LIke Something From A Horror Movie [Closed - Attn Kroando]
It was like something from a sick horror movie, the massive explosions, blood curdling screams, gunfire and now a zombie like population which roamed the streets. This coupled with an insane futuristic army, whom had been known to hack people to bits made his the agent's stomach turn.
Isac Evans was an intelligence agent and a good one at that. He had been working for the Orbathian Intelligence Service for nearly 12 years and the better part of his last year had been spent in a god forsaken frozen wasteland known a Kroando. The OSS had suspected something was going on, something big, especially after the death of an Orbathian journalist in a suspicious motor vehicle accident in the nation roughly 14 months prior to today. It had been up to Agent Evans to investigate and investigate he had. Unfortunately, the secret was a well kept one and the plan for purging the nation never reached his ears.
2 Days Earlier
Evans ''lived'' in a very run down apartment in a seedy looking area of the capital, which, after the bombings and gassings had somehow managed to stay standing. He had tried in vain to contact home, but it hadn't worked, it seemed all types of communications were down. He was forced to abandon his attempt when the bombings began. He rushed to the basement and hid, among a large pile of crates as the entire building shook. He was relieved when the bombings finally stopped and after several minutes, he rushed to his apartment to grab his things. He had to leave, go somewhere, anywhere, away from the city.
Then the gassings started and he could see, almost instantly from his window, hordes of zombie like citizens whom chased down their fellow man, ruthlessly killing and eating them. He could no longer leave. He popped on a gas mask, which he wasn't even sure would work and took refuge in a small, unused storage closet. For two days he hid, cold and scared. Every now and then he could hear screaming, and even the dull thud of footsteps as they walked by.
Present Day
Things had seemed to have died down and no longer did it sound like a war zone. He knew he couldn't stay and waste away inside the closet, he had to escape, he had to try. As if by some sort of magic, his communication device blinked and he received an encrypted message.
From: OSS
Subject: Top Secret - Classified
Encryption Level: Maximum
Alpha One, please respond with codeword.
Evans typed furiously, and seconds after sending a reply, he got another message.
From: OSS
Subject: Top Secret - Classified
Encryption Level: Maximum
We need to evac now, we have confirmed a location via satellite imagery, please proceed to ******, evac will be at 24:00
It was risky to have him move, but it was better to risk one man instead of an entire extraction team and besides, the move wasn't very far anyway. Evans tucked his communication device in a rather large pocket on his parka. He quickly checked his kit. He had left one bottle of water, a package of crackers, his gas mask which he wore, a small knife, a hammer which he had found in the closet, a small map, and his pistol, along with two clips of ammunition. He consulted his map, noting the location of pick up. It was a mere two blocks but would take him away from the more populated slums to a factory warehouse.
He drew his pistol and tossed open the door, shivering as he met the colder air. He checked his left quickly before proceeding right, to a nearby stair case.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Echo Team, comprised of a section of Orbathian Special Forces sat anxiously in the belly of a C-130J. The good news was they didn't have to fear anti aircraft guns or surface to air missiles, the purge had destroyed nearly all of them. The bad news was that in a few minutes, they would be jumping through the extremely cold air, into was could only be described as frozen hell. None of them, no matter how experienced anyone could ever be prepared for anything like this.
A red light turned to green and they jumped, soaring rapidly towards the earth before deploying their parachutes. It was each man's first combat HALO jump and hopefully not their last.
