family seemed to take the hint and continued running past them.

"Excuse me, but what the FUCK?!" Someone yelled out. "Those things ain't human!"

"Definitely don't look like they're from around here." Mitchell agreed. "Reaper, Jackson, check out that one at the front. But keep your distance in case it ain't dead."

"Rah." The spotter stepped out of cover along with another marine, moving carefully down the street and keeping their weapons at the ready in case anything popped up. Once they were about ten feet away, Reaper risked a glance at the thing Joker had shot. "Thing's definitely dead boss. Brain's splattered on the road."

"What is it?"

"Fucked if I know, it looks like a damn pig." He risked a step closer. "Got a snout, ears, and everything."

"A pig?" Joker echoed. He'd spotted the similarities too but had figured it was a trick of the eye from the blur of motion that little bastard had been. "A pig with knives?! Just who the fuck are we fighting against?!"

~oOo~

"Predator One, check ground level at your three. Seeing some possible movement in the alleyway."

Talisman tore her gaze away from the road beneath her and the vehicles of 1st Division's vanguard traveling along it. They were far enough away from the city center at the moment that they didn't have to worry about ambushes at every turn, but she didn't believe in taking any chances. So far, they'd seen a lot more fleeing civilians then enemy forces, but she knew that wouldn't last long. They were heading into the heart of what was now essentially the occupied parts of Tokyo, and the heavy urban environment was making providing top cover for the counterattack difficult.

"Copy, I'll take a look." She answered, shifting the Apache in the indicated direction. There was a lot of buildings that area, and the alleyway in question hadn't been specified. But she decided to bring the helicopter around in an arc at low altitude to cover all the possibilities. It was a short search, as she spotted a horse suddenly rear up into the air from the third alleyway they were investigating.

"Positive contact," Razor reported. "Two cavalrymen, likely scouts."

Their cover blown, the pair darted out into the street and rode wind as fast as their mounts would carry them. In their wake, Talisman could see a body lying in the alley. It looked like a young man in a light blue jacket stained red with blood. He was face down, unmoving. A pang of sorrow and rage shot through her, as she pulled back and took aim with the main gun.

"Let's make sure they don't report back."

The two were riding fast, but in a straight line, easy to make out with their flowing burgundy capes behind them. Clearly, they were hoping to just outrun the danger rather than dodge whatever was sent their way. It was a tactic that might have worked on an Apache Warrior, but not so much an Apache helicopter.

"Guns guns guns." Talisman gave a quick squeeze of the trigger, firing in a horizontal line across the path of the fleeing scouts. The explosive ammo cut both horses and riders in half before detonating and reducing it all into unrecognizable pieces.

"Little overkill." Razor commented. "But it does the trick."

"They brought this on themselves." Talisman answered, feeling no pity at all for the murderers. She maneuvered the control stick to bring the chopper so that they would rejoin the others. "Predator Two, enemy scouts have been dealt with. We miss anything important?"

"Not really, been pretty quiet." The other pilot answered. "But that might change soon."

"How so?"

"According to the route were supposed to be following, we'll be coming up on a small bridge here soon. If these guys have even half a brain, they'll probably have some kind of defensive position set up there to try and block out path. Recommend we check it out ahead of the ground pounders."

They arrived back at the convoy, seeing the long stretch of vehicles down the road as they maneuvered around anything that could have blocked their path. Talisman did some quick mental calculations of speed and abilities of the current troops and the geography.

The vanguard element of the 1st Division was made up of light vehicles and troop transports, prioritizing speed over firepower for the time being. Tanks and other armored fighting vehicles would be on their way, but until they arrived, they would have to make due with small arms and whatever else the light transports could carry. The problem was that the army hadn't been in a good position to answer the threat in the best way, having been forced to take the long route into the city to avoid both civilian traffic jams and road construction to try and get to the fight. According to the most recent reports, thousands of civilians that were still trapped inside the city were taking refuge inside the old Imperial Palace to try to find some safety from the so far unchallenged enemy. The local cops were doing their best to keep up a running fight to slow them down, but there were just too many of them to have any hopes of really stopping without some serious help. It was a race between the attackers and the JSDF to see who would reach the palace first.

"Copy, wait one." Talisman said, switching the radio frequency over. "Predator Actual to Grizzly Actual."

"Grizzly Actual, send it."

"Interrogative, are you going to be transiting over a bridge soon?"

"Uh...affirmative. In about five klicks."

