March 7, 2134
Sunset, Louisiana
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I woke up, seeing Kelly’s closed eyes in front of me. I pressed against her cheek, and brushed hair out of her face. She nuzzled her nose into the pillow. There was a knock.
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Her eyes widened, and so did mine. My heart sank to my stomach. She quickly pulled the covers over her head. I got up, put some pants on, and answered the door. It was Valkyrie. He smiled, “briefings in ten. Be ready.”
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“That was…”
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He looked over at my bed, saw Kelly’s toes, and chuckled, “Marks?”
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Kelly popped her head out, “LT?”
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Valkyrie slapped my stomach, “be there in twenty minutes.”
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He closed the door. Kelly popped her head over the covers, “want to go again?”
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I got to the briefing tent seventeen minutes later. Valkyrie was waiting outside. He asked, “early?”
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I nodded, “I didn’t want to be late.”
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He smiled, “you know you can go to jail?”
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“I don’t want her coming to Lafayette. Alec, please. I am begging you. She can’t go to Lafayette. She can’t-”
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“I got it, Rogers. I’ll sort something out.”
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“Thank you. I just, I can’t lose her.”
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He smacked his teeth, “you’re such a simp. Let’s go. I’ll handle it.”
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We walked into the tent, where Major Earns was waiting. Colonel Futile was also there. Fucker.
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Colonel Futile was a stain on the High Command Staff. He didn’t coordinate attacks with logistics in mind, he didn’t care about our well being, and he definitely didn’t mind how many men he had to send to the meat grinder. He was an Old Blood, hellbent on fighting an old war. The way he used to fight didn’t exist anymore. The TUC had better vehicles, superior tactics, and the biggest advantage ever. Defense.
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Futile was a good example of an Old Blood Ranger. He commanded us like we were hopping over a trench or taking a small town. Old Bloods were just stuck on the old way of fighting. In the beginning of the war, and for a few decades after it, fighting consisted of trench-to-trench engagements, long drawn out firefights in forest or around towns, and infantry focused operations. Tanks were used, but not as in high volume. Tanks were more of a tool rather than a weapon. They would use them to crush walls or cover their flank, but never engage in tank-to-tank combat if they didn’t have too.
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Marshall was a great example of a New Blood Ranger. Hell, Valkyrie even. New Bloods favored combined warfare and understood that the war changed. Some say it changed in 2108 when a new Head Director was announced, others say it changed during the Indiana Invasion. The Indiana Invasion not only caused the NCC to reschedule the Louisiana Invasion, but it also exposed us to a new way of fighting. The TUC went door to door, rounded up civilians in herds, and shot them as they walked across a live minefield. The TUC used their tanks to break through our lines, once they did, the infantry would pour through the hole and wreak havoc on confused NCC forces. Air units from the TUC coordinated intense bombardments on our strongpoints, taking land quicker than we could ever imagine. At the time, almost all of our forces were in Florida, preparing to board a ship and land on Creole Beach. Indiana was never the same after that.
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We weren’t any better. We only got the upper hand because our President was negotiating peace deals with the Head Director. During this time all TUC troops stood down, stopping at Springfield, Kentucky. The talks gave time for our reinforcements to arrive and when they did, we drove the TUC back across every single city we lost.
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I had a sinking feeling that whatever plan Futile had, it would end in high casualty rates. If Earns was able to control the situation, then maybe we’d have a fighting chance.
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We waited for a few more squad leaders to arrive DG Romeo, and one from Devil Dog Division. It was Trent, still alive and tired as hell. Since Jennings, we lost contact with Devil Dog Division. It was said a lot of the remaining Rangers stayed at Jennings for defense. I shook hands with Trent and he smiled, “moving up in the world?”
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I nodded, “yeah. The world’s just kinda moving with me.”
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“Nice seeing you Rogers.”
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I patted his shoulder, “nice to see you too man.”
