London, England. local time 1502 hrs.
The Times, the 5th of Feb. 2004. Extract.
Japan capitulates as Vietnam sues for peace with the Chinese government.
In a bloody and unprovoked attack, North Korea has invaded and completely subdued Japan. This completely unexpected act has thrown the world so off balance that China has halted it's own attack on Vietnam. Vietnam's leaders are using this opportunity to sue for peace with the Chinese government. Deng Xiaopen, the Chinese Premier, accepted and China has agreed to withdraw from Vietnam as soon as the present crisis with Japan is resolved. The People's Liberation Army got as far as the capital, Hanoi, and captured it shortly after midday yesterday. As for Japan, no news has come from the Prime Minister or the Emperor. Knowing the brutality of North Korea's army, The Times has reason to be worried.
The British paper was closer to the truth than it knew. The Prime Minister, Stephen Hawk, hadn't released the news of the Emperor's brutal execution yet. He didn't feel the time right. Rising from his desk in No.10 Downing Street, he contemplated the portrait of Sir Winston Churchhill across from him. Hawk picked up the phone on his desk and spoke briefly into it. In exactly seven minutes and twelve seconds, there came a buzz on his intercom button. It was his secretary. "Sir Quentin for you, sir." "Send him in, Sarah." He said, turning to the window again. The door to his office opened and shut with a quiet click. Prime Minister Hawk turned and found himself looking at a small, compact, almost bald middle-aged man wearing golden-rimmed glasses. "Sir Quentin," He said in a rush, "Thank you for coming so quickly." Sir Samuel Quentin's eyes narrowed, worried. "I am at your disposal , Mr Prime Minister. What is wrong?" Hawk started to pace to and fro in front of the window. Sir Quentin had never seen him so nervous, and Sir Quentin had known the PM for a long time. Hawk turned and addressed his old friend directly. "I've decided to do something about the Japan situation. If our gallant American cousins can't or won't do it, we will." Sir Quentin looked puzzled, but only for a moment. "Then you are going to impose econom... ah. You mean a "quiet" intervention?" "quiet" was politic-speak for "black ops". "Yes." Said Hawk firmly. "We have no choice. The Americans have abandoned Japan, their ally since WWII. We cannot, I cannot, be seen to do that. How soon can your boys be in on it?" Sir Quentin, head of MI6, the British Secret Service, thought for a moment. "Well, we have an agent in South Korea. I could try to smuggle him in if you wish." Hawk thought for a second. "Do it." He said. "And find out how the Hell we can stop this maniac." Stephen Hawk had no idea how deep this conspiracy ran.
Sanandaj, Iran. local time 1825 hrs.
Boris Grishiyenko tuned in the large radio set as black-clad soldiers hurried round him, going about their tasks with a quiet purpose. These were men who had a dream, a dream of socialist Russia rising again. These men where for the most part poor people to start off with, whom Boris had recruited with honeyed words and false promises. These men where ready to die for a cause that didn't even exist. Voltaire and Boris were using them just like they had used everybody else. Boris pushed these thoughts aside as his boss came through from North Korea. "What is it? I'm busy." Snapped The Soviet. Even from thousands of miles away he could instill fear and respect. Boris kept it short. "Max is still alive, We have lost sight of Kai, Tyson, and Kenny." Voltaire grunted. In the years that Boris had known him, he had never sworn once. "Never mind. They shall not escape. Keep me posted." With that he was gone. Boris set the reciever down, somewhat surprised. He had expected at the very least a tongue lashing. Nothing. What, wondered Boris as he went down the steps to his private jet, could preoccupy Voltaire so much that he brush off the loss of 3 of his targets?
Korean People's Army HQ, Changgwang Street, Pyongyang, North Korea. 1500 hrs.
