I have done some serious research on this story's chapter. I hope you guys all like it. This is about a certain soldier flashing back into the hours before the war.
Also my girlfriend has received much love for the work she did in the last chapter. She honestly didn't think she was going to get so many likes. She greatly appreciates your comments and so do I.
Any and all questions about the US Military can be answered by doing some research online or by asking me personally.
New OCs will be introduced into the story.
Reviews:
TheSeagullMilker: Here's another chapter for you.
EclipsePheniox: Thank you my friend. Here is another update.
shamedwolf34: Thank you my friend. Here is the flashback.
Jon0045: Sorry my friend I did not know you had the same plans. Thank you for the review.
InfantryGrunt94: Thank you my friend. And I plan on looking into your story.
GuestDB: Again you have such amazing questions. You are correct General Chase is someone who is involved with the base. And believe me when I say that America will not be reborn a nation of greed or degradation.
THESHN00: You will see in this chapter how they get back to Earth. And look back at the beginning of Chapter 5 or later on this chapter and you will see US Military Vehicles being used. Thank you for the review my friend.
InflatedChimp: It's good to hear from you friend. In the chapter you will see Reilly's Rangers safe from harm. And that is one of the greatest questions I have heard in these reviews so far. That question about the Enclave will be answered in a later chapter though. Yes he could use the spaceship to arrive quicker but this chapter will explain why he doesn't use the ship.
alanranks7: I like the idea buddy, but alas Talon Company has been completely wiped off the face of the planet. Thank you for the review.
boozenpuken333: Thank you for the review my friend. My girlfriend also thanks you. You will see the pre-war soldiers in the hours before the war.
Chapter 10: A Flashback into History
Mothership Zeta: June 9, 2279. 5:57 P.M.
"So do you know anything about the base?" Eric asked while holding a piece of cloth to his bloody nose. He had just finished telling Elliot about Rebirth Army Base.
The former Army medic was scratching the back of his head racking his brain trying to remember something. Then it hit him. "There's something I remember. Before my squad and I were abducted we had just finished bringing in a few guys from the frontlines. I walked past General Chase's tent and overheard him talking with Major General Andrew Wells; he's been Chase's closest friend and his second-in-command. They were talking about selected units to be assigned to the base and how much of the construction had been complete. I really didn't know what they were talking about at the time, but before I could hear anything else my squad and I got called back to the frontlines."
"Well according to the paper it says that 20,000 troops were assigned to the base. We're going to try and enlist their help. Hopefully they will." Eric told them.
"Why not just use the death ray to take out the Lost Hills Army?" Sally asked trying to find an excuse to use the death ray. After a while of shooting it out into space, it just got boring.
"That's a last resort Sally." Eric answered the younger girl. He then turned to look Elliot dead in the eyes. "One week." Elliot raised an eyebrow in confusion. "That's the deadline I'm giving you guys." Eric looked at the clock on his Pip-boy and it read 6:00 P.M. "In one week, I want you to drop another beacon down in the crater and give me 24 hours. If I haven't come back by then, assume the worst…and destroy the Capital Wasteland."
Elliot was shocked. This wasn't the same morale boosting, battle ready Eric he knew. The young man standing before him was acting like death was inevitably soon. "Eric, you can't be serious!"
Eric looked like he was lost in thought, but he spoke. "I am serious. There is a damn good chance I might not be coming back from this.
"Don't you think you're jumping to conclusion?" Sally asked concernedly.
"Yeah Eric. I know it's bad down there, but there is still hope." Elliot said.
Eric looked at the two. "Their general, a man who must be in his fifties, kicked the living shit out of me without breaking a sweat. He managed to lead his entire army and conquer the Capital Wasteland. He's wiped out Lyons Brotherhood, Casdin's Outcasts, and Talon Company, all three were major factions in D.C. and he managed to squash them under his boot. General Marshes isn't a force to be reckoned with. As long as he's alive, things like hope doesn't exist and you can be damn sure that he won't stop here. Once he has complete control of the Capital Wasteland, he'll spread his army out and take over more territory to control." 'He's just like Colonel Autumn and the Enclave no matter how he tries to justify his actions.' Eric thought malevolently. "So promise me that if I fail and I'm not back within the 24 hours you'll do what's necessary and put an end to Marshes and his reign of terror."
Sally and Elliot exchanged a look of uncertainty. The more that Eric talked, the more he sounded like he wasn't going to come back. However Elliot and Sally were extremely positive and they knew that Eric would make it back ok.
"You have our word Eric." Elliot said.
"Yeah, don't you worry Eric! Everything will work out ok." Sally agreed.
Eric smiled. "Thanks guys." He looked to Elliot. "How much food is there for everyone on the ship?"
It took Elliot a few seconds to think about it before answering. "There are about seventy-five, eighty people on the ship along with me, Sally, and Marie so that should leave us with a…three month supply in the storage area."
Eric nodded. "Good, I don't want you guys to run out anytime soon."
Sally snorted. "After all the food you've been bringing us over the past year. We won't."
The door opened behind the trio and an alien worker walking inside. In its hand was a translator that it used when talking to Elliot or Sally. [Captain, we have the teleporter ready for you and your companions. It'll teleport you outside the town of Old Olney.]
"Thank you." Eric said. The alien nodded before walking out of the room. Eric looked back to Elliot and Sally who were looking at him blankly. "I asked him if it was possible to teleport us down without dropping another beacon." The duo nodded in understanding. "Why does he keep referring to me as Captain though? I distinctly remember telling them that I put you two in charge."
Elliot chuckled. "Maybe it's because you managed to take over the entire ship, killed the original Captain and destroyed another alien ship. I think doing all that has earned you the respect of the workers."
"I wouldn't have gotten that far if it wasn't for you guys." Eric said. It was the truth, had it not been for Sally, Elliot, Soma, Paulson, and Toshiro, he wouldn't have made it off the ship. He looked at his Pip-boy clock and sighed. "We need to get going." Before leaving, he removed the cloth from his nose and was glad to see that it stopped bleeding. He just hoped Amata wasn't beating herself up too bad.
Zeta Bridge: June 9, 2279. 6:05 P.M.
Eric entered the bridge and saw his team was ready including Amata. When she saw Eric walk into the room, she went over ready to apologize. "Eric I'm..."
Eric waved a hand to stop her from saying another word. "I know." He immediately pulled her into a reassuring hug. "It's ok."
Amata buried her face in his well-built chest and growled. "You really suck sometimes you know that?"
Eric snorted and raised an eyebrow at her statement. "Why?"
She looked up at him. "Because you're nice to me when I've been a complete bi-"
"Language Amata." Eric said indicating to Marie who was almost asleep in Butch's arms.
Amata pursed her lips before speaking again. "A complete jerk. I don't deserve it."
"Amata, you were upset, you were angry, so you vented. Though I wish you would've vented on the wall and not my face. You've got one hell of a left jab." Eric said flashing a smile that somehow managed to make her feel better.
Butch spoke up as he handed Marie over to Lucy. "We need to get going."
Eric nodded. "Wait by the teleporter." He told Amata. The girl complied while Eric whistled calling for his dog. Seconds later his loyal companion was by his side. "Ready Dogmeat?" The hound replied with his usual bark.
Eric smiled and patted thee dog's head. He did a quick weapon check to make sure he was prepared. Scoped battle rifle with twelve 8 round en bloc clips, scoped M16 with ten 30 round magazines, 9mm Beretta with six 15 round magazines, silenced .45 Auto pistol with three 7 round magazines, and a trench knife. Finally Eric straightened his beret and was ready to go.
He looked over and saw Butch giving Lucy one last kiss. While everyone was heading for the teleporter Eric waited for Butch. "Please be careful Butch!" Lucy called after him.
