Chapter 12: Flashpoint
Candice wrapped cooling packs and a sterile bandage over Glenda's shoulder, as she helped her sit up.
"Damn this war. Damn the Teki." Glenda scowled.
"Calm down, we're gonna make it through this." Candice reassured.
"What makes you so sure? That thing can probably shoot our bombs down in mid-air, then what?" Glenda seethed in pain.
"Attention 7th JSF units, this is Holly. We are preparing for a joint saturation attack in coordination with the army and airborne cavalry units." Holly stated. "Candice, I need you guys to play the bait just one more time, and when the weapon goes to reload cycle, we'll open fire with everything we've got."
Glenda looked disappointed and turned to Candice once more. "What if 'everything we've got' isn't enough?" She frowned.
"I… I don't know." Candice pondered. "But I've gotta get out there. Medevac can't get in here to help until there's a safe corridor for them to fly. Just stay here, yeah?"
Candice nervously fluttered back into the air, leaving Glenda tucked away in a former eatery that had caved in. As Candice frantically tried to distract the beam, Glenda noticed a grandiose but dilapidated building down the street, with 'Nhà hát lớn Hà Nội' written on the sides. Glenda pulled out a small map with the mission objectives scribbled on it, as she unfolded it and took her bearings.
"This is this… that's this street… No way. That's the Opera House." Glenda realized, as she tried to stand up. Her burnt shoulder ached underneath the bandages, and she tried to hold in the painful cries as she began to walk towards the Hanoi Opera House.
If it weren't for the singed sign posts and advertisement posters outside, the once grand hall looked just like any other civic center in her eyes. The witch stumbled up the stairs and into the foyer, taking in the once beautiful art carvings and marble columns. Her footsteps echoed in the hall, and suddenly they were joined by a rustling and shuffling of children's feet.
"Who's there?" Glenda demanded, as the shuffling quickened, and a silhouette leaped behind the reception desk.
Glenda warily pulled out her .50 cal, wincing in pain from the weight as a small Vietnamese boy poked his head out of the darkness.
She relaxed a bit, sighing in relief. "Hi there. What's your name?" Glenda smiled warmly.
The child seemed enthralled as if he'd seen an angel, then scurried away inexplicably fast to the main auditorium.
"Wait!" Glenda exclaimed, doing her best to hurry after the boy, who squeezed through a small hole in the door. Glenda tried the handle, but it was barred shut from inside.
"Hello? Anybody there?" She inquired, leaning down to the small aperture.
There was a heavier rustling of boots, as a large male figure leaned down to look at her. "Oh, a visitor! Welcome!" A voice said.
"What? Who are you?" Glenda demanded.
"Oh, how rude of me. Lieutenant Jr Grade Everett Alvarez Jr., USN Airman." He stuck his hand through the wall, implying she should shake it.
As she extended her hand, Glenda noticed his rubber wristband, which was crudely engraved '8/5/64.'
Her eyes widened. "Wait, August 5th, 1964? That Lieutenant Alvarez? The first US aviator of the war to be shot down and captured?"
"Yep, yep, and yep… that's me. And you are?"
"Captain Glenda Edwards, USAF, 7th Joint Strike Force. I'm one of the Bomber Witches."
"Well… ain't that swell!" He chuckled. "So, you're going to break us out?"
"'Us?' How many of you are there?"
"Uh… hard to say, at least a couple hundred. We're just managing to get by, thanks to our runner, Hien. He goes and scavenges supplies at night - something many of our boys were lost to. There may not be active guards here but going out there is suicide if you're caught in the open."
"That's horrible… we're trying to take down the laser right now, then the army and helicopters can collect you." Glenda frowned.
"The laser? You're not going to kill that thing from outside, it's like an armadillo. In his expeditions, Hien speculated that the central core is hidden near the base of the tower, in a tangled mess of construction we call 'Iron Jungle.' If you could get through that maze, you might be able to kill it. It's just really risky."
"Well we're not bringing in big guns, not until we can get you guys out so… I'll tell my superior and see what she thinks." Glenda noted. "You're sure about this?"
