"Blitzkrieg" Chap 9.

(1st person)

The chatter of a helicopter's blades shook me from my stupor. Struggling to my feet, I saw a Chinese Helix appear. A corporal rose from cover to wave for it to land. Rather than land, the Helix opened fire, the cannon shells ripping the unfortunate corporal to pieces. I froze as the Helix fired two "Hellfire" missiles into our men. "They must have control of the Helix up top!" I thought, referring to the Helix that had brought us here. While I was in shock, Xung, ever the professional soldier, took over. "Fire!" He roared. "Don't let them see your positions!" The men opened up with all they had. The AK muzzle flashes gave the enemy a good look at where the men where, however. I snapped out of my daze. I started to move. I ran from cover to cover, encouraging the men, firing at the chopper. The bullets seemed to have no effect whatsoever. It turned and launched a "Hellfire" missile at a supply truck that some of the men were hiding behind. It exploded in a ball of flame. Bodies and bits of bodies were flung through the air. The crack of AK's resounded around the yard. I fired off a long burst at the rear of the Helix. Black smoke streamed from it. It turned on me. I turned and ran. The cannon shells ripped the ground to pieces behind me. I dashed from cover to cover with the Helix behind me. I stumbled on a piece of rubble. The Helix stopped and faced me. I closed my amber eyes, coughing from the dust. It prepared to fire. I thought of my home in the mountains near Tibet, my parents. 15! What an age to die…and a thunderous explosion rocked the yard and a searing heat rolled over me. I opened my eyes. The Helix was spinning out of control towards the admin building, it's back end blown off. I looked up, bewildered. Two SU-27's flew overhead, pulled up and around, and hit their afterburners. The Helix smashed into the front of the admin building, obliterating the entire front of it. It started to collapse…then stopped. I sighed in relief. Then the Helix's petrol tank exploded, bringing the entire building down. I scrambled out of the way as it thundered to the ground, covering half of the yard. I climbed back over the rubble to Xung and the rest. "You know," I said, brushing my black bangs out of my eyes (My red ying-yang bandanna had ripped a little in battle) "There are times were I think that the airforce leave it that late on purpose."

Two lacklustre Vietnamese guards guarded the command room. We blasted our way past them and into the command room itself. A large plasma screen displayed footage of the Chinese forces advancing down the Vietnamese peninsula. They had reached the outskirts of Hanoi already! In the alcove beneath it, the "Pit", the Viet infiltrators fired up at us. "Spread out!" I yelled. The men spread out, firing at the enemy as they did so. I fired a burst off from my stolen AKM, sending a Viet slumping backwards, blood spraying from his head as he died. The enemy leader shouted over the intercom. "Stop firing or your commander dies!" I released the trigger of my weapon and motioned for the other marines to do the same. The infiltrators came up and disarmed us, wrenching my captured AKM from me and marching us down to the Pit. The enemy sergeant took his AKM away from the commanders' head. We were forced to our knees with our hands behind our heads. The commander stood, brushing the dust from his uniform. The Vietnamese N.C.O handed the commander's pistol back to him. "Thank you, sergeant. Now, can we get to business?" I was shocked. "What the Hell is this, sir?" I hoped that this was some sort of bad joke. The commander turned to me. "You fool!" He sneered. "Do you really think that I was going to stay working for the Chinese Army when the New Soviets can give me much more…?" "You traitorous scum!" I snarled at him. He smiled and slapped me across the face. "The New Soviets will soon take power. The Soviet himself manipulates governments like they were his puppets. Do you really think that this invasion of Vietnam is for some islands? It is simply a div…" The commander's words died as a soldier behind him jerked back, dead. I spun around. Captain Hing had arrived. He and his men fanned out across the upper catwalks, spitting bullets down upon the enemy.