Butch turned and smiled. "When am I not?" His comment made Eric and Lucy roll their eyes. Butch's expression turned sincere. "Lucy I promise that I'll be back before you know it."
Lucy nodded, looked down and smiled at Marie who was now fast asleep in her arms. She looked up to Eric and opened her mouth, but Eric cut her off as he knew what she was going to say.
"Don't worry Lucy; I won't let him out of my sight. I promise." Eric assured the future mother. Lucy smiled in thanks and went to go find where Mike was. After a while of talking about her favorite 'niece' she wanted him to meet Marie. Eric suddenly furrowed his brow and groaned in annoyance. "Oh man, I don't wanna go back to babysitting duty." He said in a childish manner.
Butch heard what Eric said so he flipped him off in reply. "Jackass." He murmured under his breath.
Eric chuckled in satisfaction at Butch's remark. He looked over to Elliot. "Remember, drop the beacon in one week and give us 24 hours. If we don't come back…" Eric looked around to make sure no one else was listening. "You know what to do."
Elliot nodded and smiled. "Like Butch said Eric, you'll be back before you know it."
Eric smiled. He walked over to Amata who was waiting patiently by the teleporter. He looked around the entry compartment. "Where are Butch and Dogmeat?"
"Butch already teleported back with your dog." Amata answered.
Eric nodded. "Well then, are you ready?" Amata nodded with confidence, though to tell the truth, she was scared which didn't go unnoticed by Eric. He held out his hand for Amata to take. She grabbed his and the two intertwined their fingers. Amata looked up at Eric and smiled while desperately trying to hold back the blush that was creeping up her face. She didn't know that Eric was doing the same thing. "We'll be ok." He told her. Amata nodded as her smile widened. Eric put his free hand on the switch and activated the teleporter sending them back to Earth.
1 Mile East of D.C.: June 9, 2279. 6:13 P.M.
"You really think Eric made it Reilly?" Butcher asked.
"I have no doubt in my mind." Reilly said still looking through her binoculars. There were a lot of emotions running through her at the moment. The one that was taking over was shock. She couldn't believe how much progress the Lost Hills Army was making in the D.C. ruins. Over a dozen buildings had been demolished and the rubble had been toted out of there by several dump trucks. At the rate they were going, they could destroy every remaining building (excluding, the Museum of History, the National Archives, the Museum of Technology, the Capital Building, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial) and clear out the rubble within a span of five maybe six days. There was nothing more that she wanted at that moment then to go down there and start popping off some of their soldiers, but after losing six more Rangers in the last battle, it was better to wait for Eric to come back with reinforcements. She got up to her feet and put the binoculars away and turned to the rest of her Rangers. "Let's get back to camp."
Meanwhile at the Old Olney Parking Lot
Amata and Eric had been teleported to the west of Old Olney. "WOOHOO MAN WHAT A RUSH!" Eric's adrenaline was pumping. For some reason the teleport back down to Earth always got him fired up. Amata on the other hand wasn't sharing his sentiments.
"Glad to see someone is enjoying himself." Amata immediately clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from puking.
"You ok?" Eric asked putting a hand on her shoulder. Amata slowly nodded. "Sorry, I forgot to mention that you would feel nauseous on the ride back down. Hey, I'm proud of you though! At least you didn't pu-" Eric was cut off by Amata emptying the contents of her stomach. He flinched at the sound of her vomiting.
When she was done she looked to Eric with a raised brow. "You were saying?"
"Well look at the bright side! You lasted longer than Butch did his first time." Eric told her truthfully while handing her a bottle of water.
Amata snorted in amusement. "Somehow I don't think it'd be that hard to outlast Butch in anything." She opened up the bottle and swished some water around her mouth before spitting it out to remove the foul taste.
Jericho suddenly appeared by Eric's side along with Butch, who had a feigned look of hurt. "I heard that."
Amata sheepishly grinned at Butch. "Sorry." She filled her mouth full of water again and swished it around before spitting it out. She noticed Butch was walking off into the distance.
"Where the hell are you going?" Eric called after him.
"Gotta take a piss." Butch called back. "I'm not going to hold it for another 3 hours!"
Amata looked to Eric. "How does Butch know how long it will take?" She asked.
Eric merely shrugged. "He does the math."
Amata gasped dramatically. "Butch does math?" She asked chuckling.
Eric chuckled along with her. "I know right? Shocking!"
"Hey kid, why didn't we just use dat teleportation thing to send us to the base?" Jericho asked interrupting the conversation between the two.
"Because, we don't have any idea what's really there. For all we know, we could've teleported into the middle of a raider base, or a deathclaw nest. The base could've taken a direct hit from a nuclear warhead and we'd be teleporting into a crater. I don't want to take any risks. That's why we're taking the Vertibirds so at least we can fly over the base and see what the hell we are getting into."
Jericho nodded in understanding.
Butch had been gone for a few minutes and suddenly Eric was on alert. "You ever get the feeling you were being watched?"
Eric, Amata, and Jericho didn't have time to react. A Lost Hills stealth soldier decloaked in front of Eric with a raised plasma pistol. As the soldier was about to pull the trigger four shots were fired. The soldier then dropped the energy sidearm and fell to his face. The back of his power helmet revealed four bullet holes. The trio looked up and saw Butch lowering his marksman carbine.
"You were saying something earlier about babysitting duty?" Butch asked with a raised brow. Amata was trying very hard not to smile recalling the conversation back on the Mothership.
Eric growled at his friend. "Shut up Butch! Let's get out of here, before more show up."
He grabbed Amata's hand and the group took off in a dead sprint towards the Vertibirds in the parking lot where Knights Hunsaker and Damon were waiting. With them was Gallows, Glade, Colvin, McGraw, Morril and Artemis.
"Hunsaker and I will fly two of the birds; you think you can handle the third?" Knight Damon asked Eric.
"It's been a while, but I think I still got it." Eric answered. Eric had taken flying lessons from a few Brotherhood pilots a year back. It had been six months since he had been in the cockpit of a Vertibird, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to get back in one.
Glade was the next to speak. "Alright, you better get going." Eric raised an eyebrow in confusion. "We're heading to the West. See if we can enlist the aid of the Midwestern Brotherhood." The Paladin clarified.
"After all the bullshit Marshes spewed about Lyons Brotherhood, you guys will be gunned down before you can make it past their borders!"
"Not if we show them proof of what's really happening." McGraw said pulling a couple power helmets out of his bag. "I got these off a couple dead Lost Hills Knights. They had helmet cameras attached and they recorded a lot of things that Marshes and his men have done. Things that the Midwestern Brotherhood aren't going to like. We show them the footage, they might agree to help."
Eric still wasn't sure about this. Then again, he wasn't sure about travelling north, but he was doing it anyway. "Don't worry Eric. We'll be alright." Glade said.
"How do guys plan on making it there?" The Lone Wanderer asked.
"We'll hijack a couple of their vehicles." Gallows answered.
The group all turned towards the town ruins where they heard the sounds of a commander shouting out for his men to spread out.
Eric looked back to his fellow Brotherhood soldiers and sighed. "Be careful and good luck."
The soldiers nodded. "You too Eric." Glade said. The Paladin led the group of soldiers away from the town and to the West, while Eric, Butch, Amata, and Jericho got into the Vertibirds. In Eric's Vertibird were Dogmeat, Harkness, Amata, Butch, and Jericho. In Hunsaker's Vertibird was Charon, Sydney, and Jason. In Damon's Vertibird was Uncle Leo and Fawkes.
