Hey guys. Here's another chapter of Naruto: Modern Warfare.
This is it. The Americans are en route to capture Al-Asad. Will they succeed?
The American and Arabian militaries were pushing back against the Lion's Sword. They had managed to push back the last of their forces to the city of Jeddah. The plan was to surround the city to prevent Khaled Al-Asad from escaping. The US Army would attack from the North, Marines from the South, and the Arabian military from the East. The US Navy would blockade the port to prevent any ships from escaping in case Al-Asad tried to escape on the water.
"Marines," Overlord spoke on the radio, "we have a possible fix on Al-Asad in the city of Jeddah. 1st Battalion is en route. Intel gathered by SAS indicates that Al-Asad may have a Russian warhead. Speed is critical. NEST teams have been deployed to the area. Force Recon and Wild Weasel units have taken out most of the air defenses, but Al-Asad's ground forces still pose a serious threat."
Everyone had their game faces on. They knew this was the beginning of the end.
"Looks like we're rolling in with everything we've got," Vasquez stated, "We grab Al-Asad, we end this war, right here, right now. Lock and load Marines!"
"OORAH!"
(AN: Shock and Awe OST starts playing)
"Shock and Awe"
October 11, 2011 – 18:00:04
Jeddah, Islamic Republic of Arabia
Sergeant Paul Jackson
1st Force Recon Co., USMC
Jackson was riding in a CH-46 Sea Knight, callsign Outlaw 2-5, towards the city of Jeddah alongside other CH-46s, AH-1W SuperCobras, and UH-1Y Venoms, the modern variant of the venerable UH-1 Huey helicopter. He could see several A-10 Warthogs performing strafing runs to soften up the defenses for the choppers.
"In formation," Outlaw 2-5's pilot said, "Approaching objective, 30 seconds."
"Outlaw, this is Deadly. We'll take out the big targets. Mop up any troublemakers with the Mk. 19."
Jackson opened the top cover of the Mk. 19 40mm automatic grenade launcher to load a fresh belt of 40mm grenades. Once he put the belt in, he closed the top cover and pulled back the charging handles to chamber the first grenade.
"All callsigns, this is Overlord. We're seeing enemy armor on the palm grove West of the river."
The choppers fly over several M1 Abrams tanks engaging T-72 tanks. The SuperCobras fire missiles at several of the enemy tanks on the highway. Several BMP-2s and RPGs start firing at the choppers.
"Taking fire. RPGs on the rooftops."
Jackson starts unloading grenades at the enemy armor and RPGs. He hit an enemy heavy machine gun nest, destroying it in a fiery explosion. Jackson continued to fire in short bursts to not overheat the Mk. 19. He eventually hit a gas tank on a roof that caused a huge explosion taking out several Lion's Sword soldiers. They approached the courtyard of a few buildings with a giant statue in it.
"Light armor, take it out, Jackson! More ground infantry, watch it."
Jackson opened fire on a few BMPs in the courtyard along with enemy infantry scattered throughout the courtyard. He then fired at a machine gun nest on a rooftop. There was a BMP next to a tanker truck aiming its cannon at the chopper. Jackson aimed the Mk. 19 at the tanker and fired. The resulting explosion destroyed the fuel tank and the armored vehicle.
Outlaw 2-5 circled back around for another pass. Jackson took out a BMP rolling down the street and more hostiles with RPGs on the rooftops of the opposite buildings. After a few more shots, Jackson could see a dozen Lion's Sword soldiers running down the road.
"Overlord, this is Outlaw 2-5, infantry is making a run for it. We are cleared to land, over."
Outlaw 2-5 begins to land to unload the infantry.
"Uh… roger that," Overlord responds, "Ok, Bachelor 2-7 let's get those Abrams to the front."
Two other Sea Knights begin to land in the courtyard to unload more Marines.
"Outlaw, this is Overlord, unload half your chalk and take the rest 2 klicks to the West. We need you to evac an advance team pinned downed in the city."
Outlaw 2-5 lands on the road. An M1 Abrams tank rolls by and crushes a car.
"1st squad, down the ramp!" Outlaw 2-5's crew chief Lt. Volker ordered, "Move out, go, go, go!"
1st squad exits the chopper along with Griggs, Harmer, and Glenn. More Abrams tanks roll down the street.
"Roger that, Overlord. Outlaw 2-5 is en route."