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The briefing began. Futile explained to us what the Airborne Rangers already told us. There was a large industrial part of the city which was the most defended, and would be needed to take out first. As we cleared and secured the Northern Sector, Division Group Alkaline would push through the western side of the city. It was mostly apartment houses and factories, with little to no hardpoints. They would simply be getting an easier job at first.
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Once we had secured our objectives, we would push into the heart of the city. He told us the Confederacy had abandoned all hope, and Lafayette’s people were simply waiting for us to roll in. It would take our reserves another two weeks to arrive, so taking the city in one attack was the main priority. Once we gained a foothold, we would set up a Forward Operating Base in an industrial area. It was located Downtown, a few hundred feet from the train station, offered enough open and closed space to run further assaults, and would give us time to breathe.
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Finally, we would assault the airport. Arguably the biggest airport in Eastern Louisiana. It didn’t have many runways, only four, but hangars and aircraft lined for miles. It looked more like a car dealership rather than an airport. In a few hours, the TUC could have all of those planes in the air. Luckily for us, it was rumored the TUC blew through all their ace pilots in the opening days of the invasion. A second airport would be taken by Division Group Alkaline in the southern part of Lafayette. Taking the airport was our last goal. Once that was done, we would be rotated out for leave.
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We left the briefing and stepped outside to a dark daylight. I looked up, seeing about twenty or so helicopters preparing to land around Sunset. I asked Valkyrie, “what’s our insertion?”
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“MRAP. Good and trusted.”
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I nodded, “I have never flown in a helicopter. Except one time, and I won’t count that.”
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“Maybe I’ll take you one day. When this is all over.”
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Will it ever be over?
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As the helicopters began to pick up troops and fly over us, I ordered my squad to mount up in a MRAP. I got into the passenger seat, and Ty got into the driver seat. We sat and waited. I watched a couple of attack helicopters fly towards the city. They fired rockets and their cannons at the ground, tearing whole buildings down.
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I looked back at Carter, who was trembling. I gave him a nod and shifted my eyes to Anton. He sat there, calm and collected. Kyle bounced his leg, waiting to get a piece of action. I turned back, leaning my head on the window and closing my eyes for just a little bit.
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A barrage of missiles woke me up. I looked outside my window to see two NCC/M270s. The M270 was a Multiple Launch Rocket System. It was rare to see them this close to a battle, because they were so expensive to produce. The M270 could fire up to 12 rockets before needing to be reloaded. The rockets were fitted with an airburst-cluster-bomb configuration. At a certain height, usually a hundred feet, the rockets would detonate and launch several smaller bombs onto an area. The M270 could cover a large area in small explosions, but could also be loaded with conventional rockets that made a bigger, more concentrated boom.
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Marshall’s face appeared in my window, which startled me. He knocked on it. I opened the door and asked, “sir?”
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He smiled, “got a spare seat?”
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I looked back at Anton and Carter, then to Ty. Ty shrugged his shoulders, “hop in sir!”
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I nodded, “yes sir. Plenty of room.”
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Anton straddled the gunner cage and Marshall got into his seat. Marshall was wearing a TacVest and a Ranger uniform, not an Officer uniform. I also noticed his Captain ranks were replaced with Private ranks.
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I asked, “you know what you’re doing?”
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He nodded, “my father always told me if I wanted to sleep at night, I should be on the ground with the men, not in some comfy chair in AC. I feel I need to do this. I need to be here, with you- all of you. I love you boys, and I don’t want to be sending you somewhere I would never send my own sons. You are my only sons left, and I’m planning on walking you all out of this city if I have to.”
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Anton smirked, “you’re gonna make me cry sir.”
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Marshall chuckled, “don’t cry yet son. Crying’s for weddings and funerals.”
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Ty giggled, “yes sir! I like this plan already!”
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Some Paladins behind us began firing rounds towards the city. I watched the shell eject from the barrel and shoot up into the dark storm clouds. I stared into my gas mask eye glass. Watching my own reflection get darker and darker the more I stared.
