Battle for Earth
Page 6
I settled down quickly though. It felt so good to get some payback against the enemy. And hear the chatter of all those little ones stuffed into the back of the truck. I should have thought they would still be terrified. Instead there were all kinds of happy kid sounds.
Rock had crawled over the seat, and was leaning through the pass-through window into the back of the truck. A couple of kids had climbed through to his side of the window and were giving him a hug. He was telling the kids a story. I caught something about a giant bug swatter made just for these horrors, called the .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun. He gave each of the kids a used .50 cal. shell for a souvenir. It had turned into a very good day.
But what were we going to do with the social worker and all those kids? I remembered mom and dad talking about a refugee program. They had been excited about the place, with so many displaced persons in a state of constant danger. Surely they would be able to help a group of kids. Or, maybe we could help them get to another facility. There would be time now to figure it out. At the moment we were curious to know the reason for the bug chase.
The social worker, Jan, was helping with the ever increasing orphan situation. She had managed to stock supplies at the Snake Lake Nature Center in Tacoma. It was situated in a beautiful natural setting near the Snake Lake Trail by Highway 16. The place even had a limited power supply due to a good solar array. Her husband, Dan, recently discharged from the Marines, was also there helping with the kids. At first it seemed the ideal retreat. But then they witnessed numerous fliers skimming over the center and landing not far away.
Dan decided some recon work was in order. The fliers had brought in some sort of equipment and then left the area. There were 30 or 40 bugs working on something at the site. Dan wasn’t able to determine the purpose of what they were building. He just called it a contraption of some sort.
The Nature Center was no longer safe with all those bugs so close at hand. It was time to leave. They packed quickly and loaded the kids into the facility van. The van was ready to go when a squad of bugs decided to visit the Center. Dan said he would buy them some time and slipped out to distract the enemy forces.
Jan knew there was no arguing with her husband in this situation. He was in his element out there in the woods. If anyone could take out the bugs and live to tell about it, that was Dan. Jan took off with the kids and got onto Highway 16 heading east hoping to make it to another facility in Orting.
She almost made it to the Interstate 5 interchange when a group of bugs appeared on the roadway. They discharged some amber goo across the road. Jan assumed she wouldn’t get through the goo. Two police cars screeched to a halt on the other side of the bugs. The officers opened fire on the bugs.
Jan hit the brakes and did a hard turn, heading west, the wrong way down the road. That didn’t matter. There was no traffic. A tire blew and she ended up running on the tire rim. She could only watch helplessly in her rear view mirror as a bug pointed a long tube at the police cars. She flinched at the two fireballs and the explosions that followed. Then more bugs came running onto the highway and almost cut her off. That’s when Mr. T and Roll showed up and opened fire on the bugs.
Oh, Dan made it out okay. He managed to get a call through to Jan and promised to meet up with her in Gig Harbor. Everyone wondered why the bugs were so intent on chasing down the van full of kids. Roll kept shaking his head and saying the bugs were up to something. When we got a chance it would be a good idea to check out the ... contraption.
***
THE BATTLE FOR LOS ANGELES
August 25 th It’s day 5 of the invasion.
The battle for Los Angeles has begun. On day 1 of the invasion, five bug mother ships landed in the greater Los Angeles area: Long Beach, Burbank, Rosemead, La Habra, and Santa Ana. Typically, only one ship lands in a given area. Most often near a large military base. It was clear, the bugs had special plans for LA and Southern California. I bet they like the climate. Nice and warm. Near the sandy desert.
I heard somewhere bugs tend to stay away from large bodies of water and mountainous areas. If that’s true, they must have decided to brave the Pacific Ocean and tolerate being near the mountains to gain LA. Perhaps they decided it would serve as a good agricultural center.
Normally, it would take weeks, or even longer, to put together a military operation of a scale necessary to defeat the bugs in LA. Five nest ships! A large portion of their invasion fleet. Fortunately, there were sufficient military assets nearby to expedite a counter-attack. We are getting regular updates on an encrypted line. Don’t ask me, I’m not sure where the encrypted line came from. The Battle for Los Angeles operations was already in motion on day 2 of the invasion.
***
+ BEGIN TIMELINE DROP. This is a Timeline Project drop.
Regarding: The Los Angeles Rampage. August 22nd , day 2 of the invasion.
Data Source: An Intelinet report posted by the Daily Grind, called This Is What Invaded Us.
