Brmmmm Ffhhhh Brmmmmm
"Watch out!" screamed Sergeant Magnusson.
An artillery shell flew into a tall building and caused an explosion, swaying all three Humvees on the road. The first Humvee hit debris, which caused it to swerve violently, running onto the sidewalk and running over signs in the process. Johnny was on the edge of his seat, not out of excitement, but because he couldn't force his body to sit back. Artillery barrages slammed into the city of Turku. Everyone was scrambling, blocking the frequency. They approached the militarized checkpoint. Tanks rolled down the street, going in the opposite direction. From base camp, the noise of rapid firing from the numerous C-RAMs tried to destroy incoming rockets. Explosions happened around them and throughout the city of Turku, affecting every soldier and Marine.
Humvee #1 kept swerving, prompting both Humvee #2 and #3 to do the same. Artillery damage ruined the roads. Humvee #1 became disoriented by the smoke that emitted as they passed over a wrecked tank that had been hit by artillery. Humvee #1 drove onto the wrong side of the road and swerved quickly out of the way as another tank rolled up.
"Watch it!" screamed the driver over the radio.
Sergeant Magnusson received orders to advance with his squad and reorganize with his platoon. Despite not belonging to the same squad or platoon, Sergeant Magnusson assigned Johnny and Casey to remain with his men until they were clear to regroup with their initial squadrons.
"Turn up here," Sergeant Magnusson told the driver. Humvee #1 branched off from the group, and Humvee #2 and #3 went down the same path. Behind them, a giant black tank followed. They were part of the 12th Armored Infiltration Regiment. The 12th Armored Infiltration Regiment is a Special Operations regiment in the Army Special Operations Command of the United Summit Coalition. Their tanks were fitted with either a flamethrower as a turret or an average gun turret. You could hear them coming from a mile away. The place where the first Telectian sightings were reported was the area they were heading to. A firefight had broken out instantly, and they were tasked with flanking. The Humvee rolled onto the railroad tracks and immediately started taking fire. The Humvee was the only thing emitting light down the dark roads. Because the lights were still on, Sergeant Magnusson hit the driver in the head. The tank behind them sped past. Sergeant Magnusson had been sent to a meet-up point known as the Dread Zone and ordered everyone to disembark. Since the highest rank in Humvee #3 was a corporal, Sergeant Magnusson took charge of the two teams that were inside. The tank that had been behind them began torching hostiles as their bodies scurried around the railroad tracks.
Getting out of the Humvee, Johnny's knees felt shaky. He dropped his gear and had to pick it up. As they entered the house, it was dark, making it difficult to see. Six Marines were surrounding a table down the hall in the kitchen. Their figures were barely recognizable in the dim light. The artillery from the United Coalition Summit was now striking positions where the Telectians were. In the poorly lit house, a full map layout of Turku had been drawn on, pinned, and scribbled out. Johnny was told to keep watch out of a window. While doing so, Sergeant Magnusson looked at him funny.
"Where's your NOD's?" he asked. "What are you, an owl?"
"I-I was never issued one, Sarge," Johnny stuttered.
"What?" Sergeant Magnusson's face scrunched up. He was so confused. "Do you guys have anything around here?"
"You know, funny enough, we do have two," said a tall Marine standing at the edge of the table.
Johnny knew how to use night-vision goggles. It was one of his favorite things to learn. Once it was adjusted, he took a position at a window. In front of him were destroyed houses that had been leveled to the ground, the railroad tracks down the hill, bullet tracers flying everywhere ahead of him, and the occasional bombardment of artillery. Johnny and the rest of the Marines in that house had a decent view of a train station. Up the road, reinforcements of hostile armor and infantry had been reported.
"Movement one o'clock," said a Marine in another room.
"Bully 2, this is Bully 2-3," spoke Corporal Miguel Montoya. Miguel Montoya was a member of Bully 2-3, which was the squad in the house with Sergeant Magnusson and his squad. He was a level-headed man. He is constantly cracking jokes, even when in a place unknown to him. Montoya was born in California and had a muscular physique as well as a deep voice.
The feed picked up a lot of gunfire from the other end.
"Bully 2," they responded.
"Are there hostiles in the vicinity of the railroad, preferably near the train station?" Montoya asked.
"Stand by," they said.
"Movement three o'clock," said a marine.
"Movement one o'clock," said another marine.
"Bully 2, to Bully 2-3, be advised!" The frequency was blocked. "Back—, I repeat, hostiles are all around you. Front and back, over!"
The first shot came through the window, nearly missing a Marine who was looking at the map on the table.
"Contact, 70 meters front!" screamed a Marine in another room. He began shooting out the window, but was met with a hail of gunfire. Every second, a snapping noise would go off.