Eric started flipping switches, turning the bird on. "Engines powered up and running. Rotors are spinning. We are go for flight." Eric grabbed the headset to communicate with the other two Brotherhood pilots. "Hunsaker, Damon can you read me?"
"Roger that." Hunsaker answered.
"Affirmative." Damon's voice followed.
"Alright I'm lead Vertibird on this one. We're going to travel at a steady speed of 100 knots is that clear?"
"Roger that. 100 knots." Hunsaker said.
"Ready when you are Eric."
Eric pulled back the collective pitch control to make the Vertibird ascend into the air, adjusted the throttle and pushed the cyclic stick forward. Hunsaker and Damon quickly followed suit in their birds.
Damon suddenly heard bullets pinging off his bird. He flipped around and saw a group of Lost Hills soldiers firing at him with machine guns. "Got company." The knight fired a couple rockets into the group, blowing them apart. He smiled with glee. "Boom boom motherfuckers." The Knight turned the aircraft back around and went to join the other two.
In Eric's bird, he was smiling and he looked to Amata who joined him in the copilot's seat. "We are inbound."
Rebirth Army Base: June 9, 2279. 6:20 P.M.
Runway One housed a lone C-130 Hercules military transport plane. To the right of it was hanger 15. Behind the closed hanger door was several Air Force fighters. On the left side of the hanger were a dozen manholes that led down to the helicopter bay. Then there were several staircases that took you to each other underground level.
'Level Eight' Through the door the room was cold. Very cold. There were thousands of cylinder shaped cryo-pods. Each pod contained the men and women that proudly protected old world America. Next to each pod was a locker with the soldier's weapon of choice. On the locker doors were the ranks and insignia of each soldier.
One locker had a three-star rank and the man that it belonged to was flashing back to the hours before and after the war.
Flashback: Rebirth Army Base: October 23, 2077. 7:47 A.M. (2 Hours before the bombs fell)
The base was bustling with activity. Soldiers were doing PT Drills; MPs were guarding the base fences, helicopters were patrolling the skies, and jets and C-130s were flying in dropping off more troops.
At the air traffic control tower on the base, many soldiers were monitoring all incoming flights and activities going on in the world. "Anything Corporal?"
"Negative General, I can't reach him." The young man replied hanging up the phone.
The older man sighed and rubbed his temples in frustration. "Ok, here's what I want you to do. I want you to contact his office at the Pentagon, if you can't reach him there, contact his house, and if you can't reach him there contact his cabin outside of Washingtonville!"
"Yes General." The Corporal picked up the phone and tried contacting General Chase again.
Lieutenant General Andrew Wells, a 35 year veteran of the United States Army. 53 years old, 6 feet tall, clean shaven, buzzed haircut, green eyes, always wore a service uniform, and had a prosthetic left arm. He spent 29 years of service in the 75th Ranger Regiment. After being promoted to Lieutenant General in 2074 when America had launched its own invasion against the Chinese, he had been dispatched to assist Major General Doug Michaelson with the invasion. In 2075, a Crimson Dragoon armed with an officer's sword snuck into his tent in an attempt to assassinate him. Luckily, 33 years of combat instinct kicked in and he turned around just in time to dodge the fatal strike, but lost his arm in the process. As the Dragoon was about to swing the blade again, Andrew pulled his sidearm and put a bullet right between the assassin's eyes.
Now here he was two years later, promoted and second-in-command of his close friend General Constantine Chase. Andrew was one of six high ranking commanders that were chosen by Chase to lead the armies of America's future.
However, he was concerned. He hadn't heard from Chase for almost 12 hours. Usually if something came up, Chase would call in and let Andrew know.
Right now he didn't have time to worry. He had other things that needed to get done. He walked downstairs to the 'Central Command Room' or C.C.R. for short. Two MPs were standing guard outside the room. When the Lieutenant General approached the room the two snapped to attention and saluted. General Wells walked inside the room (which resembled an MTAC (Multiple Threat Alert Center)) where several soldiers were monitoring everything that was going on across the Globe. The Lieutenant General walked over to Lieutenant Hawk who was monitoring the Pacific.
"What's going on in the Pacific, Lieutenant?" General Wells asked.
"General, the Seventh Fleet is currently engaging the remnants of the Chinese Navy. First Fleet just left Pearl Harbor. The Second and Third Fleet are currently patrolling off the coast of Alaska and Washington. We lost contact with the Fifth Fleet somewhere in the South China Sea."
Andrew's brows furrowed. "Did they encounter any trouble Lieutenant?"
"Negative General. I contacted Pacific Fleet Command and they told me the area they're in has spotty communication. Plus," The Lieutenant pointed to a small dot on the radar. "they patched me through to Carrier Strike Group Two and they have eyes on the fleet." The Lieutenant told his commander.
The General smiled. "Alright, keep up the good work Lieutenant!" He said patting the young man on the back.
"Thank you General."
Andrew turned to another soldier. "Sergeant. How's it looking in the Atlantic?"
"The Fourth, Sixth, and Tenth Fleet haven't reported any enemy vessels in the area, but Admiral Kerry just put the entire Atlantic on alert."
The General's brow furrowed in confusion. If it was all quiet in the Atlantic then why were the fleets put on alert? "Keep an eye out Sergeant!"
"Yes General."
Last man he wanted to talk to was Corporal Roberts. He was in charge of monitoring a train on route to the base to deliver weapons, ammo, and vehicles. The train is to arrive at a station a mile north of the base.
"Status of the train Corporal?" Andrew asked.
"Still to arrive on schedule at 1100 hours General." The Corporal replied.
"Keep up the good work Corporal!"
Andrew walked over towards the door. "I'm going outside to monitor our personnel status. Keep me informed of any changes!"
There was a chorus of 'Yes sirs' from all the soldiers in the tower.
Rebirth Main Entrance: October 23, 2077. 8:00 A.M. (1 hour 47 minutes before the bombs fall)
Lieutenant General Wells went to check in with each Battalion and Division commander on the base, making sure that their men were on post. After he was finished he went to monitor the main entrance.
Several U.S. Military vehicles were arriving through the front gates. Some were tanks; most were humvees and trucks carrying soldiers and some of the trucks were towing 75 and 105mm howitzers. Guard towers were standing on both sides; Military Police officers were checking their lists making sure no unauthorized personnel were entering the base. One of the soldiers sitting in the passenger's seat of one humvee was showing the guard on his side his authorization pass. Andrew immediately recognized the man and walked.
"Major Curtis. Glad you and your men could make it." The Lieutenant General smiled.
The Major returned a smile of his own and saluted. "2nd Battalion 315th Regiment reporting for duty General."
Andrew saluted before dismissing the lower ranking officer. "At ease Major! There aren't any fucking politicians around to chastise us so you can skip the formalities.
"What about the lower ranks?" The Major asked.
"They don't need a reminder on who's in charge around here." Andrew said with a small smile.
The Major nodded. "Alright, where do you want me and my men Andrew?"
"Down in the barracks for now. Get you and your men situated." Lieutenant General Wells answered. He pointed to hanger 15. "Hanger 15, then follow the staircase down. Your men accounted for?"
"All 225 soldiers."
"Good."
The soldier driving the Major's humvee got the General's attention. "Where do you want us to park the trucks General?" He asked.
Andrew pointed towards Hanger 1. "Behind Hanger 1 there's a ramp that takes you down to the vehicle depot. Park your trucks down there." He looked to the Major. "You and your men could just ride down in the vehicle depot and take the staircase to the barracks from there."
"Sounds good." Major Curtis looked to his driver. "Let's go Miller!" The soldier put his humvee in drive and drove towards the hanger with the other trucks following.
Andrew walked over to the guard post set up outside the base fences where Lieutenant Briggs and Private Colson were standing. "Lieutenant Briggs."