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The Support Division was authorized to use WhitePhosphorus Cluster Shells (WPCS) to drag out any fortified Confederates. The shell would explode above the target destination, and scatter whitephosphorus smoke onto the area. The smoke, similar to the Mark 9 Incendiary Grenade, contained pellets of whitephosphourus. Unlike the Mark 9, the WPCSs contained much larger pellets that could burn through armor, concrete, wood, plaster, and just about anything else under the sun. The smoke lingered for much longer, and the pellets only had a duration of sixty seconds. After sixty seconds, the pellets were harmless to the exterior body, but not the interior. That’s why we had gas masks. Something the Confederates most likely didn’t have.
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Attack helicopters returned from the city, and landed on the makeshift pads. The entire city lit up with a white-hot glare. Ty looked out his window and shook his head, “I almost feel bad for them.”
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I nodded, “I do.”
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Kyle knelt down in the gunner cage, “ayo. Should we be wearing masks?”
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He glanced at Marshall, “good morning sir.”
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Marshall nodded, “good morning.”
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I shook my head, “no. Smoke won’t travel this far out.”
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One Viper returned later than the others. It’s tail boom was burning. It landed short of a pad before the tail boom slipped off. The pilots got out and ran away from the helicopter as it continued to burn towards the cockpit. Nearby Rangers ran over with fire extinguishers to no avail.
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Our radio blurped, “Lidia, Lidia, Oh Lidia.”
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I grabbed my gask mask, “this is it.”
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We all put on our gas masks, and the convoy chugged forward. Our convoy was led by two M2 Bradleys and a LAV-25. At the rear was another M2 and three LAV-25s. To the right and left of us were two M1A2 Abrams, six LAV-25s, and ten Sabers. They would walk us into the city, and keep a perimeter secured if we needed to pull back. As we were driving down the main road, an Abrams shot it’s cannon.
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I noticed four Panzer IIIs engaging with our tanks. They didn’t stand a chance. The LAV-25s Bushmaster 25mm made the TU25mm look like a pea shooter. The Abrams destroyed one Panzer III, and the LAVs finished off the other two.
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Those were the only tanks we ran into. Most of the tanks must have been in the city, and not the outskirts. The attack helicopters flew over us. They fired deeper into the city, just behind where the whitephospourous shells landed. Four Black Hawks and four V-60s flew over us as well. They deployed their troops on the left flank and right flank. Once the Rangers unloaded, two Chinooks dropped their Rangers on the flanks as well. The Rangers filed into the smoke, vanishing.
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The armor at our front broke off to the sides. Our convoy stopped, and we unloaded. I ordered my men to stay behind me. I moved up to a drain ditch in the field and waited. The smoke was about thirty yards in front of me. I couldn’t see shit behind it.
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I moved up, with Ty on my right. We pushed into the smoke. I felt the pellets tingle the small gap of exposed skin between my gloves and sleeve. I looked down, watching my wrist turn red with white spots. I took a deep breath in.
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I kept moving forward, or where I thought was forward. I bumped into Valkyrie. He asked, “where are you going?”
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I turned around, confused. I couldn’t see the shit I was stepping on in front of me. I said, “I got turned around somehow.”
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He grabbed onto my shoulder, which I smacked off. My senses were on high alert. My body went into full on animal instinct. I was ready to kill, but how could I when I couldn’t see what I was supposed to kill?
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He grabbed my hand, “it’s okay. I got you. Breathe.”
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I nodded. Taking a second to regain my humanity. He asked, “ready?”
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I nodded, “yeah. I’m sorry.”
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He smacked my chest, “it happens. Let’s go, on me.”
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I followed him through the smoke. I stumbled over what I thought was a rock. I stumbled on another one. It took me a few times to realize they were bodies. Valkyrie tripped on one.
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I knelt down to help him, but found a skinless face staring at me. The eyes were burnt away and the bone was still burning. Valkyrie tugged on my rifle sling, “c’mon Rogers!”
