Chapter Five: First Battle
/GDI Centre, Arlington, USA, October 10th, 2029
"There's hundreds of them!" Locke shouted as he and Dianna watched the digital map as dozens of red dots swarmed away from the island across the ocean. "Where are they going?" Dianna asked one of the console operators. "Tracking. Several are heading to the Japanese mainland; we have multiple contacts heading towards US Coastlines." He said grimly.
"Dianna!" Hunter was still on the line. Grabbing the phone, Dianna answered. "Get to San Francisco; I'll meet you there!" Hunter said, putting down the phone. Pocketing the smartphone, she turned to Locke, who was glued to the screen. "How long before they make landfall?" He asked. "Hours, sir." Someone replied. "Following their trajectories, some are heading for China, Australia, Russia, Europe…" Locke's eyes widened. "My god! Its' an invasion…" Locke exclaimed as he watched, transfixed, as the creatures got ever closer to land.
….
"Corporal! Get off your ass!" Sergeant Fujita yelled, causing Lance Corporal Tanaka to leap out of his chair. "Gear up." The sergeant said. "All JSDF Forces have been called up; Code K is in effect." Panic and confusion both hit the corporal as he got to his feet. Since the day he had enlisted, he had been consistently and brutally drilled for the event of 'Code K', the emergence of a monster. Running to catch up with Sergeant Fujita, he entered the nearby armory of the barracks, pulling on his combat gear and helmet. At that moment, the cases on the gun racks opened as soldiers frantically grabbed their guns. Picking up a Howa Type-27 assault rifle from the gun rack, Tanaka slammed a magazine into the receiver and followed the others out to the exit.
Jumping into one of the Humvees parked outside, he punched the back of the drivers' seat, ordering him to go. The vehicle quickly accelerated, turning to the exit of the Janjira Airforce Base and joining the long convoy of other JSDF Vehicles. Looking to the other soldiers in the humvee, Tanaka began to relay orders. "We have reports of MUTOs en route from Birth Island. Local Command is establishing a perimeter along the coastlines of Janjira and Tokyo. Treat this operation just like the drills." He explained. "While air and armor are hammering the targets, I want you to give 'em everything you got. Consider it payback for 2014." The other members of the squad began to nod, one of them slapping a magazine against his helmet to help psych himself up for the upcoming battle.
Within minutes, the convoy had reached the coast of Janjira. The humvee grinded to a halt as the squad of soldiers disembarked. Pointing to the long line of roadblocks and sandbag walls set up by the edge of the road overlooking the ocean, Tanaka ordered the team to set up positions. Crouching against the sandbag wall, he looked across the line, where hundreds of soldiers had their guns pointed out to sea. "Sergeant Fujita!" He called out. The sergeant, who was further up the line nodded in response. "Yeah?!" he asked. "Any specifics from command?" Tanaka asked. "There'll be a lot of 'em! Not just one or two!" the man called back. "Alright men!" Tanaka shouted to his squad around him as he looked through the scope of his rifle. "Keep your shooting straight and your wits about you. As soon as the order goes; LET 'EM HAVE IT!"
Silence fell across the line as the battalion of soldiers waited for the attack. After a few minutes, officers were worriedly talking into their radios as jets screamed across the sky above of them. Several dark shapes began to appear on the horizon, almost as if in formation. There were several of them, at least six or seven flying silhouettes. Tanks began to fire their guns, followed by AA emplacements and artillery. Seconds later, the creatures were much closer now, so close their monstrous cackles could be heard. Panic swept up the line as soldiers prepared for the order to fire. Some began to shout and cry for the order to fire.
Officers blew into their whistles, giving the order. Tanaka flicked off the safety on his rifle and aimed for the closest MUTO. The line was lit up with gunfire as hundreds of soldiers began to open up on the approaching monsters. Some of the creatures began to fold their wings, landing in the shallow water before advancing towards the line on foot.
Firing in controlled bursts, Tanaka silently prayed that the monsters would stop and retreat. He watched an abandoned yacht get flipped over in the wave caused by a MUTO's footfall. The large, sailed vessel rolled several times as its' mast snapped before the craft disappeared into the black water. Aiming for the massive head of the creature, Tanaka was about to fire another burst but when he pulled the trigger, the weapon did not fire. Taking his finger off the trigger, he lifted the weapon and pressed the mag release. As the empty magazine dropped from the weapon, he slammed another one home before aiming at the MUTO's head. The creature was close enough now that through the scope of the assault rifle, he could see the monsters' seemingly endless rows of teeth as it roared into the sky.
Soldiers began to panic and cried out in hopelessness at their failing efforts to stop the creatures. Pure chaos erupted as the line broke down. Soldiers defied orders and turned to flee as closer MUTOs reached the coastlines, tearing into the ranks of tiny people and vehicles below them. Looking across to other soldiers, Tanaka tried to find Fujita but the sergeant was nowhere to be found. An approaching MUTO was now no more than twenty metres from his position on the line. Looking up at the gigantic insectoid form, he turned to run.
Sprinting through the city streets, Tanaka caught brief glimpses of all order breaking down as soldiers and civilians ran to cover further inland. Cars slammed into each other as people climbed over rubble of collapsed buildings. He watched in horror as a tank hurriedly reversed from an approaching MUTO, driving right over the top of a fleeing minivan. He watched the emergency supply-laden vehicle twist and crumple as it was quickly flattened by the tank.
Helicopters flew overhead, firing on the advancing monsters as they lashed out at nearby buildings, which collapsed and crumbled, raining debris down to the streets below. With his rifle slung, Tanaka clambered over a burnt out car and leapt away as the entire block behind him was blown to oblivion as a hooked MUTO claw swiped across the street, shattering everything it hit as it passed through.
He wasn't far from the Airforce Base now. Tanaka knew Janjira was lost and that the rest of the JSDF were in mass retreat. Maybe, just maybe, he could reach the base in time and get aboard a fleeing plane or helicopter. No matter what he had to get out of the city. His legs burned with fatigue as he sprinted through the ruined square of the city, where a panicked squad of soldiers were arguing. "Where's the Major?" He heard one shout. "I don't care, we have to get the hell outta here!" another roared. He felt the urge to go to their aid, but survival instincts once again took a foothold when he saw a burning helicopter spin out of control and slam into the side of a building above, causing the Corporal to take off running again.
Tanaka was close now. Nearby road signs marked the nearby location of the Airforce Base, meaning he couldn't be too far. A giant cargo plane arced up into the sky from behind a few buildings; taking off from the base. In its' steep climb, the planes' engines stalled, causing the heavy aircraft to lean back over, falling end over end, the air resistance tearing away chunks of the plane. Tanaka froe with fear as the plane struck the block up ahead, erupting into a fireball which belched up into the sky. The blast knocked him backwards onto the ground. Coughing as he wiped dust from his eyes, the young Corporal got up and took off running again.