Lieutenant Jordan Briggs, a 26 year old in the 89th Military Police Brigade that served three tours in Alaska. Briggs always followed orders, but questioned them whenever they were unethical or went against everything he stood for. It was a trait that both Andrew and Chase favored.
The Lieutenant and Private snapped to attention and quickly saluted the General who returned their salute. "At ease! Encounter any problems today?" Andrew asked going through his daily security check.
"Negative General, all has been quiet." The Lieutenant answered. "Base patrols haven't reported any perimeter breaches and no unauthorized personnel have tried to sneak in with arriving convoys or aircraft."
"Motion sensors?"
"100% active, only local wildlife have been detected." Private Colson answered.
"Automated turrets?"
"One positioned on each guard tower. Chase's R&D Department went all out for us. They have facial recognition scanners." The Lieutenant said, looking impressed with the equipment.
"Minefield?" Andrew asked.
Private Colson was next to speak. "All mines are in place. Remote detonators are set up at all guard towers." The sound of another C-130 landing on the tarmac was heard by the two men. Private Colson looked at the list of units on his clipboard. "The last of the 82nd Airborne just arrived." He informed Andrew while putting a checkmark by the unit.
"Can I see the clipboard son?" The Lieutenant General asked the younger man.
"Here you go General." Colson said handing it over.
Andrew took the clipboard. "Who all isn't accounted for?"
It took a few seconds for Briggs to think about it. "A company of men from Delta Force, the 9th Infantry Regiment, the 507th and 557th Firefighting Detachments, 3rd Battalion 25th Marines, 1st Headquarters Battalion, 13th Bomb Squadron, the 116th Cavalry Brigade, and the 189th Special Operations Battalion."
General Wells skimmed through the list of battalions and regiments him and General Chase personally chose.
The first page had selected units from the Army.
List of United States Military Personnel
Commanding Officer: General Constantine Chase****
United States Army- Lieutenant General Andrew Wells***
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment (Delta Force)
-A Squadron – 250 Soldiers- Major Preston Cooper
1st Infantry Division, Combat Aviation Brigade
-2nd Battalion 1st Aviation Regiment (Aviation) – 100 Pilots- Major Adam Johnson
1st Armored Division- Lieutenant Colonel Michael Conrad
-1st Battalion 77th Armor Regiment (Tank) – 215 Soldiers, 25 Tanks- Major Ralph Morris
-1st Battalion 35th Armor Regiment (Tank) – 205 Soldiers, 20 Tanks- Major John Thompson
-4th Battalion 1st Field Artillery Regiment (Artillery) – 250 Soldiers, 15 Howitzers- Major Sara Roberts
2nd Infantry Brigade 10th Mountain Division
-2nd Battalion 14th Infantry Regiment (Infantry) – 800 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Pruett
3rd Infantry Regiment
-1st Battalion (Honors) – 250 Soldiers- Major Allen Frank
-2nd Battalion (Infantry) – 800 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Michael Vandever
9th Infantry Regiment
-2nd Battalion (Mechanized Infantry) – 480 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Alisha Snow
10th Special Forces Group- Brigadier General David Tedder
-2nd Battalion (Airborne) – 410 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Todd Bailey
-3rd Battalion (Airborne) – 1,000 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Justin Bennett
-Support Battalion – 605 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Terry Washington
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
-1st Squadron (Power Armored Infantry) – 300 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Jones
32nd Medical Brigade
-187th Medical Battalion – 400 Medics- Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Lopez
-232nd Medical Battalion – 230 Medics- Major Isaac Hunsaker
-43rd Surgical Battalion* - 220 Medics- Major Matthew Jensen
40th Infantry Division
-1st Battalion 160th Infantry Regiment (Light Infantry) – 1,000 Soldiers- Colonel Bryce Gilchrist
72nd Field Artillery Brigade
-2nd Battalion 315th Regiment (Artillery) – 225 Soldiers, 15 Howitzers- Major Lane Curtis
75th Ranger Regiment
-1st Ranger Battalion (Light Infantry) – 1,000 Rangers- Lieutenant Colonel Seth Boston
82nd Airborne Division- Colonel Josh Stevenson
-1st Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (Airborne Infantry) – 1,000 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Campbell
-2nd Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment (Airborne Infantry) – 600 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Brandon White
-1st Battalion 82nd Aviation Regiment (Aviation) – 100 pilots- Major James Lewis
89th Military Police Brigade
-93rd Military Police Battalion (MP) – 1,000 Military Police Officers- Lieutenant Colonel Austin Coleman
101st Airborne Division- Colonel Tanner Stewart
-1st Battalion 327th Infantry Regiment (Infantry) – 320 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Roger Barnes
-1st Squadron 32nd Armored Cavalry Regiment (Power Armored Infantry) – 215 Soldiers- Major Adam Green
-1st Battalion 506th Infantry Regiment (Infantry) – 435 Soldiers- Lieutenant Colonel Harold Young
160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne)
-2nd Battalion – 100 Pilots, 200 Soldiers- Major Nick Richens
36th Engineer Brigade
-507th Firefighting Detachment – 50 Firefighters- Captain Tyson Snarr
-557th Firefighting Detachment – 50 Firefighters- Lieutenant Melissa Broadhead
249th Engineer Battalion – 310 Engineers- Lieutenant Colonel Tyler Anderson
554th Engineer Battalion – 500 Engineers- Lieutenant Colonel Luke Allred
911th Engineer Battalion – 465 Engineers- Lieutenant Colonel Brayden Woodland
1st Military Intelligence Battalion – 200 Soldiers Major Adam Ortiz
709th Military Intelligence Battalion – 200 Soldiers Major Jonathan Ortiz
Andrew flipped the page over to view the Marines.
United States Marine Corps- Major General Doug Michaelson**
1st Tank Battalion (Armor) – 200 Marines, 25 Tanks- Major Calvin Miller
4th Tank Battalion (Armor) – 200 Marines, 25 Tanks- Major Mason Peters
1st Reconnaissance Battalion – 500 Marines- Lieutenant Colonel Cameron Jackson
1st Marine Regiment
-1st Battalion 1st Marines (Battalion Landing Team) – 500 Marines-Lieutenant Colonel Kaden Heuston
-3rd Battalion 1st Marines (Light Infantry) – 200 Marines- Major Travis Handy
3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion (Assault Amphibian Battalion) – 200 Marines, 10 AAV's- Major Ali Evenson
4th Assault Amphibian Battalion (Mechanized Battalion) – 300 Marines, 20 AAV's- Lieutenant Colonel Austin Garro
1st Medical Battalion – 250 Medics- Major Chase Barnett
4th Medical Battalion – 100 Medics- Captain Jason Coronado
5th Marine Regiment- Lieutenant Colonel Adam Red
-1st Battalion 5th Marines (Light Infantry) – 250 Marines- Major Patricia Collins
-2nd Battalion 5th Marines (Infantry) – 500 Marines- Lieutenant Colonel Chris Henderson
8th Marine Regiment- Colonel Veronica Matthews
-1st Battalion 8th Marines (Light Infantry) – 1,000 Marines- Lieutenant Colonel Terry Young
-2nd Battalion 8th Marines (Light Infantry) – 300 Marines- Lieutenant Colonel Kelly Parker
-5th Battalion 8th Marines (Power Armored Infantry)* 200 Marines- Major Shawn Evans
10th Marine Regiment- Major Reid Dawson
-2nd Battalion 10th Marines (Artillery) – 100 Marines, 10 Howitzers
-5th Battalion 10th Marines (Artillery) – 150 Marines, 10 Howitzers
23rd Marine Regiment- Colonel Savanna Peters
-2nd Battalion 23rd Marines (Infantry) – 1,000 Marines- Lieutenant Colonel Randy Marshall
-3rd Battalion 23rd Marines (Infantry) – 400 Marines- Lieutenant Colonel George King
25th Marine Regiment- Colonel Wade Parker
-1st Battalion 25th Marines (Infantry) – 1,000 Marines- Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Shepherd
-3rd Battalion 25th Marines (Infantry) – 100 Marines- Captain Peter Greenert
33rd Mechanized Marines (Power Armored Infantry)* - 200 Marines- Major Dylan Fuentes
HMLA-169 (Light/Attack Squadron) – 50 Pilots- Captain James Isaacs
1st Combat Logistics Battalion – 100 Marines- Captain Stanley Lloyd
3rd Combat Logistics Battalion – 100 Marines- Captain Trayson Fisher
1st Combat Engineer Battalion – 1,000 Engineers- Lieutenant Colonel Allani Dellis
3rd Combat Engineer Battalion – 500 Engineers- Lieutenant Colonel Colten Doyle
1st Headquarters Battalion – 50 Marines- Captain Dwight Johnson
1st Radio Battalion – 100 Marines- Captain Ethan Crawford
The next page showed the list of the Air Force.