Rei was roused from his unconsciousness by a bolt of freezing-cold water to the face. He jolted upright, shaking his head to try to clear it. His long hair was hanging over his shoulder and down in his lap, on his dirty Chinese khaki military fatigues. He tried to move. No use, he was tied to a sturdy wooden chair in a bare concrete room. A single lightbulb, bare, illuminated the small room and the brownish stains of what Rei took to be dried blood on the wall. Oh dear. His shoulder was aching and as he tried to move a little, he recieved a sharp, stinging blow to the face. He looked round at his assaliant. It was a North Korean sergeant, with a large nose and bloodshot eyes. His uniform was spotless ans without a crease in it. Shit. A pen-pusher, a bully. Just great. He averted his gaze and concentrated on the floor. The next blow he didn't see coming. It knocked the chair over and Rei spat out a mouthful of blood. The NK sergeant barked an order and two more soldiers came into the room and picked him up from the floor. He felt the bonds come away and was hauled to his feet and held between the two NK men. The sergeant punched him in the stomach. Rei coughed up blood again. Then the North Korean man started with his size 12 hobnailed boots, driving one into Rei's privates. He vomited, almost caching the NK sergeant. He drove another fist into Rei's face. The Lieutenant reeled back, his blood splattering the soldier beside him. An order was shouted and Rei was dragged out of the room and down the hall to another, obviously a cell. The soldiers opened the cell door and threw him in. He sprawled on the floor for a few seconds, then mastered enough strengh to drag himself to the cot in the corner before falling unconcious again.
South Pyongan Province, North Korea. 1600 hrs.
Kai Hiwatari pressed smoothly down on the accelerator and the Lada leapt forward down the road. He turned to the back seat and peeled off his VPA uniform, reavealing that of a NK policeman. The road streched off into Pyongyang in the distance, a cluster of lights to the south. He passed the military checkpoints with no problem and soon found himself in the imposing North Korean capital, with it's broad, straight avenues and tall apartment blocks. He knew exactly where he was. Kim Yong-Il's magnificent palace rose above all else. But that wasn't Kai's objective. He parked the dark-brown Lada beside the Juche Tower, symbol of North Korea's power. He got out of the car and walked unhurriedly to the nearest bus station. Stepping up onto the bus, he lost himself in the crowd that stampeded onto the worn-down vehicle. It moved off down the road and Kai reached onto his pocket and flicked a switch on a small grey box. The Lada was disintegrated as a powerful bomb in the boot detonated. The explosion immersed the Juche Tower in a wall of flame, before cracking. The city seemed to hold its' breath as it swayed, swayed... and fell, slamming into the square and raising a huge cloud of cement dust. Kai smiled inwardly as the people around him panicked. A diversion, indeed.
Korean People's Army HQ, Changgwang Street, Pyongyang, North Korea. 1630 hrs.
Kai stepped into the North Korean military's HQ wearing the uniform of a brigadier. The guards at the desk snapped to attention and rapped out: "Brigadier, sir!" Kai waved them away and took in the almost empty reception area. "I presume that everone is out looking for the terrorists that destroyed the Juche Tower?" The guards nodded. "How many people are here then?" He asked. "There is about 25 people left. Some up here, but the majority are downstairs in the interrogation block. We captured a few terrorists today." Kai nodded and then frowned. "I would like to see them." The guard corporal, much to Kai's surprise, shook his head. "Can't do that, sir. Orders from General Io himself." Kai nodded and turned for the door. "Oh, and one last thing..." He said and turned with a silenced pistol in his hand. It flamed once, twice. The corporal was thrown to the floor and the second sat in the chair with a surprised expression at the bullet hole in his chest. He died like that. Kai wasted no time and frisked the corporal for anything. Bingo! a keycard for the lower levels. Casting a final glance round the blood-splattered entrance hall, he jogged off down the hall towards the stairs to the lower levels.