Frantically trying to find the right time to fire back, Johnny struggled to get his rifle anywhere near the window.
"Fuckin' spray and pray, merchants!" screamed Corporal Montoya. They were taking heavy fire from all around. "Bully 6 Actual, do we have any air support nearby?"
"Negative Bully 2-3," responded Bully 6 Actual.
"Ahhh, shit!" screamed a Marine upstairs. "Fucking bastards!"
The house was flooded with Marines moving around. They crouched below windows that had been shot out. Rushing up the stairs, a corpsman was screaming at the Marine to stay low and tell him his location. The Marine, who had a tenor-like tone, kept screaming profanity.
"Be advised, Leopards 2-1 and 2-2 are two and a half miles south of your location, out." radioed Bully 6 Actual.
"Fuck!" screamed Montoya, whose voice was being drowned out by the constant firing. "Roger, we'll be on standby. Bully 2-3 out."
"Niemen!" screamed Sergeant Magnusson. "I know your name, son! Get that fucking rifle up and start shooting those sons of bitches!"
Johnny's legs were shaking. He raised his rifle, firing rapidly into the night sky. Even with night-vision goggles, he kept firing without looking.
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"Hang in there, boys!" screamed Montoya.
"Bully 2-3, Hangover 3-4, east of your position, over," a savior replied.
Sergeant Magnusson was running around the house, screaming at everyone. He had no regard for his safety.
"Niemen, open your fucking eyes!" he screamed.
Johnny squinted his eyes before opening them fully. A blast of gunfire entered through his window once more as he leaned against a wall, taking deep breaths. Two Marines ran out of the house and into the Humvee. They grabbed ammunition and ran back inside the house. The door slammed shut, which caused some Marines, where Johnny had been, to take cover, thinking it was a grenade.
Johnny fired more shots out of his window, this time looking at where he was aiming. He was still nervous and couldn't aim well, but he knew he'd get yelled at again if he didn't do what he was supposed to do. He reloaded his rifle, gave the proper callout, and continued firing into the night. His initial shots were inaccurate and rapid. His next shot struck an enemy, who then dropped to the ground. Johnny's heart skipped a beat. He had to remember that these things, known as Telectians, weren't humans. Since the beginning of this war, he had been told that they weren't human, had no emotion, and felt no pain. They were invaders with a hivemind.
Montoya grabbed his rifle and ran up the stairs. He began to shoot out the window upstairs, but he still had the radio with him at all times.
"Hey, we're getting overrun over here!" screamed a Marine from upstairs.
"Montoya I need an ETA on those reinforcements, or we'll be dead by sunrise!" screamed Sergeant Magnusson.
"Leopard 2-1, Leopard 2-2, ETA on arrival, over?" Montoya screamed. The barrage of bullets flying into the house from all directions made his voice barely audible downstairs. "I say again, what is your ETA?"
"Bully 2-3, Hangover 3-4, inbound," Hangover 3-4 radioed.
"Bully 2-3, Leopard 2-1 and 2-2, approaching your location," Leopard 2-1 stated.
"Fuck you!" screamed a Marine that had taken cover on the opposite side of Johnny. He fired out the window, hitting shots one after the other. His name was Lance Corporal Niko Johnson. He was a muscular marine with a low voice. He spoke in an accent that could be traced back to Atlanta, Georgia. "You get any?"
Johnny looked out the window, firing in the direction of numerous hostiles moving closer to him.
"A few," he stuttered. "I should be feeling bad, but I was told those things have, like, a fucking hivemind."
"Real shit, Niem-Niemen," he smiled and nodded. "Real shit!"
Looking out the window, two explosions caused concrete and dirt to lift up from the ground. A loud hum and squeaking noise moved closer and closer. The sound of a machine gun fired numerous shots at targets in front and back of the house. Johnny didn't stop shooting. He made sure that everything he was hitting stayed down.
[The Second Battle of Turku: Part One]
"Friendlies coming in!" screamed someone from the front door.
Three airborne troops walked in. They were infantrymen with the 182nd Airborne Rapid Response. They moved into the living room, bringing a huge bag with ammunition. Outside, the tanks went on a rampage, clearing the Telectians that had surrounded the house. Twenty minutes had passed, and the Marines and soldiers could finally relax. Their break was short-lived, as they were told to progress forward toward the airport. A group of Army soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division tagged along. Here, some twenty troops got into their vehicles and drove down the dark roads. Johnny's hands were shaking rapidly.
"You alright?" asked Sergeant Magnusson. He sat in the passenger seat and could hear Johnny breathing heavily. The old Humvee had seen better days. Many squads had something better than it, but it was the only vehicle available. Still, it was decently comfortable.