Outlaw 2-5 begins to take off to deliver the Marines to their next objective.
"Marines, listen up!" Vasquez said, "One of our forward recon teams has gotten pinned down and needs our help!"
"Oorah!" the Marines responded. One of the SuperCobras fired a few missiles before turning around, flying in a different direction.
"Outlaw, this is Deadly. Returning to base to refit and refuel. You're on your own for now, 2-5."
Outlaw 2-5 begins to go deeper into the city to rescue the trapped recon team. Overhead, multiple F-15 Eagles flew striking multiple targets.
"Advance team is pinned down in a hot area," Overlord explained, "They're popping green smoke to indicate their position."
They make it to a residential area surrounding a construction site. From said construction site was a trail of green smoke.
"Roger, we have a visual. Outlaw 2-5 out."
Jackson fires more grenades at enemy RPG wielders to clear a landing zone for the chopper. He fires at another tanker causing a huge explosion. As the chopper lands, Jackson lets go of the Mk. 19 and prepares to disembark. He was down to 6 spare rifle mags, 4 spare pistol mags, 5 40mm grenades, 2 frags, and 2 flashbangs. It was not a lot, so he had to make his shots count and hope this rescue wouldn't take long.
"Watch for friendlies near the colored smoke," Vasquez ordered, "Let's get our boys evac'ed and get the hell out of here!"
Vasquez and 2nd squad exit the chopper. As they exit explosions could be heard near the LZ.
"Morter fire, incoming!" Jackson called out. They scramble for cover.
"This LZ is too hot. We'll circle back in 3 minutes," Outlaw 2-5's pilot said as the Sea Knight flew up to avoid getting hit by the mortars. They opened fire on a few Lion's Sword soldiers in the alley as they made their way towards the green smoke.
"Watch for friendlies near the colored smoke!" Vasquez warned, "Let's get our boys outta there, move!"
They made their way to the first floor of the building in the construction site where the recon team was. Jackson fired at the two enemy soldiers about to enter the building, then reloaded his rifle. He threw a flashbang through the door before going in with the rest of the squad following him. They fought their way through the first floor before making their way to a staircase where they heard a voice from upstairs.
"Hold your fire! Hold your fire! Friendlies up on the second floor! I repeat, we're up on the second floor!"
Vasquez took point, followed by Jackson, then the rest of the squad. They saw the four-man recon team hiding behind cinderblocks for cover.
"Put some fire on that balcony!" The captain in command of the recon team ordered. One of the Marines leaned out and fired an AT4 rocket into the opposite building before throwing away the now useless tube. Vasquez went up to the captain.
"So you're our ride out of here?" the captain asked.
"We're it, Captain!" Vasquez replied, "Let's move out before they regroup!"
"Enemy Hip, inbound!" one of the recon Marines called out. An Mi-8 came in hovering over the yard. Jackson loaded a 40mm grenade into his M203, aimed at the chopper preparing to fast rope Lion's Sword reinforcements, and fired. The grenade hit the chopper's rotors and caused it to spiral into a crash.
"Two more, closing in!" Zhau pointed out as two more Hips hovered over the buildings opposite of them. All of a sudden, two missiles hit the choppers causing them to crash.
"Outlaw, this is Deadly. Refueled and fully loaded. You guys miss me?"
"HELL YEAH!" Gaines exclaimed.
"Deadly, by God it is good hear your voice!" The captain called out.
"Move out, let's go, let's go!" Vasquez said. The Marines begin to move out to get to the chopper. The engage in more Lion's Sword attempting to pin them down. Jackson, Miller, Lopez, and Gaines stack up on one of the buildings to clear it out of any stragglers. Miller throws a flashbang in, and they quickly move in clearing out the first floor. They move up the stairs and stack up next to the doorway. Realizing that his rifle was empty, Jackson pulls out his M45 pistol. Miller throws another flashbang, and Jackson moves in with his pistol, taking out three Lion's Sword soldiers armed with AKs and an RPD LMG. He fires a single round at one hiding in the closet before reloading his pistol and rifle. With the building clear, they regroup with others.
"Get to the LZ! Let's move!" the captain ordered. They make it back to the landing zone where Outlaw 2-5 had landed. They could see the Volker waving his hand urging them to get on board.
"Jackson, get back on the Mk. 19!" Volker said.