OOC: Order of Battle
Agent Evans
PY-57 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13330215&postcount=45) pistol, knife,hammer
Echo Team
Alpha Fireteam
#1: Team Leader - 1 SMGY-16 submachine gun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13499318&postcount=153), 1 SHY-10 shotgun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13325771&postcount=44), telescopic ladder
#2: Gunner - 1 LSWY-150 machine gun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13335005&postcount=49), 1 SMGY-16 submachine gun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13499318&postcount=153), crowbar
#3: Grenadier - 1 AY-143 assault rifle (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13499307&postcount=149), 1 SHY-10 shotgun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13325771&postcount=44), door breaching rifle grenades
#4: Rifleman - 1 AY-143 assault rifle (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13499307&postcount=149), 1 SHY-10 shotgun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13325771&postcount=44)
Bravo Fireteam
#1: Team Leader - 1 SMGY-16 submachine gun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13499318&postcount=153), 1 SHY-10 shotgun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13325771&postcount=44), telescopic ladder
#2: Gunner - 1 LSWY-150 machine gun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13335005&postcount=49), 1 SMGY-16 submachine gun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13499318&postcount=153), crowbar
#3: Grenadier - 1 AY-143 assault rifle (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13499307&postcount=149), 1 SHY-10 shotgun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13325771&postcount=44), door breaching rifle grenades
#4: Rifleman - 1 AY-143 assault rifle (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13499307&postcount=149), 1 SHY-10 shotgun (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13325771&postcount=44)
All team members will wear an urban camouflage pattern uniform, urban pattern tactical vest, gloves, balaclava and helmet fitted with communications equipment. Each member will also carry a PY-57 (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13330215&postcount=45) pistol, bayonet, 4 frag grenades, 2 smoke grenades, 1 tear gas grenade, first aid kit, small mirror, night vision goggles, knee and elbow pads, gas mask, rifle mounted flashlight, 24 hours worth of food and water
Virticon City
"Civilian convoy Rekko secure... no infected in sight... over...", coughed the Korvacht Legionnaire through the CommLink in his Honvorg Infantry Apparatus. The Legionnaire peered through the optical lenses on his suite, pausing briefly as he thought he had seen some movement in a nearby apartment building. "Halt convoy... possible infected in building 9077."
Instantly the convoy came to a halt, the trucks loaded with civilian refugees screeching to a stop through the snow, the Legionnaires turning their heads in unison towards the building labeled on their vision screens as 9077. Moments later the Lieutenants voice cracked through... 007, 008, 009 and 012 - Search the building. The convoy began rolling once again leaving the four detached Legionnaires walking slowly towards the building, their K1's loaded and pointed towards the entrance.
As they approached, Sargent Volg signaled to one of the men to head around the back of the building, and then for the second man to kick in the door. Volg counted off... 1... 2... 3... bang. The door flew in, and in rushed the three men. As they entered the building, the lead Legionnaire, Private Corog spotted a man moving towards the staircase, and shouted. "Civilian! Halt! Identify yourself as uninfected and halt!" Corog began moving after the subject as he shouted out the order...
The Port Finch (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13614518&postcount=1), flagship of the 'Akatharsis' task group, cruised slowly, forty kilometres from the edge of the primary shipping lane into Scolar. Accompanying the Port Finch was its sister ship Enduring and a quartet of Hatchet-class (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showpost.php?p=13624652&postcount=1) frigates, one configured as FFG(AD), one as FFH, one as FFG, and the other as a GP vessel. The six combatants were escorting a trio of armed transports, that together carried the 263rd Battalion, detached from 11th Mechanised Division, and enough supplies for several weeks of independent operations.
The blip on the radar had turned, and was angling away from the Kroandon coast, back towards the task group.
Fleet Colonel Daniels, a veteran of the Mokan civil war, had been XO when the Port Finch had sustained 32 hits in 30 seconds. She had remained afloat, and under power, but it had been a difficult time. Now, the man was watching as the display showed the relative locations of the force elements, and the Cromwell markers showing where the Orbathi units had dropped.
Colonel Rathbone, CO of the 263rd, stood at his side. It was the 263rd that had the challenging task of clearing an LZ to begin the extraction of any survivors. 'Akatharsis' was the only taskforce that Lyras had in the area, but response was, as intended, swift.
"How long?"
Rathbone's question caught Daniels by surprise. He'd been somewhat lost in reverie.
"I am unsure. Depends what the Orbathi find."
"I do not envy them their task, first in to that mess."
Daniels raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"I would have thought you would have appreciated the chance to earn honour in this situation."
Rathbone gave a mirthless chuckle.
"Easy for you to say, fleet."
Pursed lips were the only response, the sense of foreboding at the results of the Kroandon devastation very palpable.