I took advantage of this confusion, launching myself at Li and ramming into his stomach. He doubled over before knocking me down with a punch. He turned and ran. I sprang to my feet and followed. My men were quick to react, striking the infiltrators as they fought against Hing's men. I tripped the commander and he kicked me off him. I rolled over towards a table, grasping for an AK-74. Li was off again. I followed, firing off a few shots from my AK, the 7.62mm bullets ripping through Vietnamese flesh and bones. Li sprinted along the Viet "battle line", a line of desks pulled together. I followed, killing two more Viets as they ducked from the Chinese fire. I caught up with the traitorous commander as he reached the first row of screens. I raised my rifle and fired. Li dived out of the way and the bullets found the Vietnamese sergeant instead. Nguyen slammed back into the screens, sliding down, leaving a trail of blood on them. I grabbed Li's head and smashed it through the screen. He turned and kicked me in the midsection. I smashed an uppercut into his chin, jerking his head back. Bringing up my AK-74, I shot the traitor in the chest at point-blank range. He stumbled backwards, raising his pistol. I fired again, knocking him over the edge of the Pit and down to the huge computer maintenance levels, dead. It was over. We had defeated the infiltrators and our traitorous commander. I waved to the Captain and his men. I wanted to discover the truth about what Li had said, about the "New Soviets". It sounded familiar. The manipulation of entire countries, for example. It sounded a lot like BIOVOLT…

Japanese Airspace. 1343 hrs.

Tyson Granger banked his MiG-29 over the Japanese city of Kyoto, reading his green HUD (Heads-Up-Display.) "All right fellas, our patrol's over, let's go home." Tyson aligned his MiG's nose with his home base of Wakkananai in the north of Hokkaido Island. The other two MiG's slid into formation with him and opened their throttles to 100.

Tyson had been conscripted into the Japanese Airforce at 15, after the destruction of the city of Naha in the southern seas of Japan by the NKPN (North Korean People's Navy). Tension between Japan and North Korea had mounted steadily, and Japan started replacing its ageing F-15's with Russian MiG-29's.

Tyson and his wingmates swept over Aomori in the north. "Dagger 1, sir." Came one of the MiG's pilot's voices over the radio. "Go ahead, Dagger 2." Replied Tyson, his voice muffled by his oxygen mask. "There's a contact on the radar screen, to the west." Sure enough, there was. Tyson turned westward. "It can't hurt to check it out." He said.

Sea of Japan, 1348 hrs.

Tyson and his flight rocketed across the sea towards the mysterious "contact". Dagger 3 radioed his leader. "Dagger 1. Do we make a standard pass?" In answer Tyson lowered his speed, passing over the contact's bow. It was a NK (North Korean) battleship. Tyson radioed it. "Unidentified North Korean battleship, you are in Japanese territorial waters. Turn and leave." The warship continued with no sign of turning. Dagger 2 repeated the warning. No response. Tyson banked again, arming his 30-mm cannon this time. "Turn around. This is your last warning." Tyson flew overhead. The warship belched flame. "Missile launched!" yelled Dagger 2. Tyson rolled his MiG and pressed the firing button. His 30-mm cannon flashed, sparking hits along the vessel. Dagger 3's tail was blown open. "Eject!" screamed Tyson. "Aarrgh--!" The pilot's scream was cut off as the MiG-29 smashed into the clear blue sea. "Sink me this bastard!" Yelled Dagger 1, Tyson. The warship launched another missile. "Break!" Shouted Dagger 2. The pair of MiGs split, and the missile soared in between them. Tyson fired an as (anti-ship) missile. It sped over low over the waves, seeking its target. The warship's stern erupted as the ammo caught fire. Dagger 2 launched another missile. The NK ship listed, its hull holed by the Japanese missiles. Tyson and his wingmate swooped around for the kill. "Finish it off!" Ordered Tyson. Dagger 2 flicked his missile armament switch. The missile lock-on square zoomed in on the bridge. Dagger 2 pressed the "Fire" switch, and the missile shot off the rack. The projectile slammed into the Korean warship, sending the bridge up in flames.

North Korean invasion fleet flagship (Cho-Zho), Sea of Japan. 1350 hrs.

The North Korean admiral saw the explosion of his scout ship from the bridge of his flagship, the Cho-Zho. "Where is our fighter cover?" Asked the admiral. One of his bridge officers answered. "They should be here soon, sir." "Good." Said the admiral. "Launch missiles!" Called a sensor officer.