"I'll be okay," Johnny murmured.
The line of vehicles stopped. An army infantryman walked over to each vehicle before reaching Johnny's.
"We're reaching a jammer," he explained to Sergeant Magnusson. "We're tasked with taking it out. They also have anti-air up ahead, so stay sharp."
"Alright," Sergeant Magnusson responded. "But I want to be clear. Will this get my men in and out?"
"I can't say for sure," frowned the infantryman. "But we're all here to help."
This conversation sent shivers down Johnny's spine. He started to breathe heavily again. Once again, this caught the attention of Sergeant Magnusson. As the vehicles started moving again, he assured Johnny that, whatever happened, he'd always be near a trooper. He also stated that even if he wasn't initially assigned to his team and company, he'd protect him and all his Marines, even if it killed him.
Although jokes flew around the Humvee, this made Johnny feel a bit better, even if Sergeant Magnusson was getting friendly banter from the other Marines in the Humvee. The drive was short, and soon after, they disembarked and made their way down a street. From here on out, they used their NVGs, radio static for Morse Code, and hand signals if they were trying to communicate from afar. The tanks that were with them stayed put. The plan was to use them if things got too hot. They'd also call them in once the jammers were taken care of.
Jammers were first used in the 2034 Siberian War. It worked well in terms of defense. Additionally, it was effective at attacking. After that, most militaries around the world started using jammers. They were important for protecting a town or city from all kinds of attacks, including air raids and ground attacks.
Johnny and his squad of sixteen, led by both Sergeant Magnusson and Lieutenant Christopher Murphy from the 182nd. The 182nd wore cool helmets with visors that served as night vision goggles. Just like Marine Recon, they went through rigorous selections at that same level. The majority of them have seen combat in this war.
The streets were pitch-black. Houses were decaying, and trees surrounded them. Johnny's team split from the other squad. They divided the sixteen into eight on both sides of the road. They went and cleared the houses, going through every room. After sweeping three houses on both sides, Lieutenant Murphy gave the signal to hold up. Everyone kneeled with their weapons ready. Johnny looked around him. Lieutenant Murphy used hand signals to instruct Sergeant Magnusson. After the last hand signal was given, Sergeant Magnusson gave hand signals to his squad to move further into the tree line and get down. Two 182nd troops moved up and down the street, laying objects near the road and covering it up. Lieutenant Murphy's squad had been divided into two crumbling houses.
For a few minutes, it was somewhat quiet. The distant echoes of gunfire could be heard, but that was it. Johnny laid on the grass. He used this opportunity to relax himself. He moved a bit, looking behind him. Lance Corporal Niko Johnson was looking straight at him.
He mouthed the phrase, "What is happening?"
Johnny mouthed the words, "I don't know."
A few minutes later, lights gleamed from down the curvy road. First it shone on a partially destroyed house, then it lit up the road where Johnny and the whole squad lay prone.
"Heads down," whispered someone very quietly. "Get ready."
A line of vehicles drove down the road. They were armored, looked high-tech, and were also eerie. Some of them were huge; others weren't. Once the larger vehicle went a little further down the road, it exploded, sending a violent shockwave. The radius was large enough to also explode the two vehicles that were leading the pack. Fire engulfed a smaller vehicle, sending screaming troops out and falling towards the ground. Another explosion in the back of the convoy lifted two large armored vehicles off the ground. Words that sounded like gibberish echoed throughout the night sky.
"Fix bayonets," Sergeant Magnusson said.
Everyone did as they were told. The vehicle in front of them, which had a gunner, started to disembark. The first shots were from Lieutenant Murphy's side. They killed four gunners, causing their bodies to slouch lifeless on top of the Telectian vehicles.
"Charge!" screamed Sergeant Magnusson.
Gunshots, along with screams, were heard as Johnny, without a thought in his mind, charged the driver of the vehicle. He had opened his door as Johnny looked him in the eye, coming out of the shadows. As they both locked eyes, the driver, whose skin was bright red, had tears already coming out of his eyes. He looked as young as Johnny's best friend, Corey. In fact, his facial features were almost identical. As Johnny drove the bayonet into his chest, he had no emotion. The invader tried to punch him, but the repeated stabbings left him seconds from death. He spoke gibberish as his eyes slowly closed. Johnny then turned his attention to the back passenger, who had been stabbed but was still breathing. Her voice was light as she tried to reach for her weapon. In just a split second, someone shot her in the head numerous times before she got anywhere near it. She also looked young. The gun fire went on for a few more minutes before ceasing. The flames raged on as they continued down the road toward their objective.