"Hien hasn't been wrong yet. We'll wait here for a signal, then we'll join up with whatever forces we can find." Alvarez stated.
"Good. You'll be free soon, just a little bit longer ok?" Glenda smiled, making her way to the street side. She tapped her radio earpiece and began to contact Holly. "Major, you won't believe this…"
Holly was providing support fire for Candice when Glenda's voice came through the radio. "…No, I don't believe it. In fact, that's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard." She said coldly. "You mean to imply that at the very climactic battle of the war in Vietnam we should trust a child's intuition?"
"…Do you have a better idea?" Glenda shot back. "It's clear our attacks aren't working, and we can't call in bigger weapons else we cause collateral damage to the city and kill the POW's."
"Is Draeger down there?" Theresa asked, amidst a burst from her Hispano.
"It's possible. There are several hundred US POW's down here, so it's hard to tell – and there's going to be more at Hoa Lo and the Embassy." Glenda responded.
"Major, please. We have to give it a shot." Theresa pleaded.
Holly deliberated, then gave in. "I'm gonna catch hell for this… All units, listen up!" Holly commanded. "I need a saturation attack while Addison, Theresa, Candice, and myself go in to attack the core structure. Once the attack run is complete, we will attempt to extract – please keep the skies clear until then. Denise and Shannon, you're the gatekeepers. Cover the entrances and exits during your orbits."
"Yes ma'am!" Denise and Shannon exclaimed.
"Y'know, I have just the thing for this…" Jane smiled, pulling out a tape cassette.
The sound of an upbeat guitar filled the radio waves, as the four girls rushed towards the tower. The rockabilly music was joined by the whirring of helicopter blades, as the AH-1 Cobra's and UH-1 Huey gunships moved in to support.
"I see a bad moon a-rising," Jane began to sing along.
"I see trouble on the way,
I see earthquakes and lightnin'
I see bad times today.
Don't go 'round tonight,
It's bound to take your life,
There's a bad moon on the rise…"
As the music played, Jane's voice was drowned out by a combined storm of bullets raining down on the main structure, while the cooling towers faced an onslaught of ATGM's (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles), rockets, grenades, and cannon fire. A purple arc raced up the tower, as the weapon attempted to fire again with the used core chambered. Instead of a brilliant beam, there was a terrifying roar as power kept surging up the tower and overloading the focal lens. The turret shattered like a million glass window panes, as electricity continued racing up the tower.
"Must be overloading, it's turning itself into a bomb…!" Holly realized. "Laser is down, gather the POW's and get the hell out of here! We'll punch out the core, maybe that will diffuse all the energy!"
The girls roared into the Iron Jungle, turning on their landing lights to try and avoid the shadowy wreckages. Holly's hair was standing from all the electric charge, and she noticed that on every few columns was a red disk, shaped somewhat like an eye.
"Eyes up, girls! They're all around us!" Holly shouted, as the core came into view surrounded by a swarm of Teki construction drones.
"What the…" Theresa began, as drills crunched into the earth, conveying materials into a makeshift forge and stamping out alien metal sheets.
"Someone's been a busy bee. Er, Teki." Candice shuddered.
"Look! The core…!" Addison beckoned as electricity surged into the octagonal structure, with a loud humming that made their hair stand up.
"Look out!" Holly cried, as an arc of lightning raced towards them. She positioned in between the other girls and the arc, attempting to absorb it with her shield. "Unf…! Agh!" She cried, as her shield crackled. "Return fire! Dammit!" Holly ordered.
The girls deployed their own shields in an attempt to help Holly, and opened fire. Even as they confirmed kills, new drones were rolling out of the core just as fast, in ever growing numbers.
"What do I do…?" Holly thought. "What would a Memphis Belle do? I'm scared, mom...!"
Suddenly, she felt a new energy surging within her veins, and heard her mother's voice again.
"Holly remember what I said baby. You have the gift too – your desire to help people is a driving force that can break any barricade."
There was a warm feeling throughout her body, as Holly could feel power cascading throughout herself as blue hot lightning arced from her fingertips, striking the Teki core as it screeched eerily. Holly was as shocked as everyone else, as a blue aura emanated from her body.
