October 7, 2011

["Shock and Awe"]

[Day 3 - 18:00:24]

[Sgt. Paul Jackson]

[1st Force Recon Co., U.S.M.C.]

Jackson boards the helicopter and mans the Mark 19. Chopper Outlaw Two-Five takes off.

Command came online. "Outlaw, be advised, we have a situation here, over."

"Go ahead Command, over," Outlaw's co-pilot Ryan Trask replied.

"Seal Team Six has located a possible nuclear device as Al-Asad's palace to the west. NEST teams are on the way. Until the device is verified safe, all forces are to fall back to the east, over."

Everyone on board showed a hint of unease by the information.

Lt. Vasquez took to the comms. "Understood command, we're heading out, over." He turned to Jackson. "Keep an eye out for any reinforcements."

"You got it," Jackson replied. Focusing on the terrain, he fired grenades at any and all hostile forces.

As Outlaw Two-Five and Deadly start to pull out, the radar went off. Outside of the window, the group saw a Stinger missile heading toward the two choppers and made contact. While Outlaw avoided damage, Deadly's tail rotor exploded.

"Shit!" Captain Pelayo yelled. "We're hit! We're hit! I've lost the tail rotor!"

Vasquez quickly grabbed the radio. "Keep it together, Captain!"

Her Cobra started to spin out of control. "I can't! Mayday. Mayday. This is Deadly, going in hard! We're going down." Her Cobra crashed between the buildings down below.

Jackson cringed. "Fuck!" As Outlaw Two-Five circled the crash site, Jackson tried to take out any hostiles and keep them from the crash site.

Ryan radioed Command. "We have a Cobra down. I repeat, we have a Cobra down. Deadly this is Outlaw Two-Five, come in, over! Command, 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."

Command buzzed. "Copy 2-5, be advised, you will NOT be at a safe distance in the event that nuke goes off. Do you understand?"

When the Ryan turned to the others, all of them, including Jackson and Vasquez gave their stern approval. Going back to the radio, he smirked, "Roger that. We know what we're getting into. No one gets left behind."

Command paused a bit before answering. "All right 2-5, it's your call. Retrieve that pilot if you can. Out."

Ryan tried to Radio Pelayo. "Deadly, do you copy? What's your status, over?"

In the distance, Jackson could see enemy T-72s and infantry closing in on Deadly's crash site. It was way too many for her to hold off on her own.

Cpt. Pelayo coughed into the radio. "I'm here!... Keating is KIA! Hostiles moving in fast! I sure could use some help down here!"

"Hold on, we're coming to ya," Ryan answered.

Outlaw Two-Five descends near the crash site and unloads Jackson and his team. Heading towards the crash site, they needed to retrieve the pilot and return to the Sea Knight else they might all die.

Command sounded. "Be advised, 2-5, hostiles advancing parallel southwest of your position towards the crash site."

Lt. Vasquez yelled out to him. "We got 90 seconds, Jackson! Get the pilot! NO ONE gets left behind!

They were getting close, to her but hostiles started firing on their position. Jackson took cover and took aim. Several OpFor dropped dead thanks to him. Seeing that, the enemy started focusing on his position. Jackson ducked down behind a cement wall in the process of reloading.

Vasquez layed down some fire and move to Jackson's position. "Jackson! You need to pull her out of there and get back to the LZ!"

Looking over the cover, he saw several LMGs laying down fire. "It's too hot!" he yelled over the sound of bullets.

The lieutenant growled. "We're running out of time! Get her out of there! We'll cover you! Move!" Getting into a coordinated position, the pother marines began thinning their ranks. Seeing can opening, Jackson rushes in, M19 in hand. He reaches the cockpit as Pelayo shoots down the enemies behind him. While he tried to unbuckle her, he soon hears the sound of her empty clip.

"Shit!" Pelayo tries to throw the pistol at someone behind him. "Jackson, look out!"

Jackson turned half-way before taking a shot to the forearm and yelled in pain. Looking up, he saw an enemy soldier a short distance away but out of the other Marine's sight. Jackson attempted to shoot back but, his injured arm caused him to miss a few shots. The enemy soldier prepares to fire on the two of them, and a shot goes off.

What Jackson and Pelayo didn't expect was for the enemy to drop dead. From the shadows, a person wearing a brown duster and a smoking pistol steps into view.

Was this person a friendly?

The unknown grabbed the enemy's G3 and turned to the duo. Crimson lenses stared at Jackson for a second before turning back to the fight. Reloading the rifle, the person fired at more incoming OpFor. A muffled voice yelled at the two. "Hurry and get her out of here, asshole! You don't have much time!"

Not wasting anymore tine, Jackson is able to pull Cpt. Pelayo out of the Cobra. Handing her his pistol, Jackson begins the sprint as he carries her back to the Sea Knight.

Lt. Vasquez sees the two coming down the road. "Get to the Sea Knight! We'll hold down these corners! Go!"