Apartment Building - 20:00
Evans shuttered, both because of the blast of cold air which had blown through the buildings and also because of the sight of something he hoped he never had to see. 3 Korvacht Legionnaires stood before him and one was quick to advance. He couldn't fight, he'd never win. He decided to try tricking them.
''I'm uninfected but I need your help, dozens of them just ravaged the building, left through the back a couple minutes ago, they have more uninfected, you have to help them!''
The false concern, almost whiny voice would hopefully convince them. If not, his pistol would have to do the trick.
Drop Zone - 20:00
The eight man team couldn't drop directly into the city. It was too risky, although they had satellite images, both the military patrols and bands of infected were too unpredictable, they could end up dropping right onto them, something the team didn't want to do.
Each man's solid black boot hit the snowy ground in a field just outside of the city. Each took a very brief moment to become reacquainted with the ground and discard their chutes before communicating via headset and regrouping. Luckily they had all landed inside the field, so it took mere seconds before they had gotten together, forming into an arrowhead.
Their first objective was to reach an alleyway near a major road which lead into the city. It was a safer route, rather than just smashing in, and it lead them almost right onto their second objective.
Warrant Officer Miller was Echo Team's leader. He was your average rough and tough soldier, a man who lived for the military, having served in numerous conflicts. This was something he could never have dreamed he would ever be doing.
He led his team across the field, over a fence and into a small forest. It was getting dark, and through hand signals, he ordered his team to don their night vision goggles.
Preparations were being made on the decks of the transport ships. The 263rd battalion was loading up for embarkation. The LY219s were amphibious, and were being readied for operations. Amongst other issues, waterseals were being checked. The last thing any unit wanted was to have to bail out of the vehicles into the frigid Kroandoan waters.
The intent was to unload the LY219s onto straight onto land, from the ships, into a perimeter secured by the Orbathi special forces. The contingencies, however, included amphibious assault and over-ice operations.
'Dauntless' armour was being donned, complete with 'Arachne' undershirts and inserts. Magazines were being loaded into AR44s, and the magazine pouches that would feed them. 'Lycos' combatant machetes were being sharpened, and slid into non-freeze oiled scabbards. HE-FRAG grenades were slipped into grenade pouches. Sidearms were loaded, and cocked, before being eased into leg holsters. 14.7mm LY60 HMGs had belts loaded into their ammunition boxes. 25mm shells filled PAK2s.
Lastly, the Port Finch and Enduring swivelled their turrets to port, bringing their eighteen 205mm rapid firing guns to bear on their anticipated targets.
When the word came, the assault would go in under the watchful guns of the two cruisers.
All that remained was to wait for that word.
[Orbathi, not sure if you read the entire write up on my country, but the cities are surrounded by massive walls roughly 100 meters high and fifty meters thick. Additionally, it is around negative fifty degrees outside the city - and everything outside is under twenty feet of snow.]
Apartment Building
Volg looked the man up and down, then at the open door in the rear of the building. "Alright, move out!", the Sargent ordered the Legionnaires out the door, the three men rushing forward into the nearby ally. Before following them the NCO turned to the man and shouted, "Go out that door - link up with the convoy. They will take you to safety... and take that damned mask off! The infection has been eradicated!" Volg approached Evans, extending his hand to tear off the gas mask. Though the plague had been wiped out by the CL-666, the chemical itself would upon ingestion, turn into every other Kroandon on the street... white at the sun... without hair... and a yellow tint to his eyes. Not to mention the daily bleeding from his gums.
SIZE="1"]OOC: I apologize, I didn't realize you had a link to your fact book in your signature. I'll start over with the paratroopers.[/SIZE]
IC:
Apartment
Evans was glad when the man gave to order to move out, but was then shocked when the man when for his mask. Although Evans didn't know that he would become infected, he knew he couldn't trust anyone but his own kind. He turned quickly, heading for the door while making it look like he was about to take off his mask.
He didn't know where the convoy was, but he knew that was the main source of military power within the area, and that was somewhere he didn't want to be. He stuck his pistol in his parka pocket, shivering from the deep cold.