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I nodded, still panicking. I tried to control my breathing, but with the gas mask it made breathing extremely laborious and difficult. I couldn’t take deep breaths, so I had to take short sporadic breaths. I was inclined to take off my mask. Even though it would kill me, at least I wouldn’t die from an artillery shell or some kid with a rifle that weighed more than him. I would most likely have an open casket funeral once they wiped foam from my mouth.
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I kept chugging forward. Valkyrie and I found Savannah and Kyle. They were waiting for someone to stumble upon them. We took them deeper into the smoke. The smoke started to dissipate, revealing the ground around me.
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It was pitch black. There were bodies that had melted into the ground, some of whom I couldn’t tell if they were human or not. It was almost like they fused into the dirt. We pushed up a mound of dirt, with wooden logs holding it. We dropped down behind it to find multiple dead Confederates in a trench. They were more intact, but still burnt. Some had baseball sized holes in their bodies, while others were missing limbs or fingers.
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One soldier had his entire lower torso burnt from him. His lower half was outside of the trench, while the other half was in the trench. We found an MG72 nest, where the gunner was burnt over the machine gun. The barrel of the gun melted downwards. The ammo in the nest had exploded and sent small fragments of shrapnel everywhere.
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Kyle scoffed, “this ain’t right Matthew.”
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Valkyrie asked, “I thought you liked the fight?”
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“Not like this LT. This ain’t how we should fight.”
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We climbed over the trench, passing a bunkered Panther. The bunker roof had collapsed onto the Panther turret, crushing the front mantlet. It was definitely not operable. We got to a long brick wall. Three Rangers were at the end of it. One was loading a 40mm grenade into his rifle and the other two were covering him.
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We joined them at the wall. The Ranger fired his grenade into the smoke. Valkyrie looked up the wall and said, “this is one of the factories. Rogers, Wessman, with me. Everyone else hold here.”
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Kyle, Valkyrie, and I moved around the wall through a metal door. I took point, leading them through a tight hallway. I looked out the window to my left and saw a large assembly line of tanks. I began to climb the stairs. When I crossed the landing, a burst of I-97 rounds hit the glass beside me. I ducked, and backed down the stairs. Kyle asked, “you good?”
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I nodded. I slowly moved up, aiming my rifle at a door frame. I could only see the top two inches of said door frame, but I had a feeling my opponent was there. Even if I did move up, he still had the cover advantage. He would see me before I would see him. I noticed the floor below the door frame was a wooden platform with metal beams crossing underneath it.
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I shot through the wood, hearing a grunt afterwards. I climbed up the stairs, keeping my rifle trained at the door frame. I saw the soldier collapse in the door frame. He was still moving, so I shot him two more times. A second soldier approached his fallen comrade. I shot at him, but missed a few rounds. I quickly jumped up the second set of stairs and got beside the door frame.
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Kyle moved up to the landing, but backed down when he got shot at. The wall I was on was concrete, so no way of cheesing myself out of this one. I pulled a frag from my TacBelt, pulled out the pin, held it for three seconds, and tossed it against the door frame. It bounced into the room. Once it exploded, I moved in.
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I checked my left, and then my right. I saw a second body on the ground. I stood over him, and put a round into him. There was a second door on the right wall at the far corner of the room. I aimed at it, waiting for Valkyrie and Kyle. Kyle came up, standing across the room from me. Valkyrie got in the middle of us and we walked towards the door.
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A soldier came out. I shot him in his chest, and Valkyrie shot him whilst he fell down. We moved out of the room onto a catwalk. The catwalk wrapped around the entire factory, which was at least 60ftx100ft. There were six Panthers assembled, without tracks, and four Panthers ready to go. It looked like we caught them right before they could mobilize their tanks.
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We walked across the catwalk, seeing soldiers down below working on the tanks. The front hangar door was closed, which must have prevented the whitephospourous from getting in. Parts of the roof were burnt away and I could see where the pellets landed on the floor.