Rei was dragged upright in the cell where he had been beaten before. The NK sergeant walked in again and punched Rei in his wounded shoulder. The Chinese Special Forces Lieutenant screamed as pain wracked his slim form. The sergeant laughed and punched him again, this time in the face. More blood. Suddenly a barked order stopped the sadistic game. The North Korean dropped his fist and obeidiently stood aside. The door opened and in walked a stern-faced, grey haired russian man. Voltaire. "What the Hell?!" Gasped Rei, and Voltaire smiled. "Hello Rei, or should I say, Lieutenant Kon? You've come up in the world since I last saw you. How do you like my new offices?" He motioned to the building around him. "Of course, mine are a little better furnished. So, what are you going to say now? Hmm? The typical "You won't get away with this!", I bet. No? Well, I'm not going to play the steryotypical arch-villan and explain my diabolical plan to you. And no, I don't want to know who you work for. I already know. How did you get here? Well, all I did was pay the pilot of the FP-8 to veer a little off course. He was killed, I understand. Pity, but accidents do happen." Rei shook his head in disbelief. "My God, you are stupid. If China finds out that you have us, the Peoples Army cannot protect you..." He was cut off as Voltaire said something an the NK sergeant punched him again. "You idiot. Why do you think that China attacked Vietnam in the first place? Me. I planted the idea in their stupid little minds. To divert them from Japan and my objectives." He turned and said something to the sergeant, who left the room. Voltaire turned back to the soldier and laughed. " Dae is my favorite soldier. He is a cruel man and does not hesitate to do what needs to be done. I , too, am a cruel man who does not hesitate. I will kill you without you knowing the fate of your country or of your friends. But first I will torture you. Not because I want any information from you. I simply want to see you suffer." Sergeant Dae came back through the door with a tray bearing different items. Voltaire turned and took one. A narrow, curved blade with a wicked serrated blade. Without further ado, the russian plunged the blade into Rei's wounded shoulder. White hot! Blinding! Rei screamed again as Voltaire pulled the blade out and handed it back to the smirking Dae. Taking a poker from it, he plunged in into a brazier at his feet. Rei swallowed nervously as the end turned white and the russian pulled it out. With a wicked smile, Voltaire pressed the white hot metal onto Rei's chest. Rei couldn't even scream, the pain was so great. Tears of pain streamed down his cheeks. Voltaire pulled it away, breathing hard. The sadist was really enjoying this. Rei started to cry softly. He didn't want to die, not like this. He wasn't afraid of death on the battlefield, but to die like a rat in a trap, in such pain... Voltaire boomed with laughter at Rei's tears. "Now, are you ready to die? But I won't let you. Not yet. Not until you BEG!" He smashed the white-hot poker into the young man's waist, relishing in the ragged shout of pain that it ripped from his throat. He was starting to sweat. This wouldn't do. He would leave him for now. Dropping the poker, he picked up a whip and lashed Rei's exposed chest and face until he drew blood. By that time, the Lieutenant was unconsious. Voltaire composed himself and set the things down. "Take him away." He ordered in Korean. "But make sure he isn't damaged." With that he turned and left. Rei was thrown back into the cell where he had been previously. He was still out cold.
1640 hrs.
Kai ran full pelt down the cement corridor, his footsteps echoing loudly off the walls and ceiling. Turning left, he ran past an office with three NK soldiers in it. One raised himself off the chair only to be blown out of it by Kai's AK-47 bullets. The others were quicker, blasting at Kai as he dived behind the wall for cover. Kai assessed it all in a second, then did something that shocked the North Korean soldiers. Throwing himself from cover, he took the head off one as he slid across the floor. Jumping to his feet, he launched himself across the table at the NK man, knocking him back before sticking his combat knife into the man's throat and slashing it open. He left the man dieing in a pool of his own blood.
Voltaire heard the gunfire down the hall and jerked his head round, motioning to Dae. "Go and kill Kon." He ordered. The sergeant nodded and unslung his AK-47 before running off down the hall towards the cells.
1655 hrs.
