Chapter Five
Knightmare
Wood didn't like the quiet, from his experience it was always just a calm before a storm. The city of Jerusalem was dark, and seemed haunting, pitch black and devoid of life. The MEF had abandoned most of the city, and those that had refused to evacuate the city had been ordered to stay inside after the sun had vanished from the sky.
The sergeant had seen the site many times before; it was all too common a site as the Royal Army marched from city to city. However, the war now in its later stages, Lelouch noted that the MEF had begun to grow desperate in their approach to the conflict and had entrenched themselves into the cities like a tic holding for dear life. So, it was that he and his squad had been deployed to remove the largest of the enemy's weapons caches before the assault in the days to come to minimize the death toll.
Peering down from the rooftop, Wood looked Northward through his binoculars at the enemy supply depot below. The building, that was large enough to hold at least eight large Bamides Frames, was surrounded by a thick concrete wall with razor wire strewn across its peak. In the courtyard of the building Wood could see at least two air to ground missile systems along with a long row of ATVs waiting to be deployed to battle.
"They have enough firepower there to hold the city for a week." Julius noted at he walked up beside the sergeant.
"Not for long they won't." Wood chuckled kneeling beside his commander. "Has our plan changed at all?"
"For the most part things will go the same. But we can't call in our Sutherlands with those SAMs in the area." Julius sat up. "We'll need have them taken out before we can get a drop ship in the area, or any air support for that matter."
"Make the missile things go boom. Got it." Wood chuckled.
"That's one way of putting it." Julius smirked. "Havoc, Monica, and yourself need to go get ready to repel down to the street and make for the depot after the third pass. You'll have a slight opening to make it to the far wall and proceed with the plan."
"What about you?" Wood asked puzzled as he watched Julius pick up open a case and begin to assemble a scoped rifle.
"I'll be in the west tower providing sniper support."
Wood frowned at the sudden change in plans. "The plan is for the four of us to be on the ground, sir."
"I know, but it's a better look. Besides, I trust you enough to be able to handle yourselves." Julius stood, slinging the rifle across his back. "I need to go if I'm going to be in position on time. It's best you get back to the others with the reconnaissance data."
Wood was about to protest more but Julius had already turned to go, a telltale sign that he had already made up his mind and Wood knew once the colonel had it was nigh impossible to change it. Swallowing his objections, Wood stood and headed down into the abandoned apartment where Havoc and Monica where. Walking into the room, Wood looked around at the strewn about furnishings and broken glass that crunched under foot as the sergeant approached his comrades.
Monica looked passed Wood expecting to see Julius, but was confused when he didn't appear. "Where is Julius?" She asked, puzzled.
"Change of plans. The colonel is taking up a spot on the western tower to provide sniper support."
"When did he decide this?" Havoc frowned.
"A few minutes ago." The sergeant reached back into his pack and retracted his gear to rappel from the apartment.
"All right then." Monica huffed slightly, annoyed at the sudden change. "We'll need to get moving then if we want to keep our schedule."
While the trio worked to finished prepping, Wood explained the finer details of what he and the commander had seen on the rooftop moments before. The three then made their way out onto the balcony where they began their decent to the alleyway below. Being the first on the ground, Wood pulled up his assault rifle, covering the others as they finished the decent. After the group had assembled on the ground Wood waited until Monica took the lead, her being the ranking officer in Lelouch's absence.
Watching her back, Wood followed his superior forward until the three reached the end of the small road. There they waited until as armored cars rolled by, one by one. Crossing the road, the trio sticking to the shadows as they crossed to the entrance. Crawling along the outer wall, Monica led the way as the three approached the checkpoint that fed into the main yard of the depot. If Julius's timing was correct, this was when the guard change would be occurring granting them just a few moments to slip in relatively unopposed. Following Monica, Wood and Havoc slipped into the courtyard without resistance, just as Julius had said.
Finding a secluded spot in the yard out of the way of any patrols the three convened to assess the remainder of their plan.
"Dave, can you get any contact to Julius?" Havoc asked whilst scouting out the courtyard for any threats. In reply, Wood flicked on his radio.
"King, this is K-1, you there?"
After a few seconds of quiet, the colonel's voice finally came through in reply. "I read you K-1. Where are you now?"
"We're just inside the compound, near the south wall." Wood replied looking toward the western tower. "We're looking for a little intel on what you can see from way up there."