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We shot at the soldiers below us, killing six of the eight. The other two, one who was wounded, ran into a small office. Valkyrie pulled a grenade from his belt and tossed it through a broken sheet of glass in the office. The grenade exploded, sending one soldier running out. Kyle gunned him down.
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I moved around the corner of the catwalk with Valkyrie on my heels. Kyle stayed where he was, covering the first floor. I opened a door to a room full of extra parts like MG60s, muzzles, and hinges. I walked across the room to another door. The door led to a stairwell. I walked down the stairs, hearing the muffled sounds of close gunfire.
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At the bottom of the stairs, I saw the shooter through a door window. I shot him through the window and opened the door. It led to a smaller conveyor section. Track links were being assembled and put together at the far end of the room. A soldier popped up behind one of the conveyors, catching me by surprise. I dropped to the floor. He fired multiple shots from a pistol. He ran out and dropped his mag. I sprung up, shooting him while he was reloading.
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I cleared the rest of the room. Valkyrie and I got out of that room and secured the office. I heard the wounded soldier whimpering under a desk. I shot a couple rounds at him, finishing him off.
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We got outside, seeing that the smoke had dissipated most of the way. I could now see twenty feet in front of me and I could see the tops of buildings. Ty, Carter, Anton, and six other Rangers joined our group. Ty chuckled at me, “I thought I lost you back there.”
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I smiled, “I’m here now.”
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Valkyrie began asking the Rangers what Divisions they were from. Apparently, everyone got split up in the smoke. We pushed across the burnt ground. We got to a second factory, where there were four Rangers. We were slowly regaining all of our numbers.
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Two Rangers were trying to open the hangar door, because the side doors caved in. The other two were covering them. Carter and I got to one side of the hangar door, allowing both Rangers to lift from the other side. It didn’t even budge. The two Rangers covering us stepped back and got in between us. We began to lift the door.
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As we were lifting, I felt the ground beneath my feet crack open. I felt an intense vibration shoot up my calves into my hamstrings, and the vibration shook my spine. I knew what it was. I felt that same feeling in Creole.
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I pushed Carter away from the hangar door and went to grab the Ranger beside me. Before I could, the door crashed down in front of me, covering the four Rangers. The rugged, studded hull of a Tiger began to drive over the door. It crushed the Rangers into pink splats on the ground. As it drove out, the turret began to rotate from its rear to its front. I ducked, feeling the barrel skid past my helmet. I quickly ran around the factory wall. Bullets landed around my feet and in front of me, but none hit.
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I dove into a drainage gully, full of grease, oil, and trash. I saw my team running towards the back of the factory. I got up, helped Carter up, and ran around as well.
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One of the Rangers was preparing his AT4, and another was loading a shell into his M203. Valkyrie made sure Carter and I were okay, then said, “here’s the plan. We’re going to clear out this factory and then push into the city. We cannot go toe-to-toe with a Tiger.”
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I shook my head, “LT, it just came off the assembly line. Maybe they missed-”
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“I know what you’re trying to say, and no.”
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“Let me do this. If it’s sealed I’ll come back.”
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Tigers were built in two stages. The first stage was the complete lower half of the tank like tracks, wheels, engienes, carpartments, and interior. The second stage was everything on the top, turret, gun, hull, and so forth. In order to seal the two shut, the TUC used a gluing paste along with bolts that kept the tank together. This paste could only be made in large factories, not like the one it came out of. So, there was a very, very high chance the paste had yet to be applied. Meaning, the engine hatch could easily come off with a crowbar.
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Valkyrie nodded, “Robinson. Go with him.”
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Ty nodded at me, “don’t get me killed.”
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We braced ourselves at the corner of the factory. Valkyrie held onto my shoulder and said, “go. Covering fire!”
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Ty and I sprinted away from the corner. Everyone behind us shot at the Tiger, and the AT4 shell hit it’s side armor. The shell bounced off, making an awfully loud bingdirrr. Ty and I hopped onto the rear of the Tiger. I began to lift the engine cap, but it didn’t budge. Ty smacked my hands away and flipped it open. I let out a sigh, tossing in a live grenade as I did.