Kai burst the cell door open and stepped in to rescue Rei. The Lieutenant was tied to a chair, his arms drawn behind him so tightly that the blood had stopped flowing to them. Kai snapped the bonds and hoisted Rei over his shoulder before turning to leave. Rei was semi-concious. "Xung... get him.." He whispered through chapped lips. Kai carried him down the hall to the other cells, until he saw a chinese sergeant in one of the cells. Blowing it open, Kai stepped in and offered his hand to help him up. He bore no signs of maltreatment, unlike Rei who was beaten and bloodied. "You must be Xung. Come on,quick! I'll get you out of here." Xung nodded and suddenly cried "Look out!" Kai threw himself instictively sideways and the burst that had been meant for him slammed into the wall instead. Dae realigned his AK-47 to fire again, but Xung leapt forwards and slammed a fist into the sergeant's face. He stumbled back and Xung followed up with a scissor kick to the head, knocking Dae back. The North Korean was faster than expected and smashed the butt of his Kalasnikov into Xung's face. He turned his AK-47 round to shoot him... when a combat knife embedded itself in-between his eyes. He fell to the ground and died quickly. Kai spun to see who had done it... "Did you miss me, Kai?" Said Rei Kon as he picked himself off the floor with a little difficulty. Xung went to him and supported him as he limped down the hallway towards the exit.
1705 hrs.
Outside the HQ, Voltaire got into the back of a large black limosine. It swept away from the KPA HQ towards the Intl. Airport and Voltaire's plane. He took out a satellite phone and dialled Boris' number. "It's me. I've found Kai. He came to rescue Rei. He must have got over the amnesia... yes, Rei too. I know... do you have him prisoner? Good. No, don't kill him yet. These people are more resourceful than I thought. Keep him alive." The russian terminated the call and looked out the window, brooding. Damn it. He had let his anger get the better of him and he had tried to torture Kon instead of just killing him. A big mistake. Never mind. The North Koreans could no doubt do the job for him.
Korean People's Army HQ vehicle park, Changgwang Street, Pyongyang, North Korea. 1715 hrs.
Rei Kon burst through the door, AK-47 blazing. The two NK soldiers guarding the park were taken by surprise, and one went down in a spray of blood. The second dodged behind one of the cars and Rei poked his stolen AK round the side of the car and put burst into the enemy. He was thrown backwards, sending a burst into the ceiling from his AK-47 as his nerveless finger tightened on the trigger. The three escapees looked round, determining what to do. Xung perked up as an idea hit him. "Sir, why don't we blow up the place with that fuel over there?" Rei turned and nodded. "Good idea." Kai jumped into a North Korean BTR-152 with a 50. cal machine gun on the back. Rei clambered in the back, wheezing in pain from his burns and bruises. settling himself at the MG, he checked the mag. Full load and a few boxes round him. Xung came running. "Go! Go! The place is going to blow!" He leapt on the back of the armoured truck and Kai, who had hot-wired the thing, floored the accelerator. The BTR smashed through the barrier and into the street. Behind them the Korean People's Army HQ exploded spectaculary in a hail of fire and rubble. The BTR-152 accelerated along the main highway north, heading for the border with China.
In a military base on the outskirts of Pyongyang, the red alert sounded, sending the soldiers inside into a state of panic. They raced outside to their vehicles to intercept the escapees.
Rei was undergoing a transformation on the back of the speeding BTR-152. After Xung had injected his superior with morphine to allay the pain, memories were returning to the lieutenant. "Kai?" He whispered, half to himself. "I... remember! Kai! My friend!" Kai handed over the wheel to Xung and embaced Rei like the long-lost comrade that he was. "When did you remember?" Rei asked. Kai shrugged. "I think it was after that MiG nailed me in that warehouse. I don't know how it happened." Rei shook his head in wonder.