United States Air Force- Major General Frank Webb**
7th Fighter Squadron – 25 Fighter Pilots
10th Fighter Squadron – 25 Fighter Pilots
19th Fighter Squadron – 25 Fighter Pilots
21st Fighter Squadron – 25 Fighter Pilots
1st Reconnaissance Squadron – 10 Pilots
11th Bomb Squadron – 10 Pilots
13th Bomb Squadron – 10 Pilots
23rd Special Tactics Squadron (Combat Controllers) – 300 Combat Controllers Major Edward Clegg
38th Rescue Squadron (Search and Rescue) 10 Pilots, 100 Pararescue Officers
31st Rescue Squadron (Search and Rescue) 50 Pararescue Officers
56th Rescue Squadron (Search and Rescue) 50 Pararescue Officers
Andrew turned to the next page.
United States Navy- Rear Admiral John Howard**
VAQ-130 (Aircraft Squadron) – 10 Pilots
VAQ-135 (Aircraft Squadron) – 10 Pilots
Seabees (Construction Battalion) – 1,500 Seabees- Commander Shane Austin
SEAL Team 5- Commander Josh Bennett
-3 Platoons – 60 SEALs
SEAL Team 7- Commander Paxton Anderson
-3 Platoons – 60 SEALs
SEAL Team 10- Commander Nathan Chandler
-4 Platoons – 80 SEALs
Next page.
United States Army National Guard- Major General Ashley Brookes**
19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) – Lieutenant Colonel Tom Casey
-1st Battalion – 500 Guardsmen- Major Martin Bradley
-5th Battalion – 250 Guardsmen- Major Dave Cochrane
48th Infantry Brigade (Georgia National Guard) (Infantry)
-2nd Battalion 121st Mechanized Cavalry (Power Armored Infantry) – 150 Guardsmen- Captain Tim Wilder
27th Infantry Brigade (New York National Guard)- Lieutenant Colonel Kody Taylor
-1st Battalion 69th Infantry Regiment (Light Infantry) – 300 Guardsmen- Major Victor Oswald
-2nd Battalion 108th Infantry Regiment (Light Infantry) – 150 Guardsmen- Major Earl Powell
116th Cavalry Brigade (Idaho National Guard) (Cavalry)
-2nd Armored Reconnaissance Squadron – 500 Guardsmen- Lieutenant Colonel Max Anderson
72nd Infantry Brigade (Texas National Guard)- Lieutenant Colonel Marcus Brown
-1st Battalion 141st Infantry Regiment (Infantry) – 400 Guardsmen- Major Stanley McGregor
-3rd Battalion 141st Infantry Regiment (Infantry) – 150 Guardsmen- Major George Collier
-536th Brigade Support Battalion – 100 Guardsmen- Captain Clarence O'Keefe
38th Troop Command (Alaska National Guard)
-761st Military Police Battalion (MP) – 200 Guardsmen- Major Mike Sinclair
223rd Military Intelligence Battalion (California National Guard) -150 Guardsmen- Major Eric Stallings
When the Lieutenant General got to the last page he saw a single battalion that technically fell under the Army. It was a task force that had been secretly formed by General Chase himself.
189th Special Operations Battalion – 475 Shadow Knights- Brigadier General Mike Foster*
"Shadow Elite." Andrew muttered under his breath.
Briggs and Colson looked up at the General. "Sir?" They said simultaneously.
The older man looked to the Lieutenant. "Lieutenant, can you get me an update on the 189th?"
"Yes General." Briggs walked over to the radio set up in the guard booth. "Main Gate to Tower."
"Go ahead Main Gate." Replied the com officer in the tower.
"Liberty 6 needs an update on the 189th S.O.B. over."
"Roger that, stand by…" The radio was silent for a few seconds before the voice came back on. "Main Gate, inform Liberty 6 that the 189th will arrive at 0930 hours! Over."
"Copy that, thanks Tower. Main Gate out." Briggs walked out of his guard post. "The 189th arrives at 0930 hours General."
Andrew nodded. "Good."
"If you don't mind me asking General, what's so important about the 189th?" Briggs asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
The Lieutenant General raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think 189th is important Lieutenant?"
"Out of all the other units unaccounted for you only asked about the 189th. Plus next to the 189th it said Shadow Knights, so I gotta assume that they are of importance." Colson nodded in agreement.
Andrew smiled. "Good to see that you two pay attention to details. The 189th Special Operations Battalion code named Shadow Elite is composed of the best the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps have to offer, but they fall under the Army. If you want to join, you have to be one of the best goddamn warriors to have ever enlisted in the U.S. Military" You didn't get to choose to be a part of Shadow Elite; you had to be chosen by either Chase or Andrew. By the start of the American Invasion of China, Shadow Elite had 2,000 operators.
He gave the clipboard back to the Lieutenant. "There are only two words that can describe them, lethal and intimidating." Andrew said remembering one mission Shadow Elite had accomplished two weeks before the Marine Corps sent in their T-51b Power Armored Divisions for the Gobi and Yangtze Campaigns.
"Care to give us a little insight on this legion of soldiers?" Lieutenant Briggs asked.
"They run assassination, infiltration, sabotage, and counter-terrorism missions. They were kept a secret from the President and his Cabinet. They only follow orders from General Chase, me, or their commanding officer."
"Uh question General. What happens if the President finds out about the 189th? Won't the Washington Brass be all over your case?" Colson wondered.
The Lieutenant General scoffed in disdain. "I could give two shits about what they think Lieutenant!"
Briggs and Colson were taken aback by the venom in the General's voice. "Wow, I always thought top ranking officials got along with each other." Briggs said.
Andrew gave the Lieutenant a dead serious look. "Let me put it to you bluntly Briggs. General Chase and I are on the Brass's shit list."
Now that wasn't what Briggs or Colson was expecting. "What the hell for sir? You and General Chase have accomplished so much in the past three years of the war. You and General Michaelson managed to conquer most of China and their territories, while General Chase managed to reclaim Alaska. Why the hell would you be on their shit list?"
"Because we aren't the ass-kissing type Lieutenant." Briggs and Colson had looks on their face that said they needed more clarification. "There are two types of high ranking officers in the military. The first one is your hard working officer who busts his ass to work his way up to the top, that's people like me, General Chase, and Major General Michaelson. Now I won't lie. I'm not perfect and neither is Chase, but we try and do our best. Then you have the officers who prefer the easy way. They'd rather suck up to politicians to make their way to the top. Those are people like General Babcock."