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We jumped off the tank and ran for cover behind a stack of metal cylinders. The grenade exploded, and the Tiger’s turret stopped moving.
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We secured the factory with no opposition. Coming out of the factory, we saw that the smoke had completely dissipated. We set up a rally point at the factory perimeter gates.
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I looked at Lafayette. It was a long, winding road with buildings that got taller and taller the farther they got. Now all we had to do was take it.
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*
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I moved up the street and took cover behind a flipped car. I got onto my stomach and mounted my rifle on the pavement. Carter and Ty joined me at the car. Anton, Valkyrie, and Savannah were on the left of us. Marshall, Que, and Kyle were on our right.
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A squad of Rangers moved up the street ahead of us. When they took cover along a wall, a burst of machine gun fire shot at them. I couldn’t see a muzzle flash and it was short enough not to produce vibrant tracers. I asked, “see the shot?”
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Ty responded, “right house. Mid-right window.”
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I got up and said, “let’s go. On me.”
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I began to move up the street, but a second burst of machine gun fire came from our left. One round caught Carter in his leg, and another got me in my arm. I flipped my rifle to the left side, shooting a few rounds at the suspected building. I bent down to pick up Carter, but pulled myself back when a second burst hit my lower torso.
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I limped towards the building on the right. Ty was already there, suppressing the building on the left. He yelled, “are you good?!”
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I looked down at my torso wound, seeing the bullet had caught my canteen. I lifted the canteen out of its pouch, hearing the shell clink around inside. I then checked my arm wound, seeing the shell had only hit the top layers of my skin. I let out a grateful sigh.
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Ty turned around and checked me. He smacked my cheek, “you got some goddess looking out for you!”
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I looked out to see Carter, still laying in the street. The rain splat onto his blood pool. I could hear the sound of the rain hitting his blood, I could hear a clock ticking in my head, in cadence with the rain drops.
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I asked Ty, “can you cover me?”
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“No fucking way bro. Dead bodies attract dead bodies.”
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“He’s not dead!”
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“He’s gone man! Dead bodies attract dead bodies. You’re gonna get killed!”
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“Cover me.”
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“Goddamnit Matthew!”
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I ran out into the street, ducking below a burst of MG fire. I crawled to a wooden cart in the street, grabbing onto the wheels and dragging it backwards until I reached Carter. I saw Kyle, Marshall, and Que moving up the street, firing at the building. I stood over Carter.
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His leg was fucked, but he looked up at me with a slight smirk. His eyes were rolled back into his head, and he let out a small chuckle. I reached into his medpac and cut his pants off around his wound. I pulled out a morphine pin and stabbed it into his upper thigh. I pulled out a pressure bandage and wrapped it around the bullet entry. I lifted his leg at the knee and checked his hamstring. I felt a bullet exit hole. I let out a breath, and the clock stopped ticking, “ah fuck.”
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He chuckled, “that shit hurts dawg.”
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I nodded, “I know-I know. Hold on buddy.”
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I wrapped a second bandage underneath his bullet wounds. Luckily, he wasn’t bleeding anymore, he just bled a lot in a short period of time. The rain water also seemed to help. Maybe? I dunno, I wasn’t a medic.
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Anton slid across the jagged pavement to us. He began checking over Carter’s wounds, “morphine?”
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“One.”
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“PB?”
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“One over the exit, two over the entry.”
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“Foam?”
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“None on me.”
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“We have to move him.”
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I shouted, “Kyle!”
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Kyle ran to us, “yo?”
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Anton told him, “we gotta move him back. I can’t work here.”
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I looked up the street, catching a slight glimpse of a 126mm barrel. The barrel aimed at the house where the Rangers were. It fired, shooting through the first corner and exploding on the second. The wall collapsed onto two of the Rangers, and the third Ranger slowly stepped back. He dropped his rifle, fell to his knees, and dropped his head into his palms.