Xung shouted back to the other two. "Heads up! We got company!" Kai leapt up from the floor and manned the MG as two lightly-armoured scout cars raced ontp the road behind them. Kai opened fire straight away, blowing one of the cars off the highway. Rei cheered and hoisted himself up with an AK cradled in his arms, opening fire on the second car at the same time as Kai. The car shuddered under mutiple hits then exploded savagely. Rei punched the air with a wild rebel yell. Kai grinned as another BTR-152 open-topped armoured personnel carrier accelerated to catch up with them, it's 50. cal spitting AP bullets at them. Kai yelped as bullets whisled round him and pinged off the armoured vehicle. Swinging round, he put a burst into the man manning the MG. He disappeared out of sight in a cloud of blood. Rei joined in, laying down a curtain of AK-47 fire that almost killed the driver. He accelerated, ramming into the back of Kai's. Xung grunted and rammed him back. The North Korean vehicle came close and Rei shot one of the soldiers at the side at point-blank range. The soldier at the back leapt over onto the rear of Kai and Rei's BTR and slammed his rifle butt into Kai's face, knocking the warrior back off the gun mounting. Rei moved to shoot him, but the NK soldier lunged at him with a bloodcurling cry. Rei's AK was knocked overboard and he lashed out with his boot, catching the enemy in the chest. He was knocked back but moved forward rapidly, pulling a long knife from his belt with a wicked scrriik! He thrust out, seeking to skewer Rei, but the Chinese was too fast, dodging aside and driving a knee into the man's ribs, sending him to the floor. Rei followed up with a boot to the face, sending the enemy slamming into the side of the drab-green BTR. He was fast, though, and was on his feet in seconds, the knife again ready to strike. The two opponents eyed each other warily as the two vehicles bumped and jolted along the road that streched off into the distance, jolting the two opponents back and forth. The North Koreans in the other BTR started cheering him on as the two vehicles roared off the highway and onto a two-lane road that snaked up round the coastline. Kai got up, dazed, and the soldier lunged at him. Rei threw out a forceful kick, catching the enemy in mid-air. He fell to the floor in a heap as Xung shunted the enemy BTR again, scraping it against the crash-barriers, leaving bits of paint on the uniform grey. The NK soldiers were clearly bored with the sport now, opening fire again. Xung rammed them again, for a final time. The BTR crashed through the barrier and seemed to hang in space for an eternity, before plunging to the sea below. The remaining soldier charged Rei with a yell. In a smooth move Rei dropped to the floor, kicked the charging man in the stomach and using his leg as leverage, lifted him off his feet and hurled him out of the BTR-152 and over the edge. His scream was cut off as he hit the rocks far below. Rei looked over the edge for a second, wincing. He then slumped down as the exertions caught up with him, taxing his wounds. Xung slid another syringe of morphine back and Kai stuck it into Rei's arm. The commando looked up at him in gratitude as the painkiller took effect and he drifted off to sleep. "Damn." Swore Xung from the front as the BTR swept off the coast road and headed through the countryside. "What is it, sergeant?" Asked Kai, instanlty worried. Xung took a second before replying. "Almost out of fuel. We can only get to about 25 miles from the North Korea/China border." Kai slammed a clenched fist into his palm. " Are there any NK bases round here?" "Yes, about 8 miles away. A large airfield. I helped build it." Kai thought a second. "Take us there. You and I are going to get ourselves some fuel."
Pyoktong Military Airfield, North Korea. 2200 hrs.