"On it!" Jackson replied as he went back to manning the automatic grenade launcher. As the Sea Knight lifted off, Overlord came on the radio.
"Outlaw, be advised, we have a situation, over."
"Go ahead Overlord, over."
"SEAL Team 6 has located a possible nuclear device at Al-Asad's compound to the West. NEST teams are on the way. Until the device is verified safe, all forces are to pull back to the East, over."
The situation just got bad real fast. A potential nuke was discovered putting the entire invasion force at risk. The Nuclear Emergency Support Team (NEST) were on the way, but there was no telling when they would get there or how long until the nuke went off. They had to get out of there fast.
As Deadly and Outlaw 2-5 flew to get out of the city, an anti-air missile hit Deadly's tail rotor.
"We're hit, we're hit!" Deadly called out, "I've lost the tail rotor!"
Deadly ended up skidding a building before spinning out of control.
"Mayday, mayday this is Deadly going in hard! We're going down!"
The AH-1W SuperCobra spiraled to the ground, crashing at a street corner.
"We have a Cobra down," Outlaw 2-5's pilot said, "I repeat, we have a Cobra down."
Outlaw 2-5 began circling around the crash site. Jackson noticed several hostiles surrounding the crash site and began firing grenades at them.
"Deadly, this is Outlaw 2-5, come in, over!"
No response, but they could flashes coming from the crashed gunship.
"Overlord, I have a visual on the crash site. I see small arms fire coming from the cockpit. Request permission to initiate search and rescue, over," the pilot said on the radio.
"Copy 2-5, be advised, you will NOT be at a safe distance in the event that nuke goes off. Do you understand?" Overlord warned.
"Roger that," The pilot responded, "We know what we're getting into."
All the Marines looked at each other nodding their heads in determination. They weren't gonna leave a fellow Marine pilot to die. After a few seconds Overlord responded.
"All right 2-5, it's your call. Retrieve that pilot if you can, out."
Over the hill, Jackson could see multiple T-72 tanks and supporting infantry closing in. They did not have the firepower to deal with them. They had to move quickly. With newfound determination, Outlaw 2-5 again called out to Deadly, "Deadly, do you copy? What's your status, over?"
"*Cough, couch* I'm here!" Deadly panicked, "Keating is KIA! Hostiles closing in fast! I sure could use some help down here!"
"Hold on, we're coming to ya," Outlaw 2-5's pilot reassured her as the chopper landed. The Marines poured out. They took out two Lion's Sword soldiers in the streets heading towards the crash site. The clock was ticking.
"Go, go, go!" The recon captain ordered.
"Be advised, 2-5, hostiles advancing parallel Southwest of your position towards the crash site," Overlord informed.
"We've got 90 seconds, Jackson!" Vasquez warned, "Get the pilot! NO ONE gets left behind!"
"Oorah!" Jackson yelled as he sprinted towards the crashed helicopter. He could see the pilot, Captain Angela "Deadly" Paleyo firing her MP5A3 submachine gun at incoming hostiles. He saw multiple Lion's Sword soldiers coming down the street. He fired a grenade from his M203 before lifting Deadly out of the cockpit.
"Get to the Sea Knight!" Vasquez ordered, "We'll hold down these corners, go!"
The Marines began a fighting retreat as they made it back to the Sea Knight.
"Lt. Vasquez, this is Outlaw 2-5, now would be a good time to get the hell outta here, over," the pilot said reminding the Marines they had 45 seconds to get out of there.
"Roger that," Vasquez responded, "we're on our way!"
Jackson got Deadly to the Sea Knight where he saw Volker firing his pistol out the door. He placed Deadly in one of the seats. She smiled at him, silently thanking him for saving her before firing her SMG at the incoming hostiles. Harris comes back in the chopper and lays down suppressing fire from his M249 SAW. Jackson aids him by unloading a few magazines and firing the last of his 40mm grenades. Once everyone gets back in the chopper, they begin to take off. They notice the T-72 tanks from earlier were about to fire on them, but they were swiftly taken out by two A-10s firing their 30mm gatling guns at them.
"Outlaw, this is Overlord. We have a confirmed nuclear threat in the city. Proceed to the minimum safe distance until the all clear is given by the NEST team."
Outlaw 2-5 began to move out along with other Sea Knights, SuperCobras, and the A-10s from earlier as they attempted to make their way out of the city.