"By Jove…" Addison gasped. "St. Elmo's Fire?!"
Holly turned her attention to the core and tried focusing all her energy towards it. The fiery lightning shot forth anew, breaking through to the inner core and shattering everything in its way. The bright redness faded to grey, as the structure shattered into wispy shards. The other Teki drones also shattered in a cascade of destruction as the tower above began shaking violently.
"Let's pull out of here girls!" Holly yelled, as they roared towards the exit.
"Denise! Shannon! We're coming out!" Theresa yelled, as the outside light blinded them.
The gunship witches watched as their comrades raced out, followed by a plume of rubble and smoke as the tower collapsed on itself.
"Welcome back to the land of the living, uh… major." Denise sighed, looking on curiously at the glowing witch.
"Indeed." Holly smiled. "Secure the airspace and call in the airborne cavalry. Glenda, give them the coordinates."
"Yes ma'am." Glenda chimed.
"Major, come in." Hailey radioed.
"Yes Hailey, go ahead." Holly answered.
"Words gotten out that the tower is done for. The Teki are scraping up every fighter they've got in a last-ditch attempt to kill off the POW's." Hailey worried. "You need to get them out of Hanoi, now."
"How close are they?" Holly sighed.
"First wave is half a klick out to the west of you, closing fast." Hailey voiced her concern.
"Memphis Belle II to all units, we've got incoming enemy fighters trying to terminate the POW's. We must hold them all off until the Huey's evacuate everyone. Don't let even one through!" Holly commanded.
"Roger that!" The girls responded in unison, as they raced to meet the enemy head on.
Denise and Shannon made first contact, firing up their Gatling guns and filling the sky with bullets. The swarm of Teki fighters dove out of the sky to meet them, like a plague of locusts.
"Denise! Shannon! Use your rate of fire to box them in, then Danielle and Jane can follow up with missile attacks." Holly ordered.
"Copy Major!" Denise and Shannon chirped, cutting through the enemy with a storm of bullets as they were focused into a smaller area.
"Spirit of Great Britain, firing Blue Steel! Cover your ears!" Danielle warned.
"Calamity Jane, firing Hound Dogs!" Jane followed up.
The wolfpack of missiles roared off the weapons pylons and detonated amidst the confused enemy formation. A few still pressed the attack, but the witches moved in to block their route. Just as they were picking off the last few, Hailey called again over the radio.
"Well done Major, the second wave made a poor decision on their route and got ripped apart by the fleets AA network, but the third wave is closing in on Kep Air Base to try and bomb the transports on the runway. There are a few operational AA guns on the ground, but they don't have enough firepower to repel a major attack." Hailey radioed.
"Copy that." Holly sighed. "Listen up! We can't let those transports die on the ground, so let's haul ass and clear the skies for them."
"Roger!" The girls responded in unison.
"Major, did the medevac pick up Glenda?" Candice worried.
"The medevac chopper should be touching down with the rest of the group, so yes they should be picking her up now." Holly smiled.
"And Draeger?" Theresa frowned.
"If she's down there, we'll find her." Holly encouraged.
As the witches approached Kep Air Base, the assault had already begun on the beleaguered transport planes. Of the original five C-141 Starlifters, one had been destroyed by enemy fire and another one lost to mechanical failures. The remaining three were barely kept alive by the M42 Duster's and M16 GMC halftracks they were carrying, who were outmatched in their fight for air superiority. A few dilapidated ZU-23-2 AA mounts were reactivated on the base by the infantry, to muster any extra firepower. Simultaneously, the Huey armada was approaching from the south, heavily laden with POW's and wounded soldiers.
"Damn…" Holly clenched her teeth, watching as tracer rounds filled the air. "Airborne Cavalry be advised we do not have air superiority. Please hold position until we can clear the skies."
"This is Major Powell. Please hurry, we've got a fair share of wounded and we're running low on fuel." Powell urged, as his helicopter swayed in the warm breeze.
"Understood Major Powell, leave it to us." Holly answered. "Alright girls, that's our signal for counterattack. Let's clean house!"