Political Warning: The Intelinet site posted the report during the height of the controversy surrounding the proposed release of cooperative bug POWs. The basic facts of the report are accurate.
NOTE: This is Viz. The Journal tells me this was dropped at another location earlier in the timeline. I was busy and only took a quick look. It was a little glitchy, but mostly intact. You may want to just skim over this version. It looks to be in better shape.
Forensic journalists have pieced together scenes of many tragic personal events that occurred during the Los Angeles Rampage. We derived the information in this report from legally obtained street camera footage and a household security system (usage authorized). A family member, who personally survived the rampage, allowed us to review security system footage and granted an interview. She came forward in response to a widely broadcast media campaign designed to protest the proposed release of bug POWs.
The young lady had a difficult time with the interview. How could she not? It was clear, the brave soul would never quite be the same, not after all she had been through because of the invasion and rampage. With that, here is the report.
The street camera shows twenty bugs coming around a corner and rushing down the middle of a narrow neighborhood roadway. There is the sound of a loud crack from a high caliber rifle. A bug drops. An eerie rasping wail comes from the group. The sound is loud and odd, as though it is coming from a hundred throats. It is decidedly mournful. Perhaps this was a close group of comrades.
Another shot rings out. A bug staggers, then raises a tube and fires. The house at the end of the block erupts in flames. One of the bugs is pointing, evidently giving out commands. The larger group splits off into smaller groups of four and five, each heading toward a house, two houses on one side of the street, two houses on the other side.
One group is moving toward the front door of a bright yellow house with brown trim, a pleasant two-story ranch home. There is a decorator flower box below a sitting-nook window. A light breeze has set a pair of chimes in motion. It is a beautiful sound, not at all suited to the rampage about to take place. Inside is a husband and a father, attempting to save his family. He is frantic.
John finally got his wife situated. He came in the back door, moving quickly through the kitchen, into the living room. It hadn’t been easy, but he had convinced his wife, Mary, to go out the back door and get into the crawl space beneath the house. It was a deep crawl space that had been cleaned up and made into a storage area. John asked Mary, he pleaded with her, to turn off the flashlight as soon as she was settled. And to stay quiet. He had called for his daughter. He wanted them both down in the crawl space. The daughter, Miranda, had not responded.
With Mary situated, John could focus his attention on hiding Miranda. There were sounds outside. The bugs were coming. He started upstairs to find his daughter. No time to get her to the crawl space. The attic was accessed through a hatch in the ceiling of Miranda’s closet. There she was, finally coming down the stairs. He took her by the wrist an
d half dragged her back upstairs. They were running out of time.
John ran to his bedroom and grabbed the old duck gun he had laid on the bed, an old 12-gauge Mossberg. Too bad it had the plug in, the gun could hold only three shells at a time. No time to pull the plug. He gathered some extra double-aught buckshot and stuffed the shells into a pocket. John thought he heard a noise on the front porch.
He started yelling again at Miranda, she must get into the attic. Her mom was already safe in the crawl space. He would come for them after he handled these bugs. The front door crashed open. Miranda did as she was told.
John hurried down the stairs to the living room. Bugs. He fired and pumped. One of the bugs took a direct hit to the face and collapsed, dead before it hit the floor. John fired again, pumped, fired again, pumped. Too much adrenalin. He was shaky. The bugs were moving. No more shells. No time to reload.
The nearest bug sprang at him, wrapping him up with four legs. John screamed and tried to wrestle with the bug. The bug was so strong. He stung John several times and used his serrated hind claws to finish it. The screaming stopped.
Two bugs cocked their heads, listening. There was a muffled sound. Sobbing. Under the floor. They tore at the wood flooring with serrated claws; the plywood underlay; the insulation; sheetrock. Two bugs squeezed through the floor joists and dropped into the crawl space. Mary screamed in terror and dropped the flashlight as she saw the bug heads swivel toward her. She started to crab-crawl backwards toward the access door.
The bugs’ eyes had a terrifying reddish cast to them as they followed her movement. The two bugs looked at each other as though they were unsure of their next move. As they shared that moment of consideration, a drop of blood from their fallen comrade spattered on one of their heads. They both pumped their heads up and down and sprang at Mary. She screamed. Her screaming mingled with the screams coming from the other houses.
Miranda stayed in the attic, curled up in a ball, until morning, unable to sleep. She hoped she would never have to sleep again. If she did, the night terrors would come. As the morning light crept in through the attic window Miranda cried one more time, then dropped down into her closet and slowly crept downstairs. She was quiet, listening for any sound.