"I have you in my sites. There are two small patrols of three men each. One is moving away from your position toward the depot, and the other is stationary at the SAM nearest to your position."
"Any advice?"
"Split up. B-1 should take the depot. Inside he should find several fuel cells where he needs to plant the plastics. Q-1 can take out the group defending the first SAM and then sabotage the targeting system while you handle the other." Julius relayed.
"Understood. K-1 out." Flicking off his radio, the young man looked to the rest of his squad and began to relay what he had been told. After little deliberation, Havoc and Monica agreed with Julius's assessment and parted ways for their individual assignments.
Moving alongside the wall, Wood made his made his way for the SAM at the far end of the courtyard, passing ATV after ATV. His gun raised, the sergeant finally came up on the device, finding it unguarded. The launcher was extremely bulky, carrying eight surface-to-air missiles ready to be set off at a moment's notice. Beside it was the control panel that linked into the launcher's internal computer system. Reaching into one of his pockets, the soldier pulled out a thick flash drive that he plugged directly into the system. There was a low, barely audible spark that signaled the death of the system. It was a crude device, yet effective. While the MEF could replace the system, it would take them time that they could not afford.
Retrieving his rifle, Wood started back to the rally point, that was until the explosion occurred. The shock wave sent the soldier flying into the pavement as debris from the depot landed all around him. Shaking his head, Wood was deafened by the ringing in his ears as his head was swimming as he felt a trickle of blood flow down his forehead. Dazed and confused, the young man attempted to drag himself to his feet, but found himself stumbling as he attempted to rise and quickly became reacquainted with the ground once more. After allowing himself a moment to regain his senses, Wood looked back to the depot behind him and saw that it had been engulfed in flames; however, that was not what garnered his attention. Inside the ruins of the building was a large black nightmare frame that looked like a newer version of the Sutherland.
Cursing, Wood sprung to his feet and retrieved his rifle from the ground before making a run for the rendezvous point. As he ran, Wood saw a pair of guards rush out into the open, not waiting for them to make the first move David unloaded three rounds into the chest of each man while he ran. Not stopping, the young man continued to fire his gun at anyone he saw.
Reaching up and turning on his radio, Wood yelled out as he slew another man on his way for the checkpoint, the nightmare behind him already unloading into those all-around. "Julius, we have a probl-" Wood didn't get to finish as he was cut off by yet another massive explosion, this time coming from the Western tower. Stopping in his tracks, the sergeant, for the first time in his military career, was genuinely frightened. This wasn't a random occurrence, this was planned, how they knew about Julius's sudden change of plans, David didn't know, but it scared him to death.
"Get down, you moron!" Wood was snapped out of his trance just in time to notice the thick shoulders of a man tackling him to the dirt just as rounds from the Knightmare flew overhead, just missing their target.
Looking back, Wood saw a soot-covered Havoc who was bleeding at the shoulder from what looked like a piece of metal. "You're alive?" Wood asked, shocked.
"Nice to see you too. We need to move." The man snapped back as he pulled Wood back to his feet and the two began running for the checkpoint. "The damn Frame blew up the building just as I was leaving; I was in its shadow when it went. It's shielding system is advanced, probably the only reason I'm not fried right now."
"What about Monica?" Wood asked, leaping over the barrier and ignoring the two ATVs that had opened fire on the Frame.
"Don't know. But she's the most capable one down here. I trust that she'll find her own way to the rally point." Havoc panted, his face contrasted by one of the two ATVs exploding from the Knightmare's fire.
Looking back, Wood as disheartened as he saw how quickly the pilot of the frame was dismantling the MEF's troops. David knew that they were the only thing that was keeping the black Knightmare from getting to them, and that wouldn't last very long. "We have to duck into one of those buildings up there."
"What about reaching our rendezvous point?" Havoc asked, his eyes darting back to the frame.
"They knew where Julius was going to be, we can't trust that they don't also know where our meet up point is!"
"This has just turned into a shit show!" Havoc complained as the two at last ran into an ally way. Havoc, now desperate to get out of view of their new enemy, breached open the door to one of the buildings on the street and dove inside. Panting heavily, the two ran through the building until they found a secure room, far from view of the streets.
Slumping down a wall, Wood took a moment to get his breath back as he ran his hand through his hair, collecting a mix of soot and blood from the cut on his forehead on his hand. "How did this happen?"