He also needed to get far from the building, as it was likely that the patrol he had run into earlier would return soon. He guessed that since the convoy had passed, the area had been cleared, meaning he was likely safe from both those infected, and the enemy.
Evans noted a building across the street, a rundown apartment similar to that which he had lived in. He could get his bearing there, consult his map and the time, and plan out a proper route.
Drop Zone
The eight man team glided rather silently, looking below, watching the buildings and the massive wall which surrounded the city. Although jumping into the city was risky, they wouldn't be able to access the city if they jumped outside.
Each man's solid black boot hit the snowy ground, in what appeared to be a small lot, likely where a building had been once.. Each took a very brief moment to become reacquainted with the ground and discard their chutes.
Their first objective was to reach an abandoned building which overlooked the warehouse. From there they could ensure the location was safe, and check out the area in relative safety. IT wasn't a large distance away but hopefully long enough that if someone had seen them land, they would be hard to find.
Warrant Officer Miller was Echo Team's leader. He was your average rough and tough soldier, a man who lived for the military, having served in numerous conflicts. This was something he could never have dreamed he would ever be doing.
His team had formed ''all around defense'' which meant that they had made a circle, facing outwards, in order to protect themselves.
Miller spoke through his headset.
''You all know the objective, I want both fireteams covering each other, let's move.''
Alpha fireteam moved up to a wall, stacking up while Bravo provided cover to to the other side of the street and the rear. They rounded the corner, heading into the open. Miller spotted a row of buildings they could use to hide in as they made their way down the street.
Alpha fireteam stacked up outside the door, Bravo creating a half circle behind them to cover.
''1...2...3!''
Miller counted before booting in the door, rushing in, rifle pointed up, light illuminating the room...
The Lyran fleet waited... the whole situation was eerie. Thousands of personnel, and not one of them spoke. The whole fleet was near silent, only the lap of water against bows, the soft whirring of electronics-cooling fans and the occasional cough or sneeze.
Pilots sat in their helicopters, in which the first wave would move. But the birds weren't hot yet. They could be like this for some time...
[Sorry about the delay.]
Convoy Area
After about ten minutes, the convoy had for the most part, cleared out of the area it had previously been inhabiting, designated 'Sector 4'. The rear scouts, initially lingering behind, noticeably began fleeing - running out of the area. Any survivors would notice this rather quickly - and if they did not, they certainly would notice the blaring bomb sirens that warned of the coming napalm strike on the area... the infected were coming up from underground, and command had orchestrated a fire bombing campaign to snuff them out.
Drop Zone
The door flew open and out flew infected. A pair of infected men dove out of their captivity at the fire teams, screaming and howling as they did so. The possessed bloodshot eyes, the vein ridden skin, the dirtied and scarred bodies - the scourge of Kroando was for the first time, attacking a Non-Kroandon.
Meanwhile, reports of paratroopers landing in the city had caused the nearest convoy to divert a few scouting parties to investigate...
[Sorry about the delay.]
Convoy Area
After about ten minutes, the convoy had for the most part, cleared out of the area it had previously been inhabiting, designated 'Sector 4'. The rear scouts, initially lingering behind, noticeably began fleeing - running out of the area. Any survivors would notice this rather quickly - and if they did not, they certainly would notice the blaring bomb sirens that warned of the coming napalm strike on the area... the infected were coming up from underground, and command had orchestrated a fire bombing campaign to snuff them out.
Drop Zone
The door flew open and out flew infected. A pair of infected men dove out of their captivity at the fire teams, screaming and howling as they did so. The possessed bloodshot eyes, the vein ridden skin, the dirtied and scarred bodies - the scourge of Kroando was for the first time, attacking a Non-Kroandon.
Meanwhile, reports of paratroopers landing in the city had caused the nearest convoy to divert a few scouting parties to investigate...
Evans
Evans rushed into the building, once again drawing his pistol and pointing it into the hallways, before making his way to the second floor and into and apartment. He studied his map rapidly, planning out a route which would take him to rendezvous point. Suddenly he heard something, somewhat quiet at first, then louder, then louder. Air raid sirens. He feared the worst, remembering the ground shaking blasts he had heard before.