The girls acknowledged, as they rushed into the fray with guns blazing. Candice got on the tail of an enemy fighter-bomber, as they wove in between the airbase buildings. She fired a burst from her Hispano into its wing root, causing it to spiral into an empty hangar bay and disintegrate. Soon Addison found one on her tail but lead it towards Denise who wiped the alien out of the sky.
Glenda woke up on a stretcher aboard one of the Huey's, feeling the floor vibrate below her as the helicopter held position outside of Kep Air Base. She managed to sit up and strained painfully to grab the twin M60 door gun.
"Dammit, I'm not going to be useless today!" She growled, nudging the gunner aside and squeezing off a burst of fire at a passing Teki. Miraculously, she managed to hit it and whooped with joy before handing the gun back to the confused door gunner.
"Glenda, was that you?!" Jane hollered over the radio.
"Yeah, chalk one up for me!" Glenda laughed.
Even with Glenda's limited help, Holly kept glancing nervously at the transports as they idled on the runway, then back to the helicopters holding pattern around the base. She tried to focus her energy again, thinking about the desire to save her friends and the POW's. An enemy missile meant for Danielle flew off and strayed within inches of the lead chopper before exploding, and she watched in horror as it was engulfed in flames. The soldiers bailed out, their uniforms blazing as they hit the earth below. The electric charge began to flood Holly once more, as her eyes turned lightning blue with anger.
"Holy shit…" Theresa murmured. "Everyone stand back from Memphis Belle II!"
The girls made room for Holly as a trident of lightning bolts raced towards the Teki and charred them instantly. Another volley shot out from her fingertips, frying the remaining fighters alive until they were vaporized.
Once the last Teki had been shot down, Holly's muscles relaxed as she slowly passed out and fell out of the sky. Theresa raced to catch her, breaking the poor girl's fall as small arcs of lightning jumped eagerly over her before dissipating.
"Whuh…? Is it over?" Holly muttered as her eyes sleepily opened.
"It is now. That was hot, Major." Theresa giggled.
Holly blushed and attempted to sit up as the Huey's thundered overhead to the runway. The more severely wounded POW's were loaded up first into the Starlifters, receiving attention from the infantry field medics as the other men were admitted onboard. Several rows of makeshift seating were bolted into the floor of the cargo hold where the more able-bodied men were seated. There was much cheering and elation as they all signed their names on the front bulkhead with a permanent marker.
The captain pulled down his radio handset as the cargo ramp was closing and addressed the men. "Attention all passengers, this is your pilot speaking. Welcome aboard… Hanoi Taxi. Let's go home."
Another round of cheering and laughter exploded from the cargo hold, as the Starlifters rolled down the runway and took off, heading for home.
The empty Huey's dusted off before returning to Hanoi once more, watching the POW's as they scrambled on top of the US Embassy building, flailing their arms for help.
"There's so many left though… what do we do without the other planes?" Glenda radioed above the chopper noise.
"Not much we can do… or maybe there is something." Holly started. "Hailey, contact Midway."
A few minutes later…
"…You want us to do what?" Kurosawa echoed.
"Clear the deck. We must get the POW's out somehow now that we've lost two-thirds of our evacuation planes." Hailey responded.
There was a frustrated grumbling noise like an upset grizzly bear as Aiko found her words again. "…Fine. But I need time to get them all below deck."
"Acknowledged. Please do your best." Hailey smiled.
Aiko didn't answer and scrambled up a ladder to the air boss' tower.
"Get everything below deck, on the double." She ordered.
The air boss shot a perplexed glance at her, then turned on the PA system.
"General quarters, all hands. Stow all craft and clear the flight deck!" He ordered.
There was a massive commotion aboard the floating city, as ground crew scurried to tow the planes and navy choppers below deck. The elevator groaned in frustration as it clacked up and down the ship. In the hangar bay was an even greater commotion, as maintenance was stopped to free up all available space in the ship.
The Huey's landed one by one around and atop the US Embassy, as the POW's clambered aboard to safety. Glenda watched somberly as those in worst condition were loaded up first. She panned around in search of rations and did her best to feed the starving men.
"You're going to be ok. Everything is going to be ok." She smiled reassuringly, resting a young soldier's head on her lap and administering a liquid food solution.