Sighing, Havoc looked around the abandoned office they had found themselves in. "I don't know, brother, but his is a bad look." Looking at his wound, Havoc cursed. "See if you can't get a hold of Monica, see where she is. Then contact command and let them know things have gone sideways down here if they don't already know."
Nodding in agreement, Wood pulled at his radio. "Q-1, this is K-1 do you copy? Q-1 do you read me?"
"David?" Monica replied after a long moment.
"Yeah, Havoc and I are here. What's your situation?" Wood asked, obviously relieved to be hearing from her.
"I've managed to slip down the street south of the depot, but there are MEF troops crawling all over. I'll think I'll be able to make it to the EM extraction site. Where are you?"
"Havoc and I were followed by that frame, we had to dip into an office building across the street. I don't know if that Knightmare is still out there or not." Wood said standing. "Hey, have you heard from Julius?" Wood asked, though he didn't get his hopes up.
"No. I just saw the explosion." Monica answered somberly. "He wouldn't want any of us to give up on his accord. So, you boys get out of there. When I make it to the extraction, I'll come for you two. Pop a smoke on the rooftop. We'll have fighters clear the way."
Wood was silent for a moment before answering at last. "Understood. K-1 out."
"What's the plan?" Havoc asked walking over to help Wood to his feet.
"Monica is nearly to extraction. She's ordering fighters to clear the area so that she and the transport can lift us out."
"So, we need to make it to the roof then I take it?" Havoc questioned, to which David nodded in reply. "Well, get busy living, or get busy dying I guess."
As the two climbed the ten flights of stairs to the roof the pair began to feel the full effects of the blast as pain started to set in now that most of the adrenalin had worn off. Wood had never felt so tight in his entire life, not to mention the fact that his head was pounding and the many cuts on his body stung. After a grueling climb, the two crouched low at the top of the building. Havoc decided he would be the one to check out the situation. Crawling to the edge of the building, the solider peered over the top to the streets below. Looking back to Wood he gave a nod of the head before making his way back.
"I didn't see the Knightmare, but there is a swarm of enemy troops down there."
"You don't seem too concerned about that." Wood laughed nervously.
"Ever seen what a jet fighter can do against a bunch of infantry? A lot." Havoc smirked a little. "Those poor bastards are about to have a shitty day."
The two sat crouched low while they listened in for the roar of the jets flying overhead. Feeling the rubble of the building from the engines of the plains, the two could hear the yelling of the men below as a spray of bullets began to rip them apart. Looking to the night sky, all Wood could see to help him locate the fast movers where the endless muzzle flashes from the aircraft's large main guns. With the men below scattered, Wood could hear the blades of their transport closing in.
Rising, Wood tossed out a smoke grenade that started to plume up into the sky. The pilot spotting the signal turned the chopper toward them, coming up to the edge of the roof. The back ramp of the transport lowered, biting into the concrete of the building as Monica greeted them. The two quickly running onto the transport looked back at the building as they pulled away, relieved to have made it out.
"Julius?" Havoc asked as the medic aboard rushed over to look at his injury.
Monica looked grim as she shook her head. "We flew over the building he was a top on the way here," Monica let out a deep breath. "The top five floors were all in flame, and parts of the building had collapsed in on itself from the blast."
Wood felt cold, as he closed his eyes. It was the first friend he had lost in his service to the Crown. He hoped it would be the last. "Let's go home." Wood uttered in defeat as he hung his head back. "Let's, just go home."
Authors Note:
Another week(ish) another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed the last this one! Questions are free to be shot out, I will answer what I can. This one was fun to write, but I don't know how long it will be until chapter Six comes out. Additionally, after Chapter Six I will be taking the time to work on The White Dragon, posting its next chapter as I promised I would at some point here in early 2017. Now that that's taken care of, on to answering questions!
Q: Very nice, the person saying "I love you," is his mother correct? I hope this story regains its popularityInteresting Geass choice, I assume he had to memorize those "important" plans?
A: Yes, that would be his mother, it's a direct quote from chapter two. And you are correct that he memorised the plans (no spoilers for you).
Note: Thanks F.C.C.S I fixed the issue.
Thanks again everyone! Drop me a review and follow and fav if you fancy that sourt of thing. Thanks!
Special thanks to BlackFruity
for beta reading and helping edit this chapter