He thought quickly. They wouldn't bomb their own soldiers. He tossed open the apartment door, ran down the hallway, down the stairs and once again into the cold and snow. He knew had had to get as close as possible to the convoy that had passed, or risk being bombed to hell. He ran, searching out the tracks left by the vehicles from the convoy. Upon finding them, he sprinted in that direction, throwing caution to the wind. There was now sense in being discrete, if he didn't make it out of the area, he would die anyway.
Paratroopers
Miller cursed as a pair of humans burst from the darkness, nearly on top of him, screaming and drooling like dogs. Miller already had his weapon ready, and fired a two round burst from his AY-143 into the closest creatures head.
Sargent Ashby, the gunner, who was currently holding his submachine gun, also tried to fire, however, the man overtook him, pushing into him. He reacted quickly, using his hand to hand combat training. He swung his rifle, attempting to hit the creature with a ''buttstroke'', like an elbow strike but with a rifle.
Convoy Area
"Lets pick it up! T minus two minutes until the land you stand on is glass! Now move!", Captain Argosh shouted as he fired his K1 Assault Rifle into the air, signaling for all scouts in the area to return to the convoy - they were about to peel out of the area, for in a few minutes, it would all be burning ash. The convoy rolled slowly for a minute, allowing the Legionnaires to rush back, and jump on a truck or hummer... after sixty seconds, the convoy was moving at forty five miles an hour down the debris covered road straight into the 'White Zone' - or the barricaded, isolated sector of the city that was deemed completely safe, uninfected and impenetrable... the clock was ticking as the Halcon fighters took off, loaded with napalm and cluster bombs...
Paratroopers
The beasts were shot dead, left on the ground squirming and shreaking as they found themselves unable to attack their prey - only to twist around on the ground as the bullet wounds sucked the putrid life from their deformed bodies. The gun shots however, had done more than kill the pair of mutants - they had alerted the others. The sector the fire teams had landed in was not yet cleared, the infected still ran free here. Within moments, from all around, over four dozen of the beasts broke out of various buildings and alley ways, running - sprinting towards the intruders with a lust for blood in their eyes.
And as if to compound the problem, the Korvacht had also been alerted by the gun shots, the three humvees in the area began speeding towards the area - the first on the scene began tearing into a mob of infected with its .50 cal machine gun, splitting the beasts apart as many, many more charged the Orbathi.
Mokastana
08-06-2008, 22:37
OOC: is there any way I can join? Ever since Juventud Mokan satellites have been watching antartika (aka Kroando) and we might notice Lyran ships and attacks on the cities
Evans
Evans was now fully sprinting, or at least sprinting as fast as he could in a pair of boots and coat while running through the slowly deepening snow. Twice earlier he could have sworn he heard the engines of aircraft over the slowly quieting air raid sirens.
''Crack...crack...crack.''
Evans could hear the unmistakable retort of assault rifle fire. He was sure he was getting closer to the assault rifle fire. Suddenly he heard a grunt and he dove into a nearby alley. Only a few feet ahead, a couple soldiers ran from a building.
''Scouts,'' he muttered under his breath. He knew he had to be close. He waited for them to get out of eyesight and he followed close behind, using buildings and other objects on the street for cover. As he got closer, he could make out the convoy, through the growing snow. It was moving slowly at first, from what he could tell. All of a sudden it began to speed up. He waited several seconds until it was out of eyesight and began to sprint.
He cursed. Now he was sure he heard the sound of aircraft engines. He knew they were coming. He had two choices, keep running and hope he made it out of range, or take cover and hope he survived. He continued to sprint, beginning to tire. He decided he could run no longer. He spotted an apartment building. He kicked in the door, followed a hallway to a stairwell and headed downstairs. He took cover under the stairs and waited, unsure if he would live or die.
Paratroopers
It was unfortunate that Echo Team had been forced to discharge their weapons but they really had no choice. As they moved deeper into the building, they could see dozens more humans rushing towards them, bloodthirsty looks in their eyes. Without anyone needing to issue commands, the team prepared. They were in an ideal position, because they were deep in the room, the could still fire from the windows, however, because they were deeper into the room, they presented less of a target to anyone outside. Other soldiers turned and covered the door they had entered and the areas of the building they hadn't yet cleared.