Sea of Japan. 1355 hrs.

Tyson saw the fleet on his radar seconds before Dagger 2 died. His MiG-29 was blown from under him. Tyson decided that discretion was better than valour, and hit his afterburners to escape the fleet and to call for reinforcements.

Pyongyang, North Korea. 1359 hrs.

The presidential palace in North Korea's capital was magnificent despite the poverty that was gripping the country. In the president's office, the "Divine Leader", Kim Yong-Il, sat at a magnificent mahogany desk from Sweden. He was a powerful man, used to controlling an entire country, but the man in front of him scared him. The AK-47 armed guards couldn't save him from this man…or from his boss. Kim Yong-Il spoke in a tone of forced joviality. "So, Boris," He said, "What can I do for you?" Boris looked up. His eyes burned with commitment. "I have a message from The Soviet. Continue your attack. You will not be bothered be the Chinese. They are preoccupied with their attack on Vietnam. An attack we initiated. You will be unhindered. Take control of Tokyo. Destroy Japan's industry. It will destabilise the world's markets. Then you will be rewarded." Boris rose, turned, and left. On his way out he took out a small radio. "SF team 1. Initiate assassination 1." He disappeared down the corridor. In the office, Kim Yong-Il stood, with a heavy heart. "Continue the attack."

Wakkananai airbase. 1404 hrs.

Tyson Granger, Dagger 1, was panicked. He screamed over the Japanese coast, patching in the frequency for his base. "Wakkananai control, this is Dagger 1. A huge NK fleet is heading towards our coast. We have to push them back!" Tyson circled behind the control tower, becoming more urgent. "Come ON!" The control tower acknowledged the attack conformation amazedly. "Japanese infantry and limited armour are heading towards the estimated landing zone. You are to land, refuel, and return to the area and help push the Korean dogs back!" Tyson landed his MiG and slid down the ladder connecting it with the ground. "Hurry!" He gasped at the engineers, apprehensive for the fate of his country.

North Korean Fleet, Sea of Japan. 1409 hrs.

The mighty North Korean fleet churned through the waves towards Japan. Onboard the Cho-Zho, the admiral, Luk Son-Li, stood. "Open fire." He said. The NK guns spoke, hurling shells towards the Japanese beachheads a few miles away.

Japanese beachhead 1, Hokkaido. 1410 hrs.

The Japanese infantry and armour had reached the beach, and were as ready as they could be. The first shells landed amongst them, killing many. The fleet was coming. "Fire!" screamed the Japanese commander. Tracer bullets flicked across the water, forcing the men in the ships down. The battleships responded in kind. The first NK landing ship beached under heavy Japanese fire, and disgorged its' soldiers. Waves of NK infantry raced out and up the beach. The clatter of battle was everywhere: the crack of AK-47 rifles from the NK infantry, the chatter of Japanese M16 fire, the thud-thud-thud of Japanese heavy machinegun fire, the crump of falling shells. It was chaos, but organised chaos. A wave of NK T-85 MBT's thundered up the beach. The infantry and Japanese armour made no difference to the hulking metal beasts, which crushed everything in their path. All seemed lost until a flight of MiG-29's flew overhead and razed the beach with ats missiles. The armour was annihilated. But more came. They destroyed the armour on the ridge as more NK infantry came from the boats. Tyson hurled his MiG round and peppered the NK infantry with cannon shells. The Koreans were slaughtered out in the open, their bodies ripped apart by Tyson's accuracy. "Incoming!" Yelled a wingman. Two squadrons of NK MiG-21 and MiG-23's were screaming their way.

Many men on both sides died that day, on that idyllic Japanese beach. Heroes were made, and killed. Men's blood stained the golden sand scarlet. Their lives were often over in an instant, with a bullet from a gun, a piece of shrapnel from a grenade. They fought heroically, with adrenaline fuelling desperate charges on NK positions and NK charges on Japanese bunkers. Above, fighters duelled, tracing white vapour trails in the clear blue sky, turning to black and orange as they were hit. Tyson Granger escaped after the initial defeat as the NK invaders pushed on through Japan.