Briggs snorted. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me. I take it he and General Chase doesn't get along?"
"That's an understatement Briggs, because Chase and Babcock absolutely loath each other. Just last week they got into an all-out knockdown drag out."
Colson definitely wanted to know more now. "What started it sir?"
"General Chase told Babcock that he was nothing but an ignorant, arrogant, bumbling idiot that has no place being in the US Army." Andrew said raising his right wrist to check the time on his watch. 8:36 A.M. "Chase also didn't approve of his methods of handling the violence in Canada. Remember the orders?"
Lieutenant Briggs growled through his teeth. "Yes sir, shoot to kill on sight! The whole reason I was transferred to Anchorage, because I would not fire a single shot."
"And it's the whole reason why we chose you to be a part of the Army's future."
"It's an honor to be here General." The Lieutenant told truthfully.
Andrew smiled at the young man. "It's an honor to have you here." The Lieutenant General looked to Colson. "You too Colson."
"Thank you, sir." The Private said with a smile.
The three changed the subject and went back to checking the base defenses and the personnel status. More and more units were arriving at the base. Andrew was about to head back to the control tower when he heard a fire engine's air horn go off. The trio looked up and saw about 25 American La' France fire trucks driving towards the main entrance.
Two people got out of the lead truck and walked over to the Lieutenant General. They both saluted.
"Captain Tyson Snarr, 507th Firefighting Detachment reporting for duty!" Captain Snarr said.
"Lieutenant Melissa Broadhead, 557th Firefighting Detachment reporting for duty!" Lieutenant Broadhead said.
Lieutenant General Wells saluted the two and Lieutenant Briggs, while saluting Captain Snarr, had his attention completely focused on Lieutenant Broadhead. Only one word could describe this female army firefighter. Absolutely undeniably gorgeous! Okay that was three words, but who cares! This woman was fucking beautiful! Wearing green combat armor and an officer's hat, 25 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall, slim, at least 120 pounds, beautiful brown hair wrapped up into a bun, sparkling brown eyes, pale smooth skin, and a radiant smile. Despite the small scar that ran from the left side of her lip up to underneath her left eye she was an absolute beauty. Then the Lieutenant mentally scolded himself. 'What the fuck Jordan? You're married and have a beautiful baby girl. You are not a love-struck teenager fresh out of high school anymore; you are a United States Army Lieutenant. ACT LIKE IT!" Briggs straightened his shoulders and stood at attention.
"At ease!" The two stood at attention. "Now Lieutenant Broadhead, you've been chosen to replace Captain Harrison for this assignment. Have you been sworn to secrecy?" Andrew asked.
Lieutenant Broadhead nodded. "I have General."
"Good, make no mistake Lieutenant it's an honor to have you be a part of America's future."
"It's an honor that you even chose me to be a part of it sir." Melissa replied.
"We only choose the best Lieutenant. Now, because there are a few other Lieutenants in your detachment you're going to have to be promoted." The Lieutenant General reached into his pocket and pulled out a rank pin. He took off Melissa's hat and replaced the Lieutenant's pin with a Captain's pin. He put the hat back on her head. "Congratulations Captain Broadhead." Andrew said addressing her new rank.
"Thank you General." The now Captain Broadhead said, hiding the shock of her new promotion.
"Barracks are down in Level Six. You guys can park your fire trucks between the hangers. Vehicle Depot is reserved for combat or transport vehicles." Andrew told them.
"Yes General." Both Captains saluted one last time before getting back in their truck. Lieutenant Briggs looked to the other MPs who were checking the ID's of the other army firefighters.
"All clear!" One MP called.
Lieutenant Briggs waved the Captains ahead. "Go!" When the trucks started driving through the gate, Briggs looked to Private Colson whose jaw had hit the floor when he saw the beautiful warrior. Briggs used the palm of his hand to close the Private's jaw. "You need to keep that mouth closed Colson. Bugs can get in."
"Permission to speak freely Lieutenant?" Colson asked.
"Granted."
"That was one hell of a weapon of mass distraction." The Private said not taking his eyes off the fire truck Captain Broadhead was in.
Briggs chuckled then heard the phone in the guard booth ring. Colson was first to react. "I got it." The Private walked over and answered it. "Colson."
Outside the guard booth the Lieutenant was thinking about his wife and daughter. He looked to General Wells. "Mind if I ask you something General?"
"By all means, ask away Lieutenant."
"I've just been thinking about my wife and daughter and I just can't help, but worry about them. Do you really think our families will be safe?" Briggs said wanting to hear an answer that would settle his fears.
Andrew put a reassuring hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I have no doubt in my mind Jordan." The Lieutenant General said using the Lieutenant's first name. Just because he was a hardass General, didn't mean he didn't know how to show compassion every now and then. "I have no doubt in my mind."
"Ok, I'll tell him. Colson out." The Private walked out of the booth and over to Lieutenant General Wells. "Major General Michaelson and the other Officers are airborne and on the way. ETA 3 mikes."
Andrew frowned and looked at his watch. 8:56 A.M. He looked back to the two MPs with a look of confusion. "They're early?"
Colson nodded. "Yes General, the tower said that they need to speak with you as soon as they land. They said that it's urgent."
'That never a good thing.' Andrew thought. "Alright when they get here tell them to meet me in the C.C.R.!"
"Yes General." The two MPs replied.
Not long after the Lieutenant General left, a lone Vertibird was arriving from the southeast.
As soon as the Vertibird landed on Runway One, the ramp lowered and the five high ranking Officers stepped off the chopper. Each one was wearing their service uniform with an overcoat.
Lieutenant Briggs looked to one of the MPs under his command. "Corporal Miller, escort the Officers to the C.C.R.!"
"Yes Lieutenant!" The Corporal slung his .45 auto submachine gun over his shoulder and took off in a sprint towards the Officers. As soon as he got to them he did a quick salute "General Wells is in the Central Command Room, follow me!" Corporal Miller led them to the air traffic control tower. As soon as they were clear, the Vertibird pilot took off to the west, traveling as fast as the aircraft could go. During the flight, Air Force Major General Webb told him that he should get home to his family ASAP, and not bother about returning back to Adams AFB. The pilot could sense fear in the Officer's voice so as soon as they were clear, he was on his way home to make sure his family would be safe.
The two MPs that were guarding the door quickly snapped to attention at the sight of the Officers and saluted. Corporal Miller walked inside and saluted Lieutenant General Wells. "General Wells, the remaining Officers are here."
"Thank you Corporal. That'll be all." Andrew said dismissing the younger man.
"Yes General." The Corporal saluted one last time before doing an about face and walking out of the room. The Officers walked into the room and saluted the Lieutenant General.
Standing in front of the Lieutenant General was the five commanding officers he and Chase had personally chosen.
Major General Doug Michaelson, a 34 year veteran of the United States Marine Corps. 54 years old, 5 foot 10 inches tall, muscular, tanned skin, short platinum hair with silver streaks, a five o'clock shadow, heavy weighted bags beneath his blue eyes making him appear ten years older. On his left arm was a tribal art tattoo with USMC on it. You couldn't tell by looking at him, but General Michaelson had served eight tours in Alaska at the rank of Captain, from 2066 to 2074 and not once did he receive a single scratch. After his distinguished service in the winter warzone, he had been promoted all the way to Major General and was tasked to lead US Marines in the invasion of the Chinese mainland.
Major General Frank Webb, a 32 year veteran of the United States Air Force. 50 years old, 6 foot 2 inches tall, lean, lightly tanned skin, short black hair with a light shade of gray, clean shaved face, and hazel eyes. At the beginning of the Sino-American War, he led his own squadron of fighters against the Chinese Air Force. During his career as a pilot he had personally shot down a total of 76 Xian-85 fighters. However after most of his squadron was shot down in 2070, he gave up being a pilot and worked his way up into the brass, commanding squadrons across the Pacific.