Just before anyone in the team fired, they could hear the loud roar of engines followed by machine gun fire and the cries of agony from the humans. That complicated things. The team couldn't stay behind and fight, ideally they didn't want to be seen. The team rushed into the next room, heading for the other side of the building. They weren't sure whether the crazed humans could gain access to the building the deeper they went, but they hoped they would either become distracted by the new arrivals or killed. As the team entered another room, one member prepared a quick trap of nearly invisible trip wire and a grenade, pinned pulled, spoon pressed against the frame waiting for some unlucky soul to trip the wire.
Evans
The blaring of the air raid sirens soon died off, to be replaced with the roar of aircraft engines - and soon after, the detonation of massive 1200 pound napalm filled bombs. The sector soon became a fiery hell, burning to ashes the multitudes of infected in the area, along with whatever unfortunate souls had decided to barricade themselves in their homes - as the apartments simply went up in flames. However needless to say the center of the sector was hit much harder than the edges - with the area Evans was holed up in being hit, but not nearly as thoroughly. The prime threat from the fire strikes was not the fire themselves, but suffocation due to lack of air in the fire storms - where Evans was located, the fire did not surround the building, but only scorch it and the surrounding area - not completely obliterate it.
However if Evans would look outside, another problem would arise. Visibility. The area he before knew was now a steaming, burning wasteland. Many buildings that were there before were gone. The ground steamed constantly as the never dying fires evaporated the snow on the ground and in the air. It was another world.
Paratroopers
As the Korvacht humvee finished up cutting down the infected outside, a message was sent to the humvees on the other side, reporting armed men going into the building - men that were clearly not Kroandon due to their lack of HIAs. The two humvees on the other side of the building quickly consulted command, and were given the common order of 'kill what you find'. Moments later, the humvee mounted with a Anti-Tank Missile Launcher directed his weapon towards the building and fired...
Inside was a different story. Infected were often trapped inside rooms, laying in there quiet, slowly dying of starvation, waiting for some unlucky sole to let them loose... others simply roamed around here because of the warmth in comparison to the outdoors. Either way, the infected were inside.
[@Moka. Have you read the main thread yet?]
Evans
The blaring of the air raid sirens soon died off, to be replaced with the roar of aircraft engines - and soon after, the detonation of massive 1200 pound napalm filled bombs. The sector soon became a fiery hell, burning to ashes the multitudes of infected in the area, along with whatever unfortunate souls had decided to barricade themselves in their homes - as the apartments simply went up in flames. However needless to say the center of the sector was hit much harder than the edges - with the area Evans was holed up in being hit, but not nearly as thoroughly. The prime threat from the fire strikes was not the fire themselves, but suffocation due to lack of air in the fire storms - where Evans was located, the fire did not surround the building, but only scorch it and the surrounding area - not completely obliterate it.
However if Evans would look outside, another problem would arise. Visibility. The area he before knew was now a steaming, burning wasteland. Many buildings that were there before were gone. The ground steamed constantly as the never dying fires evaporated the snow on the ground and in the air. It was another world.
Paratroopers
As the Korvacht humvee finished up cutting down the infected outside, a message was sent to the humvees on the other side, reporting armed men going into the building - men that were clearly not Kroandon due to their lack of HIAs. The two humvees on the other side of the building quickly consulted command, and were given the common order of 'kill what you find'. Moments later, the humvee mounted with a Anti-Tank Missile Launcher directed his weapon towards the building and fired...
Inside was a different story. Infected were often trapped inside rooms, laying in there quiet, slowly dying of starvation, waiting for some unlucky sole to let them loose... others simply roamed around here because of the warmth in comparison to the outdoors. Either way, the infected were inside.
[@Moka. Have you read the main thread yet?]