The helicopters began to land on the USS Midway, as Schwarzkopf and Powell disembarked to speak to Captain Chambers while the other men went below deck.
"You have my utmost gratitude, Captain Chambers." Schwarzkopf noted.
"I'm just doing what my country would expect of me." Chambers smiled, as they shook hands.
As the helicopters began to wind down, one of the GI's looked very concerned as he held the young local boy Hien in his arms. He ran up to Major Schwarzkopf inquisitively and beckoned for his attention.
"Sir, are we pulling out?" He asked.
"We are, the fighting is done here. A few ships and troops will stay behind to guard the SeaBees as they help rebuild North Vietnam's airfields and ports, so we can start restoring the country to working order." Schwarzkopf sighed. "There's a lot to be done. The first wave of supply and construction ships has already left Pearl Harbor on its way to Haiphong, we'll be passing them on the way home. We can't rebuild the whole country, but at least we can provide them some shelter and sustenance until normal life resumes."
"That's a relief to hear, sir. This young boy kept us going – he gathered food and intelligence to keep the POW's going this far, and I'm glad we can return the favor to his people." The soldier replied.
The commotion was interrupted once again as the air boss barked loudly over the PA. "Unknown aircraft you are entering restricted US Navy airspace, change course immediately!"
A small Cessna O-1 'Bird Dog' plane came into view, waggling its wings and turning on the landing lights. The servicemen were alarmed and began reaching for their rifles until the plane passed overhead, dropping a paper note. A nearby maintenance crew handed the note off to Chambers as the plane circled around in pattern.
"Can you move the helicopter to the other side, I can land on your runway, I can fly for one hour more, we have enough time to move. Please rescue me! Major Buang-Ly, wife and 4 children." Chambers read the note, clutching it tightly. "I'll be damned…" He muttered, reaching for his radio. "Crow's Nest, please confirm the occupancy onboard that observation plane."
The ship's lookouts stared through binoculars at the plane and couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the Vietnamese Major, his wife, and four crying children just as the note said.
"Sir! Confirmed, one South Vietnamese Major, wife, and four very afraid children." The lookout reported.
Chambers debated for a moment, before turning to the ground crew and pointing towards the choppers blocking the runway. "Push 'em over."
"But sir!" The crew chief began.
"Chambers, are you sure about this?" Schwarzkopf raised an eyebrow.
"If it was your family, would you not do the same?" Chambers looked back at the army major.
Schwarzkopf was silent for a moment. "Very well, you'll be taking full responsibility for this?"
"Of course." Chambers replied dryly, turning back to the ground crew. "Push 'em over!"
The crew chief was stunned, and reluctantly saluted. "Yes sir. You heard the man, push 'em over!" He turned to his crew, as he and twenty other aircraft handling crew started pushing against the Huey's. There was a loud screeching sound as the helicopter skids strained against the deck, before the metal beast was pushed overboard into the water with a tremendous splash. The other two Huey's were disposed of in a similar manner, as the runway was cleared up for Major Buang.
The Landing Signal Officer (LSO) began signaling Major Buang to land, and the plane began to sputter as he brought it around for final approach. The major lowered his flaps, before realizing his descent slope was too deep and began pushing up the throttle. As he did, the last drop of fuel came out of the tank, and the propeller sputtered to a stop. Everyone held their breath as the small plane floated down for what seemed like hours, until the wheels touched down and they slowed to a standstill.
Cheering erupted from the deck crew, as the red jacketed crash crews ran in to help everyone out. Buang got out and helped the crash crew extract his family, as the fire extinguishers were held at the ready. Major Buang scratched his head and chuckled a little as he gave his family a hug, then saluted Captain Chambers.
Suddenly, Hien stirred in the soldier's arms. "Cha? Cha!"
"What's he saying?" Schwarzkopf asked.
"He's saying… father." The soldier replied, letting Hien down as he ran over to Major Buang.
"Hien!" Buang cried in elation as they ran to each other and he picked his son up.
"Hien?!" His wife ran over crying with the children, and they also joined the group hug.
Schwarzkopf and Chambers just looked on in amazement, as the Midway gently made its way through the harbor.