Rear Admiral John Howard, a 40 year veteran of the United States Navy. Seventh-generation Navy officer, 58 years old, 6 feet tall, African-American, very burly for a man his age, bald, clean shaven, and light green eyes. Admiral Howard spent the first ten years of his service as a Naval Aviator. When he turned 28, he enlisted in the Navy SEALS. At the age of 30 he was assigned to SEAL Team 5. From 2066-2069 Admiral Howard had become commander of SEAL Team 5 before being promoted.
Major General Ashley Brookes, a 27 year veteran of the United States Army National Guard. 45 years old, 5 foot 6 inches tall, tanned skin, very lean figure, shoulder length blonde hair wrapped into a bun, ocean blue eyes, and beautiful. At the age of 18 she enlisted in the New York National Guard. In 2064, the US Army's Special Forces (along with several other combat jobs) training programs opened up to women. Thousands of women enlisted in the Army and she was one of the very to become a Green Beret. From 2066-2068 General Brookes conducted Special Operations missions deep behind enemy lines in Alaska. In 2069 she was promoted to Brigadier General and earlier this year, General Chase had promoted her to Major General.
Brigadier General Mike Foster, a 12 year veteran of the United States Army and a 14 year veteran of the United States Marine Corps. Now this is a man who has seen and done it all. 44 years old, 6 feet tall, tanned skin, muscular, buzzed brown hair, clean shaven, a cybernetic left eye and a brown right one. Fought on the Anchorage Front Lines from 2066-2071. During one mission, a Chinese sniper had taken a potshot at Foster when he was taking cover behind a boulder, luckily the bullet had missed him, but a chunk of rock had hit him in the left eye, causing it to go blind. General Chase knew how much it meant to Foster to be enlisted in the US Military, so he had his R&D Department whip up a cybernetic eye to replace his bad one. In 2072 when Chase created Shadow Elite, General Foster was one of the first Shadow Knights to be chosen. By the end of 2076, more than 75% of Shadow Elite had been killed in the line of duty, and Mike was the highest ranking officer left alive (Major at the time). In March, Chase had promoted him to Brigadier General.
"My friends, I wasn't expecting you until 1000 hours." The severe looks on the faces on the other Officers told Andrew that something was seriously wrong. "What's the situation?"
Major General Webb stepped forward. "It's grave Andrew. Very grave." General Webb walked over to Lieutenant Hawk and whispered something into his ear. He walked back over to Andrew and looked at the big screen in the room. All of the other Officers looked to the monitor and saw a satellite image of several Chinese missile trucks. "483 ICBMs armed and ready to fire. They're stationed deep in the heart of Mongolia where we can't reach them. Lieutenant Hawk," The Lieutenant changed the image on the screen. The image was of about a dozen missile silos. "these are silos in Russia, also armed and ready."
"I had to give the order to withdraw all Marines from Asia." Major General Michaelson said getting Andrew's attention. "I don't know what good it'll do with the amount of time we have left."
Andrew frowned in confusion and looked to the Marine Corps General for answers. "What the hell are you talking about Doug?"
Before Michaelson could reply, Admiral Howard calmly spoke. "Andrew, where is General Chase?"
His frown deepened. "The status of General Chase is unknown. Now tell me what the hell is going on!" He ordered with a slightly raised voice.
"Andrew." The Lieutenant General looked to Frank. "Within the next 24 hours we are looking at a full scale nuclear exchange.
Andrew's eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief. "Are you sure Frank? I mean absolutely sure? The Chinese could be bluffing. It's not the first time." The Lieutenant General pointed out.
"Andrew, we have tried contacting the President, the Vice-President, SECDEF, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nobody is responding. I contacted the White House and a secretary said that the President, the Vice President, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs left two days ago and no one has heard from them since. I'm telling you that a nuclear attack is inevitably sooner than we thought."
The C.C.R. had gone dead silent. All the soldiers in the room had heard that last statement and couldn't believe it. The end of the world was coming.
Lieutenant General Wells couldn't believe it himself. "What are we going to do about this?" He already knew there was nothing they really could do about this.
"The only thing we can do is retaliate. All Air Force and Air National Guard bases on the West Coast have been notified and have scrambled their fighters to knock out any long range Chinese bombers that try to fly into our airspace." General Webb notified.
Admiral Howard was next. "All aircraft carriers in the Pacific are ready to launch their long range bombers and all submarines have their nuclear payloads ready to fire."
"Can you tell me why Admiral Kerry put all the fleets in the Atlantic on alert?" Andrew asked the Rear Admiral.
Mike looked to Frank before speaking. "The Russians have decided to take sides with the Chinese. The Atlantic fleets have been put on alert to knock out any warheads fired from Russia."
General Brookes spoke next. "A few states have alerted and mobilized their National Guard to set up refugee centers."
"What about our silos?" Andrew asked. The question was directed more at General Webb.
"All silos on the East Coast and the Midwest are ready to launch."
'What about the West Coast?' Andrew thought. "Has General Retslaf been notified?" The Lieutenant General asked.
General Brookes was the one to answer. "We don't know. Hopeville was just hit by a massive earthquake. The California National Guard has been mobilized to assist search and rescue personnel."
'Great, 13% of our ICBMs are ineffective.' "Andrew I've looked over the base personnel files and I noticed that we have damn near 30,000 troops. I thought the base could only hold 20,000."
Andrew smiled. "General Chase used some of his personal funds to have more cryo-pods installed. Washington never said Chase couldn't use his own money."
"General Wells." The Officers all turned their heads to Lieutenant Hawk. "We have a situation here sir."
The Lieutenant General walked over to the young man. "What is it Lieutenant?"
"Remember how I told you Carrier Strike Group Two had eyes on the Fifth Fleet?"
"Yes." Andrew said drawing the word out.
"They just dropped off the radar." The Lieutenant said bluntly
"What?!" The Lieutenant General shouted.
Before Lieutenant Hawk could talk an alert started going off. "Oh shit!"
"What's happening Lieutenant?" Andrew asked, panic started rising in him.
"The Seventh Fleet just sent out a distress signal! They're under heavy fir- whoa what the hell? They're not on the screen anymore!" Suddenly another alert went off. The Lieutenant looked at a small dot off the coast of Alaska. "The Third Fleet just got hit! The USS Nimitz is down!" The Lieutenant picked up the phone to contact Pacific Fleet Command. All he got was a busy signal. "FUCK! General, Pacific Fleet Command is not responding." A third alert went off. "First Fleet is under attack! We're losing ships out there!"
General Wells picked up a phone to contact Fleet Forces Command when… "GENERAL!" One soldier across the room shouted. Andrew looked at the soldier who pointed to the big screen. When the Lieutenant General saw what the soldier was looking at, the phone fell out of his hand and his eyes widened in a mixture of fear and shock. Everyone turned their attention to the big screen which displayed the world, and every country's nuclear missile silos. Everyone in the room watched as most of the missile silos in the United States, China, Russia, and Great Britain fired. The clock in the room had read 9:17 A.M. This was it. Nuclear Armageddon had begun! The world really was coming to an end. After a minute every U.S. Navy submarine fired their payload and all the aircraft carriers that were still floating had launched their long-range bombers. After five minutes every other country fired their warheads. There was no specific target in mind, everyone was firing for effect. To see how much damage they could deal to the area targeted. All U.S. submarine and bomber payloads were directed at China, North Korea and Eastern Russia. Some American ICBMs were also directed at China as well as Chinese Military Bases. The rest of the ICBMs were heading east towards Europe, towards the Soviet Union. The first missiles to reach their targets would be the submarine payloads in exactly nine minutes forty-three seconds.