Evans
It was unlike anything he had ever expected to encounter during his career. From inside his hiding place he could hear the bloodcurdling screams of those dying and the roaring and crackling of many blazing fires. It was like being next to a camp fire, while the smoke blew in your face. The temperature changed, it became much hotter and the icicles that hung from the pipes almost immediately melted. Breathing became hard, and even harder as Evans noticed smoke pouring in from the under the door which lead upstairs. The basement was a bad place to be in a fire, he knew he was risky to be down there. He coughed and sputtered, waiting a few minutes in order to see if another group of aircraft would fly overhead. He couldn't hear any engines.
He rushed up the stairs, pulling his shirt out from under his coat and over his mouth and nose. Kicking open the door, he rushed down the hall, booted open the other door and emerged outside, gasping for air. He thought he would feel cold, yet ''fresh'' air. He was surprised when his lungs were met with warmish sooty air, which made breathing only slightly easier than being in the basement.
Evans looked around and saw what he could only describe as hell on earth. Nearly everything was ablaze, with thick black smoke pouring high into the sky. He couldn't see far away, but he could still see anything close. He was afraid of another bombing run, and thought it was best to stay as close as possible to the convoy, though he didn't know how far away they were. He consulted his map, he still hadn't lost his bearings and he was certainly much closer. With the snow partially melted, it made jogging easier, so he began to jog, albeit slowly, often coughing and sputtering as he took in the bad air.
Paratroopers
As the two fire teams advanced deeper into the building, they found themselves fighting in almost every room. At first an effort had been made to dispatch the enemy silently, either with hand to hand combat or by a bayonet fixed on the end of the rifle, but it was simply too slow and there were too many enemies. They hoped that the sound of heavy machine gun fire would cover the retort of their weapons.
Warrant Officer Miller rounded a corner into a hallway, pointing his weapon and firing a two round burst at an infected human.
''Boom!''
Suddenly the building rumbled. Shortly after, too soon for anyone to react, the missile entered the building and detonated, several rooms away from the hallway in which Miller had been standing. The force of the explosion was great, easily tearing through the thin wooden walls and sending dangerous splinters everywhere. That was followed by a massive fireball which tore through the building, igniting men and the building itself.
MIller was knocked into a nearby wall and onto the ground by the shock wave, then pelted with debris, which included four splinters, three in his leg and one in his stomach. The man lay, but he wasn't yet dead. He spoke through his headset.
''All stations this is Alpha One, I have been hit and I am down. Those alive, take up defensive positions as best as possible and report back. You know the drill.''
Seconds later, those alive did their best to cover the area they were in, using debris and half walls as cover. Many injured and dead lay, but they couldn't yet try to rescue them. Each soldier spoke over the radio in turn, if they could.
Three men did not respond, and two others were wounded, not including himself.
Evans
The burning earth slowly that stretched into the distance suddenly stopped, as if by a wall of seemingly intact buildings and structures. A city sprouted up out of the ground, like a tree among many other dead and decaying logs, this city seemed alive amidst the surrounding destruction. This was the 'White Zone' - the area of the city least affected by the bombings, and cleansed of infected. It was here that the Korvacht had massed their forces. It was here that all refugees were being taken. It was here that the city would be reborn.
As this 'White Zone' came into sight, Evans could see the last vehicles of the convoy rolling through the entrance. As the last humvee entered, the large steel, barbed wire gates closed, several Legionnaires fastening locks to secure them. Barbed wire fence and patrol men spanned the entirety of the perimeter, making sure at all times that no infected were to rush the safe zone. There were also scouts surrounding the area... one of which would likely spot Evans very shortly.
Paratroopers
The two humvees outside the building sat still, the Legionnaires watching as the building rumbled under the force of the missile just fired. They then began laughing as several infected rushed out of the gap in the building, only to be shot down by the fifty cal. "Reload. Get me another missile damn it... lets put one more into her and get the fuck out of here. This place is gonna be flat in an hour or so anyways...", Sergeant Rolkz ordered through his CommLink, sending one of his men into the ammo storage to pull out another missile. After a minute or so of loading, Rolkz aimed the launcher at another section of the building and fired...