"Copy. We're going to temporarily detach to investigate the bridge and ensure safe crossing. You'll be without air cover until then."

"We'll find a way to manage. Happy hunting Predator, Grizzly out."

"Thanks." She switched back to her flight frequency. "We're green to go. Lead the way Two."

"Got it." The other Apache began to yaw to the side, pulling away from the convoy as they flew ahead. It was a short journey from the air, and it took even less time to find what they were looking for.

"Looks like about fifty or so foot mobiles on the opposite side of the bridge." Razor said. "They're not moving though…. if this is an ambush, it's a pretty pathetic one."

Talisman nodded, giving her own appraisal of the group. They had massed on the far end of the bridge from the convoy, packing themselves close together to block any entry past them. Like the cavalrymen, these soldiers appeared to be human, wearing grey colored armor with purple sashes and armed with large square shields and long spears.

"They're making a shield wall." Talisman concluded. "Figuring no infantry force will be able to flank them from their position, all they have to do is prevent anyone from getting through the bridge. Not a bad tactic given what they're working with."

"Unfortunately for them, we've kind of advanced past the Samurai Era." Two said. "Honestly, we could probably just let the convoy run over these idiots."

"As funny as that'd be, it could be a delay we can't afford." She checked the watch in her cockpit. "Give them a single shot with the gun, but don't fully engage until they break and run. We really don't want to damage that bridge."

"Understood." The other Apache pulled to a position in front of the soldiers, prompting several to look up at it in fear. Those feelings proved to be well grounded when it fired off three rounds that struck the center of the formation. The rounds exploded upon hitting the shields, showering the group with both lead shrapnel and molten metal as the group began to break and flee. Talisman chased down the survivors and dispatched them bloodlessly, their task complete. She prepared to turn back around towards the direction of the convoy, when her radio came squawking to life.

"To anyone on this frequency, this is JSDF Lieutenant Yōji Itami. Enemy forces have reached the old Imperial Palace and are trying to break in! We need immediate assistance; we have a huge number of civilians here!"

Talisman paused, wondering if she'd heard correctly. Itami was a bit of legend among JSDF Officers stationed around Tokyo, a self-professed Otaku who claimed that the only reason he even took a job in the military was so he could pay for his hobbies. He was a notorious slacker, having barely passed through officer's training on a technicality and held onto his rank only by the fact that he did just enough work to keep himself from being discharged. Most other officers Talisman knew despised him, while others secretly admired his talents at avoiding both work and trouble. She definitely wouldn't have expected to find him in the middle of all this madness.

"Itami, it's Talisman." She answered. "What's your situation?"

"I just told you!" He answered, sounding irritated. "The enemy force is pressing against our east and southern flanks. There's a lot of cops here, and we're keeping them away from the gates as best we can. Once more show up they'll be other to overwhelm us with numbers and siege equipment."

"Copy just hang on, we're on the way. Out." Talisman switched frequencies. "Control, this is Predator Actual. The Imperial Palace is under serious threat, permission to head there and assist until Grizzly arrives."

"Solid Copy Predator Actual, go get them. We'll relay the news to Grizzly."

"Tell them to hurry." She went back to a flight frequency. "On me Two."

"Got it One."

Talisman pushed the throttle down to increase their speed, the rotors making more noise as she pushed forward. They weren't all that far away from the palace by this point, and Talisman could already make out the walls of the famous historical sight after just a few minutes of flying.

"We're here, Itami."

"Great, mind helping deal with those assholes trying to push their way over to the front?"

Bringing the helicopter around the top of the old palace, Talisman could see the mass of civilians inside. There had to be thousands of them, all cowering and fear and praying for anyone to come save them. Outside, a sea of enemies swarmed like locusts, waiting for the right moment to feast. There were several trebuchets with them, clearly preparing to make a final assault on a palace that hadn't seen warfare in centuries.

"If they break through, it'll be a massacre…" Razor said, his voice hoarse.

"They won't. We brought the better dragons to this fight." Talisman did a quick check over her fuel and ammo. They didn't have a whole lot of either left, but they'd have to make it work. "Two, I'm coming around towards the Front Gardens, come across my north near the east gardens and engage the siege engines first."

"I thought the Lieutenant said some of them were already at the gates?"

"We'll have to leave them to the cops for now, if those trebuchets manage to knock down a wall, they won't have the numbers or ammo to repel an attack through the breach."