Andrew didn't want to waste any more time. He looked to all the soldiers in the room. "EVERYBODY OUT NOW! GET DOWN IN THE BUNKER NOW, MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" Andrew ran over to a control panel and pressed a button sounding the base sirens. All the soldiers grabbed their effects and stormed out the door going for the bunker. The Lieutenant General then went to a terminal and started typing in command sequences, activating the nuclear defense turret on top of the air traffic control tower. Andrew picked up a radio and adjusted the knob until he was on the National Emergency Frequency. He spoke into the radio. "To anyone that can hear me on this frequency, this is United States Military Installation Foxtrot Romeo urging anyone within the sound of my voice to seek shelter immediately! The United States is under nuclear attack. Repeat, this is United States Military Installation Foxtrot Romeo urging anyone within the sound of my voice to seek immediate shelter; the United States is under nuclear attack!" Andrew put the radio down and turned to the other Officers.
"Won't that create a panic?" Doug asked his friend.
"Hopefully it will save people's lives." Andrew said.
"What about the city warning systems?"
"By the time city sirens start to go off, it'll be too late. People won't be able to get to safety in time." Andrew pointed out.
General Brookes nodded in agreement. "He's right, national threat centers have already detected the launches, but they double check and make sure they have absolute conformation that there is an impending attack before alerting cities. That's usually a 20 minute process and that leaves 10 for people to find shelter." She hated how stupid that was.
Brigadier General Foster walked up to the Lieutenant General. "Andrew where are my men?" He asked with concern.
"They're set to arrive at 0930 hours Mike. Don't worry; by the time the missiles get here, they'll be down in the bunker."
Mike was worried about the lives of his men, but he had to remain strong. "Ok, I'm going to wait outside for my men to arrive."
"Go. I'll meet you outside." Mike saluted the superior officer and left the room. Andrew looked to the other four Officers. "You guys need to head down to the bunker." Lieutenant General said.
"We're staying with you Andrew." Admiral Howard said.
"Consider it a direct order Admiral." He replied to the two-star Admiral with authority.
General Michaelson had a smirk plastered on his face. "Andrew, I think I speak for the others when I say fuck you, because we aren't going downstairs until all of our guys are on base!"
Andrew shook his head. "You guys are a bunch of stubborn, headstrong sons of bitches!" Then he smiled. "Best goddamn friends a guy could have."
The group broke into laughter before leaving. Despite the fact that a couple hundred nuclear warheads were on the way to they still managed to find something to laugh about.
1 Mile North of Washingtonville: October 23, 2077. 9:23 A.M. (24 minutes until the bombs fall.)
Firefighters had just gotten done putting out the fire of a completely destroyed house outside of town. The coroner had just gotten done loading a skeleton into the back of his van and Washingtonville's Chief of Police was conversing with one of the firefighters. "Do you have any idea what could have caused the fire Derrick?"
"Yeah, neighbor up the street called in, said there was an explosion. When we got here, the house had been blown apart and what was left was on fire. Gas leak ignited the water heater and you already know the outcome."
The Chief sighed. "I better call the Pentagon and inform them of General Chase." He said getting in his car.
Flashback: Rebirth Army Base: October 23, 2077. 9:29 A.M. (18 minutes until the bombs fall.)
Several troop transport humvees had arrived at the main gate, each one carrying the members of the 189th Special Operations Battalion. Lieutenant Briggs and his MPs were hurrying to check the IDs of each Shadow Knight making sure they were supposed to be on the base. Lieutenant General Wells wasn't kidding when he said these guys were intimidating. Each Shadow Knight wore a black BDU, a balaclava revealing only their eyes, and had a black Special Forces beret with a customized emblem. The emblem was a bald eagle with an American flag flying in one talon and carrying an assault rifle in the other. As soon as the last of Shadow Elite had been cleared, Briggs gave the order for them to drive to the vehicle depot. The Shadow Knights in the last Humvee watched with confusion as the MPs hurriedly closed the chain link gate and locked it down tight.
Briggs walked over to General Foster. "Sir, 416 of the 475 Shadow Knights have arrived."
"The others are arriving by a C-130." Mike informed the Lieutenant.
Five minutes later a lone C-130 was landing on Runway 1. General Foster was hurrying his men off of the plane, while Lieutenant General Wells ran inside to the cockpit of the plane. Andrew got the two pilots attention. "You two shut off the plane and come with me! Hurry!"
The two looked at each other with a questioning look, but shut off the plane and unbuckled out of their seats and hurried off the plane where Major General Webb was waiting for them. "What your names Airmen?"
"Captain Bruce Hendricks, General."
"Airmen First Class Kent Travis, General."
"Come with me!" Frank ordered.
As the pilots hurried with the Air Force General, Lieutenant Briggs ran over to Andrew. "General Wells, General Chase's Vertibird is arriving sir."
"Get into formation!"
The Lieutenant and his men got into formation and stood ready for the General to get off the Vertibird. Andrew waited and watched as the Vertibird landed. When the ramp opened up, Andrew immediately saluted. "General, welcome back to…" The Lieutenant General stopped in mid-sentence as he realized the man coming out of the helicopter wasn't General Chase. Two bodyguards came following the man out.
"We need to hurry now!" The man said.
"Where's General Chase?" Andrew asked.
"There was a fire at his cabin. He didn't make it. We have to get down below now!"
Andrew couldn't believe his ears. His best friend was dead. There was nothing he could do now. He ordered all MPs to fall back down below in the bunker. The Lieutenant General made sure the base had been cleared before looking around one last time at the world he knew would no longer exist.
When the bombs fell, the entire world was plunged into nuclear fire and radiation. Every major city across the globe had been destroyed in the first two hours. When the last of the missiles had detonated. Several Mr. Gutsies and Sentry Bots exited the vehicle depot and started patrolling the base.
(End of Flashback) Rebirth Army Base
That was the last thing the Lieutenant General remembered before flashing back to a different memory.
Skies over New York: June 9, 2279. 8:26 P.M.
"We're about 50 miles out from our destination." Eric said into the headset informing the other Brotherhood Pilots.
"Roger that Eric." They both replied.
Rebirth Air Traffic Control Tower: June 9, 2279. 8:30 P.M.
A monitor started flashing red and the words displayed Unidentified aircraft entering restricted airspace. Engaging EMP Burst! Suddenly the nuclear defense turret on top of the tower emitted a pulse that spread within a 50 mile radius.
Skies over New York: June 9, 2279. 8:31 P.M.
"WHOA WHAT THE HELL!" Eric shouted as his Vertibird started to descend rapidly. Eric was using all of his strength, pulling on the handle to try and keep the bird from crashing.
"What's happening?" Amata shouted in fear.
"WE JUST LOST POWER! I CAN'T CONTROL IT!" Eric spoke into the headset. "HUNSAKER, DAMON CAN YOU HEAR ME?" He got no response from either pilot. "SHIT. MAYDAY, MAYDAY, WE'RE GOING DOWN!" He looked back at the others in the bird. "BRACE YOURSELVES!" Eric turned and looked out the cockpit and saw they were going to crash into the trees. He grabbed ahold of Amata's hand and waited for the worst to happen. After what felt like an eternity, the Vertibird crashed into the Earth.
Well there you have it guys. I hope you guys liked it. Remember if you have any questions, just ask I'd be happy to answer them. Leave a like or review or both. I always allow constructive criticism. Well that's it for now guys. Until the next update, this is NCRMC signing off for now.