Ryan's voice went on the radio. "Lt. Vasquez, this is Outlaw Two-Five, now would be a good time to get the hell outta here over."

Lt. Vasquez nodded. "Roger that. We're on our way!"

Jackson finally Pelayo to the Sea Knight while Vasquez and the team provide cover fire to hold down the corners from more incoming enemy forces. He then sets her down, and Pelayo is handed an MP5 to fend off more insurgents. Jackson turns around to hold off hostiles with Crew Chief Lt. Volker as the team evacuates.

Command contected again. "Outlaw this is command. We have a probable nuclear threat at the capital. Proceed to the minimum safe distance until the all clear has been given by the NEST team."

Lt. Vasquez yelled as they rushed inside. "Go! Go!"

Outlaw Two-Five finally takes off. "Ladies and gentlemen this is your Captain speaking," stated Ryan. "We're in for some chop! Hang on! Jake gimme max power."

Command radioed in. "All U.S. forces, be advised, we have a confirmed nuclear threat in the city. NEST teams are on site and attempting to disarm. I repeat, we have a confirmed nu-"

Suddenly, before the warning can be repeated, it is cut off by static as a nuclear explosion goes off in the distance. Crew Chief Lt. Volker and Sgt. Paul Jackson look away and shield their eyes with one arm not holding their weapon to avoid witnessing the brightness of the detonation. When they are able to look back, they stare in shock and disbelief at what has just happened. As the familiar mushroom cloud begins to rise into the air, the shock wave knocks down many helicopters and destroys everything in its path.

Lt. Vasquez yelled out. "Everyone, hang on!"

The shock wave hits Outlaw 2-5, causing it to spin out of control. Volker and Jackson are knocked off their feet, and Volker begins to slide out of the sea knight's ramp. Paul Jackson lunges and grabs him by the hand, trying to pull him back in, but the force is too strong, and his hand slips. Volkner falls out of the chopper. Jackson falls on his back and hangs onto the seats until the Sea Knight crashes, and the world went black.

A military satellite tracks the nuclear detonation in the Middle East.

Male Newscaster: Something has happened...

British Newscaster: What appears to be an explosion of an epic proportion...

Female Newscaster 1: Reports remain sketchy and unconfirmed at this time...

Male Newscaster: Damage appears to be total... to set off what appears to have been a nuclear explosion in his own country...

British Newscaster: Maybe the start of something larger that on whether Al-Asad was among the victims in what may have been a suicidal...

Female Newscaster 2: What I can see from the hotel here is a mushroom cloud, about 45 by...

Female Newscaster 3: ...Continue to burn across a massive wasteland, that was once a capital for this thriving nation...

A satellite uploads a list of 30,000 Marines that are MIA or KIA in the explosion, including Sgt. Paul Jackson, whose name is highlighted. The satellite then tracks Jackson somewhere in the blast radius.

Sgt. Paul Jackson wakes up in the crashed Sea Knight. "Fuck..." He was severely injured from the crash. "God help me..." He slowly crawls out of the wreck. A radio can be heard, faintly transmitting chatter.

An unknown Man is heard on the radio. "Flash. NBC-1 Nuclear. Bravo - NB-0 6-2, 6-3-4. Charlie - 90 degree grid. Hotel - surface. Juliet - 90 seconds."

The radio gets garbled up with noises, and a woman begins transmitting. "...Be advised, nuclear detonation detected, fallout predicted within a radius of 7.4 miles, epicenter located at N-G-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 they should be operational within 2 hours. Personnel are advised to be there, I am (static). Personnel with highly elevated levels are advised to seek medical attention at the first available opportunity." The transmission ends.

As he crawls out of the Sea Knight, buildings in front of him collapse due to the explosion. He falls out of the wreck and gets hurt mildly. He stands up and looks out at the destroyed city. A massive white mushroom cloud is seen rising in the horizon from the nuclear explosion. Radioactive dust blows all around him and the city. To his right, two corpses of Bravo Team are seen, Captain Pelayo coughs out blood on the verge of death. A few meters away, Lt. Vasquez is seen limping towards the mushroom cloud before collapsing. Moments after, Jackson collapses.

'I guess this is it...' He hoped to die in relative silence, but he would only hear a loud thumping and clicking noise as it got closer and closer to them.

Forcing his eyes to open again, Jackson saw a person wearing some sort of metal suit of armor leaning over Pelayo. Jackson thought they might have been the enemy, but the army dog tag around the man's helmet gave him some relief. The Marine captain coughed up blood once more.

"Holy shit!" The voice sounded like a man, and he saw metal fingers check her pulse. "Six, get the medkits. I'll contact LW. We got some live ones. We can scavenge later." Taking out a syringe, he injected something into Pelayo. He moved to check Vasquez's pulse and did the same. Jackson saw him walk to him, and he felt the pressure on his neck followed by a piercing sensation. The pain eased, but his mind began to cloud. He felt so tired. Before he blacked out, he heard the mysterious person speak to him. "This ain't over for you yet, kid. I should know. War... War never changes."