Night had fallen. The BTR-152 was concealed behind a clump of trees half a mile away from the NK airbase. Kai smeared his face with camouflage paint, and motioned for Xung to check him over, then did the same for him. The airbase was alight, and a flight of MiG-21's had just taken off for a night patrol, roaring over their heads and off into the night. "Okay." Said Kai in a whisper, "Let's go over this one last time. You go for the power station on the..." "East side." Completed Xung. "Good. Then, when the power is down, you go for the hospital and grab some morphine packs and bandages for Rei. OK? Then I'll go for the fuel, we'll meet at the main hangar, blow up some of the MiGs down there, then get the Hell out. Comprendo? We have to be quick, ruthless, and deadly. Those bastards have to think we have an entire brigade up their asses. Right?" "Right." Confirmed Xung, and the duo crept down the hill towards the airbase as Rei slept on in the back of the hidden BTR-152. The front of the airbase was covered by two searchlights held above the road by watchtowers. An armed guard stood in each, waiting, watching. Kai crawled forward until he was just outside the seachlight perimeter and concealed himself behind some bushes beside the road. He saw Xung's shadow as it flitted across the road. He settled down to wait as his breath materialized in the air around him. It was cold.
Xung threw himself flat as a North Korean jeep rumbled past the perimiter fence, on patrol. The Sergeant-Major knew the layout well. Pulling a sturdy pair of wire-cutters from his pack, he cut through the fence, keeping an eye out for the enemy the whole time. In a few seconds, he had cut enough and wriggled his way through. He was inside! He scrambled across the frozen ground and lay against the side of a building, in the shadows. A pair of North Korean soldiers strolled past, AKs at port arms. Xung let them pass, then slipped furtively from his building and crept to another, a mess hall. pulling his pistol from its' holster, he held it next to his ear in a ready stance before moving along the side towards the runways. Keeping to the side, he was presented with a dilemma. How could he cross the runway? He looked round for a second before coming to a solution. The mess hall! He moved to the door and eased it slowly open. No-one in the storeroom. He slipped in and searched for a second. Nothing. Damn. He was about to leave when a fat cook came bustling in, whistling. He stopped suddenly as he spotted Xung, his tubby face almost comical. Less comical was the pistol that he was straining to unholster. Xung wasted no time. He was swift, and deadly. He kicked out with a perfectly timed and balanced foot, hitting the fat man in the chest. The SM heard a loud crack! as the cook's sternum broke, stopping his heart. Xung stripped the man and stuffed him into his own freezer. In seconds Xung became Corporal Hwan Hu-Ki. He walked boldly out the main double doors of the mess hall and started across the runway towards the power station at the far side.
"Come on, dammit!" Cursed Kai to himself as the minutes ticked by.
Xung was halfway across the runway when a shout stopped him. "Look out!!!" Xung half-turned, and his eyes widened in horror as the two MiG-21s bore down on him. He dived headlong out of the way as the two aircraft roared by, inches away from him. He picked himself up and started to sprint towards the power station at full speed. The soldier who had shouted to him frowned in bewilderment. He had never seen "Happy" Hu-Ki, as the men called him, run so fast. Then Hu-Ki turned and the soldier realised with a jolt: That wasn't Hu-Ki! He never realised anything else, however; two 9mm slugs to the chest do that to a person.
Xung pushed open the door to the power station and dodged inside. Dropping to his knees he pulled out the final item; two packs of NK plastic explosive. He stuck them to the rearmost generator as a squad of NK soldiers burst through the doors, guns ready. Xung ran out the back door as they charged round, looking for him. He skidded to a halt outside the hangars and pressed the detonator. A huge boooom! rent the night and a fireball rose to the sky as the generators went up. A second, smaller explosion occured as one of the taxiing MiGs that had almost killed the SM was caught in the radius.
The lights went out and Kai was up and running. Grabbing an RPG from where he'd left it, Kai fired it at the main gates. They blew apart, tumbling to the snowy ground. The guards in the towers were as surprised as the rest. In a few seconds they were surprised and dead, as Kai sent another RPG into the guard towers. They, too fell to the ground, like an old man going to meet his maker. Then Kai whipped out his AK-47, and blazed away. Empty shells and clips fell beneath his booted feet as he fired all of one clip, then another. Soldiers came at him from all sides, But Kai was too fast. He spun on his heel, nailing one as he came from the barracks. Another charged at him from the hangars. He, too, went down. Kai slid smoothly to a halt inside the hangar. Scanning the area, he grabbed up 2 petrol cans and headed back to the exit. Suddenly a shout came from the power station. He turned. A bloody North Korean officer stood with his pistol jammed into the side of Xung's head. "Drop the weapon." He said in accented mandarin. The light from the burning MiG gave the scene an otherworldly, surreal feeling. Kai hesitated, and Xung cried: "Get the Hell out of here! Tell China!" The NK officer pistol-whipped him and Xung arched his back from the blow. He suddenly reversed the blow and slammed his elbow into the man's stomach. He jerked backwards, and Kai yelled, "Drop!" Xung let himself go limp and as he dropped Kai fired. The officer went down and Xung raced for the exit. "Let's go!" Kai spun and followed.