Unknown to the American forces, on the outskirts of the city, two figures emerged from a bunker with one of them answering a phone from an unknown caller.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We're in for some chop, hang on! Jake gimme max power," the pilot said to his copilot.
"All US forces, be advised, we have a confirmed nuclear threat in the city. NEST teams are on site and are attempting to disarm. I repeat, we have a confirmed nu-"
Overlord's transmission was interrupted when a bright flash and a mushroom cloud appeared over the horizon. Everyone covered their eyes before seeing the mushroom cloud get bigger and the shockwave heading right towards them. The A-10s, Sea Knights, and SuperCobras began spinning out of control as the shockwave hit them.
"Everyone hang on!" Vasquez warned.
The shockwave hit the chopper the squad was in. Jackson was thrown back a bit. He noticed several Marines falling out of the helicopter. Volker was about to fly off. Jackson jumped forward and grabbed Volker's arms to save him. He tries to hang on, but the force is too great, and Volker goes flying out of the helicopter.
"No!" Jackson calls out. He grabs onto the seats and holds on to dear life, thinking that this is going to be the end.
Everything goes black.
News agencies and intelligence agencies around the world began to report on what just happened.
"Something has happened…"
"What appears to be an explosion of an epic proportion..."
"Reports remain sketchy and unconfirmed at this time..."
"Damage appears to be total..."
"…to set off what appears to have been a nuclear explosion in his own country..."
"Maybe the start of something larger that on whether Al-Asad was among the victims in what may have been a suicidal..."
"What I can see from the hotel here is a mushroom cloud, about 45 by..."
"Outlaw 2-5, this is Overlord, do you copy, over?"
"Bachelor 2-7, come in, over."
"...continue to burn across a massive wasteland, as the once beautiful port city of Jeddah, and the gateway to the holy city of Mecca is wiped off the map…"
"This is Gold Eagle to any surviving units, make your way out of the city now."
Everything was in chaos in the aftermath of the nuclear explosion in Jeddah.
"Aftermath"
October 11, 2011 – 18:30:27
Jeddah, Islamic Republic of Arabia
Sergeant Paul Jackson
1st Force Recon Co., USMC
Ringing.
Explosions.
Screaming.
Jackson started to regain consciousness. His vision was blurry. He could hear the radio going on.
"Flash. NBC-1 Nuclear. Bravo - NB-0 6-2, 6-3-4. Charlie - 90-degree grid. Hotel - surface. Juliet - 90 seconds...10 degrees. Romeo - 2.3 centigrade."
Jackson coughed a few times before looking at his hands. His gloves were in tatters. He could see cuts on his hands. He had to get out of the chopper. He began to crawl out. The radio continued going off.
"Be advised, nuclear detonation detected, fallout predicted within a radius of 7.4 miles, epicenter located at N-B-0-5-8-6-8-0. Personnel within primary affected zone are ordered to commence immediate evacuation. Contamination centers are being established at this time and should be operational within 2 hours. Personnel are advised to… I am... Personnel with highly elevated levels are advised to seek medical attention at the first available opportunity."
Jackson fell out of the Sea Knight as he could see more of his fellow Marines crawling on the ground, laying still but dying, or just walking around. He also saw the giant mushroom cloud rising in the city. Buildings come crumbling down as high winds begin knocking them over blowing radioactive dust. He could see Deadly laying on the ground coughing up blood.
"Deadly…," he muttered as Captain Angela "Deadly" Paleyo took a few final strained breaths before dying. He then saw someone walking towards the mushroom cloud.
"Vasquez," Jackson called out as he began walking towards the mushroom cloud as well. Vasquez just stumbled forward as his life began seeping away. Jackson neared a school playground as he began hearing children laughing. His hearing was fading as he began to collapse.
"So this is it for me, huh?" Jackson said to himself, "Mom, Dad, Stanley, I love you guys. Hisakata, Naomi, I'm sorry little sisters. I hope you got out in time."
As he said his last goodbyes to his parents, his younger brother, and his childhood friends he considered his sisters, he began to take a few more ragged breaths as he looked at the mushroom cloud one last time before everything faded to white. In that moment, Sergeant Paul Jackson was KIA.
Next time:
"Why'd you do it?! Where did you get the bomb?"
"It wasn't me!"
"Who then?"
"I can't tell you!"
"Who?! Give me a name! A name! I. Want. His. Name!"