Evans
The burning earth slowly that stretched into the distance suddenly stopped, as if by a wall of seemingly intact buildings and structures. A city sprouted up out of the ground, like a tree among many other dead and decaying logs, this city seemed alive amidst the surrounding destruction. This was the 'White Zone' - the area of the city least affected by the bombings, and cleansed of infected. It was here that the Korvacht had massed their forces. It was here that all refugees were being taken. It was here that the city would be reborn.
As this 'White Zone' came into sight, Evans could see the last vehicles of the convoy rolling through the entrance. As the last humvee entered, the large steel, barbed wire gates closed, several Legionnaires fastening locks to secure them. Barbed wire fence and patrol men spanned the entirety of the perimeter, making sure at all times that no infected were to rush the safe zone. There were also scouts surrounding the area... one of which would likely spot Evans very shortly.
Paratroopers
The two humvees outside the building sat still, the Legionnaires watching as the building rumbled under the force of the missile just fired. They then began laughing as several infected rushed out of the gap in the building, only to be shot down by the fifty cal. "Reload. Get me another missile damn it... lets put one more into her and get the fuck out of here. This place is gonna be flat in an hour or so anyways...", Sergeant Rolkz ordered through his CommLink, sending one of his men into the ammo storage to pull out another missile. After a minute or so of loading, Rolkz aimed the launcher at another section of the building and fired...
Evans
Evans was amazed by the rapid change he could see ahead. He could see rows of standing buildings, untouched by the fires that had ravaged the areas behind them. No longer could he see thick clouds of black smoke and his lungs finally took in ''fresh'' air. With the change in scenery also came a change in temperature which, despite his profuse sweating could still be felt. Suddenly he stopped walking.
''Fences...Gates...Guards...Scout!''
He cursed under his breathe as he noticed several scouts. He tossed himself behind the wall of a building. He then crawled back to the corner and poked his head around to see if he had been noticed. Deciding to play it safe, he opened the nearly frozen lid on a dumpster and hoped in, right onto several bags of garbage. The smell was horrible but he needed a minute to consult his map. From what he could see, the warehouse was past those gates and the fence. He wondered how far the fence stretched or exactly why the area was fenced off. His guess was that it was probably a relief area for civilians or a hastily constructed military forward operating base. Suddenly he released exactly how bad this problem was. He had no tools to deal with the fence and only a pistol which certainly wouldn't last him in a fight. Then he got an idea.
''Kill a scout.''
It would be a lot easier said than done, but it was probably his best chance. He waited inside the dumpster to see if he had been spotted.
Paratroopers
For a couple seconds, the building went quiet. Then, along with the sounds of machine gun fire outside came a strange creaking noise from the building and screams of pain from the wounded. All this sounded like a pin drop when a second missile entered the building and detonated, sending more fire and debris throughout the building and making it dangerously unstable. Luckily the team had been mostly lying down and in some sort of cover, so casulties were reduced. Two more people had been killed, one whom was already injured and one more person was injured, and one who was already injured was injured much worse.
They couldn't stay and fight, and Miller feared that they would be killed if they remained in the building. His main goal was to carry out the mission and even though typical doctrine would promote the rescue of the injured, this was not a typical mission and they were not typical soldiers. They were the Orbathian Special Forces, they were the elite and they could handle this. They had to rescue the Agent at all costs, he possessed very vital information. Following that they had to get to the coast and attempt to shut down the defensive system to allow the Lyran forces access to the beaches without fear of being hit too hard.
Miller pulled his headset close to his mouth.
''Echo this is Alpha One, following this order I will be giving command to the 2IC. Those in good health are ordered to break out of the building and continue with the mission. Any injured that can still fight can join them, those that can't fight until you can fight no longer, than I recommend suicide.''
The building again became quiet, and although it hadn't been planned, the men all knew what to do, it had been drilled into their heads during training. To their north was the vehicle that had just launched the missiles and to their east was the HMMWVs, south was the way they had came. That left west.
The men got to their feet, rushing for the various windows along the western wall. Quickly they jumped out the windows, pointing their weapons covering their north and south, and of course, their west. Those on the flanks tossed smoke grenades, the group waited until the smoke plumes grew, and they rushed across the street, into two alleyways. Only three men were able to fight, and those men were injured.