Rei was awake and waiting for them. "What took you so long? Not bad, by the way." Kai slapped him on the back and ignited the engine. The BTR-152 raced away from the ruins of the North Korean airbase. Inside, one thing stirred. Major Gung Li-Xungu picked himself from the floor, blessing the body-armour that had saved him from Kai's bullets. He wiped the blood from his face and swore revenge.
Near the Yalu River, North Korean-Chinese border. 2245.
Kai, Rei, and Xung were on top of the world as they sped across the silent North Korean countryside towards the Chinese border. Only a few more miles! Kai heard behind them the roar of jet engines. Shit! He swerved off the road as cannon shells struck around them from MiG-29s that seemed to have come from nowhere. Kai gulped and resumed his bumpy ride across the country towards the Yalu River. Rei manned the MG and hammered 50. cal bullets at it. Some hit, but the NK MiG swooped away, only to return a second later. Rei was running low on ammo. He had only one chance. The MiG-29s nose came down again, this time launching an ATS missile this time. Rei swerved the MG round and stitched the area round the bottom of the plane.The missile exploded before even leaving the rack, and annihilated the plane in mid-air. The wreckage ploughed into the ground just behind the fleeing BTR-152. The vehicle tipped over, throwing Rei, Xung, and Kai to the marshy ground underneath it. Rei landed on his good shoulder and rolled; Kai landed facefirst in a pool of water, and Xung landed soflty on his stomach in some mud. Rei leapt up, wincing from the lack of morphine. He hobbled over to the downed BTR and pulled out an armful of AKs. He handed one to Xung, who was shaking his head to clear it. Kai got one too. Suddenly an Mi-8 Hip transport chopper flew over and dropped about 10 yards away. The BTR was in a slight depression, on it's side. Rei lay down with the top half of his chest over the lip, next to the BTR. Kai crouched, poking his AK-47 over the lip of the bonnet. Xung set himself down next to Rei. The chopper disgorged 30 troops. The North Koreans were moving slow and confident: too confident. The trio knew that they had hardly any chance of survival. Rei smiled crookedly, a friendly middle finger at Death; Xung cocked his weapon determidly; and Kai raised a sardonic eyebrow. They were professional enough to leave it at that.
Rei let rip. Kai opened up, as did Xung. NK troops fell with legs, stomachs, arms ripped open. The rest charged. Rei shot down two, Kai two, and Xung five with a grenade. They kept firing until their ammunition was exhausted, which didn't take long: they had one clip each. The NK troops captured them and ordered them to kneel. Rei went down, his hands behind his head. What a way to go, he thought... A shot rang out, and Rei tensed. But it wasn't him! He was still alive! Antother volley of shots rang out and the North Korean soldier behind Rei jerked round in the danse macabre. Rei was up in a second and grabbed the Kalashnikov from the corpse and shot the man in front. He groaned and was flung to the floor with huge bleeding holes ripped in him. The night sky was pierced with the three soldiers' shouts of joy as they hugged each other in glee from their close call. And watching over them was a Peoples Liberation Army Helix II, with a friendly gunner waving at them as they came into land. Rei's wounds were momintarily forgotten as the Chinese gunner pulled him aboard. They had done it! They had escaped from North Korea!