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Anton grabbed my collar, “we got to move!”
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I picked up Carter by his legs, Kyle picked him up by the arms, and Anton stayed in the middle of us to support his back. We ran to a nearby building. The wooden cart exploded, and our entire Division scattered. Ty got across from Anton, and we ran to the backside of the buildings. We ran across the backyards into a small house.
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I kicked down the back door and went through. We walked into what seemed to be a kitchen, and I saw a table. I told Ty, “clear it off!”
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Ty swung his rifle over his shoulder, grabbed the table, and flipped it to its side. The plates crashed, glass shattered, and silverware clanked. I placed Carter’s legs on the table and waited for Kyle to place him down. I stood beside Anton, viewing his wound. The bandages were soaked with blood. Anton shook his head, “he’s bleeding too much. I need to clamp the vein.”
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I nodded, “what can I do?”
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He began to hastily unwrap the bandage. I grabbed his hands, “let me help. I need you to be focused.”
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Anton nodded, “right. Sorry. Get the bandages off and throw some salt, we may need to give him a second dose of morphine. I dropped my fucking foam pack!”
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Kyle asked, “is that a good idea?”
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Anton sighed, “would you want to go through that pain? I dropped my fucking foam Kyle!”
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Carter lifted his head, “I- I’d like the morphine.”
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I nodded, patting his shoulder, “we’ll give you the morphine then.”
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Kyle pulled Carter’s pants down a bit and jabbed a morphine pin into his other thigh. I started unwrapping his bandages, and Anton pulled out an IV bag. Anton asked, “what’s your type Carter?”
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Carter responded, “thick thighs and big… ol titties.”
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Kyle smiled, I chuckled, and Anton laughed, “a man of culture.”
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Carter let out a deep sigh, “I’m O neggy Doc.”
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Anton froze for a second. He looked around the room and asked, “is anybody O negative?”
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Kyle nodded, “yeah I am.”
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Anton exclaimed, “I knew you were good for something!”
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Anton sat Kyle down beside Carter and ran hoses into the both of them. Anton came to me and said, “now we gotta clamp. You ready?”
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I nodded, “yeah.”
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He gave me a tweezer, metal clamps, and gloves. I put on the gloves and opened Carter’s wound with my fingers. Anton dove his fingers into the hole and fiddled around. Carter began to scream in pain. Kyle stood up and held his head down with one hand. Anton nodded, “alright. I got a rupture. Hand me the clamps and tweezers.”
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Carter’s head rolled to the side, silent. Kyle asked, “is he gone?”
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“No! It’s from the pain. This wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t loose my foam pack!”
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“Shut the fuck up about the foam pack man!”
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“You shut the fuck up! You want to do this!”
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My grip started to slip on the small slab of skin I had attached to. I told Anton, “I’m slipping. Anton I’m slipping!”
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Anton shouted over his shoulder, “Tyrese! We need you!”
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Ty rushed in and asked, “where you need me?”
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I told him, “my grip is slipping.”
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He nodded, taking the skin by his fingers and pulling it open. I slid my fingers out, giving them a rest. I heard a small clamp. Anton let out a confident sigh, “I got it.”
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Anton dropped his head on my shoulder, “thanks dude. Ah fuck… sorry Kyle.”
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I nudged Anton’s head away, “he deserves it anyways.”
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We wrapped his wound again. That night, we changed out his bandages and checked for any more bleeding. The bleeding had stopped, and Kyle could finally take a break. He was extremely pale and cold. O negative was the only blood Carter could take, and it almost killed Kyle to keep Carter alive. All that effort, for one man. I always wondered how people as selfish as Kyle would risk their life for someone they barely knew. Maybe Kyle really was changing. Maybe I was wrong about him.
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Tent always told me you find your true self in combat. You find what you are at the very basic atom. You discover just how bad you can become, what you can do when your body, mind, and soul are completely erased. When all you are is a number. Kyle was different. I never understood why. Maybe it was just a front he was putting up?
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