"Copy."

Some of the small dragons began to fly up towards them now, and Talisman quickly chewed them up before hitting a switch on her weapon console and lining up a new target on her display.

"Predator One, rockets away!" She called, watching the explosives fly straight towards one of the trebuchets and reduce it to a pile of matchsticks in a fantastic burst. All the soldiers around it ran away from the impact zone, some futilely trying to fire arrows at her Apache.

"Predator Two, rockets away!" To her left, Talisman saw repeat of the same as the two attack helicopters circled overhead and made way for another pass, continuing the process until all the siege engines had been destroyed.

Once that was accomplished, she started focusing on large groups of enemies that were still clumped together, hitting them with rockets while Razor took control of the main gun and kept any of those groups from attempting another charge at the gates. What stragglers did make it through were picked off by the police, who were now firing tear gas into the enemy lines to keep up the pressure.

But even with all that, the enemy army didn't break, and Talisman felt a grudging sense of being impressed by their discipline. Whoever they were, they seemed to be well trained and probably well led. But that didn't help the JSDF much at the moment, especially when she saw her ammo counter getting lower and lower. She fired off the last of the rockets, a few seconds later hearing the loud clunk that signified the main gun running dry on rounds.

"I'm out!" Predator Two reported. "Winchester!"

"Now what do we do?" Razor asked.

Talisman ground her teeth in frustration. They'd spent everything they'd had, but the enemy still hadn't broken. If the enemy rallied now, they might just be able to try another charge to break through the gates before the First Division Vanguard arrived. They had to buy just a little more time, somehow. As she wracked her brain, Talisman saw some of the large ogre-like creatures they'd encountered earlier take position near the front of the enemy formation. Likely they were a form of shock troops, giant oafs that could be used for brute force more than brainpower.

Then the idea hit her.

"Two, I'm going to try something." She said. "Follow my lead."

She brought her Apache near right about the front of the enemy group preparing to make the charge. Dropping her altitude lower, she flicked one of her emergency switches.

"Predator One, flares away!"

Over a dozen of the red-colored countermeasures flew free from their slots on the helicopter's chassis, spilling out to both sided and dropping to the ground in front of the attackers. Just as she hoped, the ogres stepped back in fear of these burning orbs, several tripping over and falling on the human soldiers behind them. Predator Two had caught on, making a similar run over his group with nearly exactly the same effects.

That was it, that had been Talisman's last gamble. She kept the chopper passing in front of the gate in what she hoped would be seen as a menacing pattern, like an injured wolf daring anyone to come closer. The bluff seemed to be paying off, as the enemy troops were still wary of going in the direction of the Apaches. Each second that ticked by felt like an agonizing eternity, a silent pleading in her heart that that just keep buying the threat.

Finally though, the ogres seemed to have regained their courage. They raised massive hammers and axes into the air and gave a mighty bellow that Talisman could hear even from up in the air. They threw themselves forward, their huge feet bounding them forward towards the gates to the Imperial Palace.

Then tracer rounds began to fly across their paths, cutting down the mighty beasts in a hail of hot lead.

"Palace, this is Grizzly Actual. The calvary has arrived."

Bringing the chopper around to get a better look, Talisman saw the vehicles of the First Division finally making their way down the Three Oh One road from the north, their mounted weapons firing away at the enemy while JSDF troops disembarked and joined in on the battle with their small arms. Almost at once, the enemy's right flank began to collapse from this sudden and violent attack. What looked like officers tried to rally their army at the center and counterattack against this new threat, but they were all cut down by the withering barrage as more and more units joined the fray.

Below, the gates to the palace swung open, and a mass line of police in riot control gear rushed out to join the fighting. A man wearing an orange shirt standing behind their line and seeming to give directions, probably Itami if Talisman guessed correctly. Under this two-pronged assault and having already suffered heavy losses from the helicopters above, the attackers finally broke and began to flee. A mass of blood and bodies choked the street and the river below, but the civilians inside the Palace were finally safe.

"You weren't a moment too soon, Grizzly." Talisman said, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Nice shooting."

"It was a team effort Predator." The ground force commander came back. "Thanks for the assistance, we've got it from here."

"Copy that. Control, Predator Group is RTB for rearm and refuel." Feeling the adrenaline slowly drain away, Talisman gave one last look at the retreating enemies before setting their new course.

The main enemy concentration had been broken, now it was time to deliver a real pounding to these invaders.