Miranda checked on her dad. That had to be him. Gruesome. She ran to the kitchen sink, sick. Deep breaths came next, an attempt at composure. There was a hole in the living room floor, below was the crawl space. She had to know for certain. Miranda eased through the hole. The sobbing came again as she curled up into a ball. Her world was over.
Exhaustion eventually took hold, and she slept. It was a fitful sleep. She had always been a brave and strong girl. That was evident from the way she handled herself on that horrible day, along with her composure during the interview. She quickly packed a bag and left the house. She moved quietly, so quietly. A neighbor had said the downtown core area was intact, the bugs had left that area alone. It would be the safest place. No bugs. No people to attract the bugs. Miranda left. She was only sixteen. Only sixteen. END TIMELINE DROP. +
***
The Battle for Los Angeles. Reporting by Viz. On day one of the invasion, five bug mother ships landed in the greater LA area. There was a central ship near the Long Beach harbor with the rest forming a crescent around the city proper: Burbank, Rosemead, La Habra, Santa Ana. The ships dug in and brought some type of force shields online.
The next day bugs streamed out of the ships and rampaged through numerous neighborhoods. They acted like crazed monsters. Though some carried a laser-based Directed Energy Weapon while rampaging in LA, those were seldom used, at least not at first. The bugs seemed to prefer a more direct form of attack.
It wasn’t long before police special tactical units responded. Armed citizens reacted. The tactical units had a version of the military squad rifles using high velocity 6.8s. Citizens brought out energetic hunting rifles. All that firepower finally prompted armed response from the bugs and use of their single seat fliers. The citizens of LA were forced to hide or flee. That seemed to be the overarching intent. The bugs were forcing people out of the greater Los Angeles area. Authorities decided to capitulate and began a general evacuation.
The bugs, in turn, spread out and set up fortified positions throughout the region. For reasons unknown, the bugs left the downtown core area intact. They commandeered and guarded grocery outlets. At the same time they destroyed entire neighborhoods. Soon, much of LA was burning, and a sickening smog of smoke blanketed the area.
The military quickly planned a counter offensive to the bug invasion of Los Angeles, dubbing it Angelic Response. It would involve a classic attack using the subterfuge of a false amphibious assault along with a show of incredible shock and awe. The primary attack would then come from another direction.
On day two of the invasion the 1Xth Marine Expeditionary Unit was flown to Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, near San Diego. They boarded amphibious landing ships and moved out to sea along with the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group. It would be a very short trip to their first destination, Santa Catalina Island. There, the task force made a point of practicing landing operations on the beaches of Santa Catalina Island in plain view of Long Beach.
In the meantime, the USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group was steaming to the area at flank speed from an origin point off the Washington coast.
Each strike group had destroyers equipped with EM rail gun systems; littoral combat ships equipped with LaWS
By day four, hundreds of M1A2 and M1A3 tanks were forming up in the high desert northeast of LA. One in 10 was equipped with a LaWS. The rest were all of the upgraded series, capable of using the hyper velocity projectile. The tanks were soon joined by Paladin Integrated Management 155 mm mobile howitzers and a number of Brutus 155 mm howitzers. Most were equipped with the hyper velocity projectile super-bore. Some of the tank companies had the latest ramjet powered munitions. Lastly, the latest in MOLaRS
Most of the equipment arrived at the high desert staging area by rail from the Sierra Army Depot in Northern California. The weapon systems were framed and tarped to look like just so much cargo.
Aircraft were also moving to staging areas throughout the western states. B-21 Raider stealth bombers; B-1R missile truck aircraft carrying AIM 120D, LREW missiles, and hypes
Troops were moving in too. There would be a lot of them judging by the number of reactor trucks that arrived in the area, hauling RedFERNs
A shock and awe campaign started in the middle of the night. The air all around the alien craft glowed and shimmered as though an aurora borealis event was centered there. Military defense speculation raised during the missile attack that was launched as the invaders landed was confirmed. The ships had some sort of energetic shielding. Despite the apparent ineffectiveness the barrage of cruise missiles from numerous sites and air sorties from the carrier task force continued.
The display went on for hours as the armored equipment and ground forces moved into position preparing to pound the ships encircling LA. The ground assault group was designated ROLLING THUNDER.
The heavy equipment rolled in and separated into four sub-groups that took up positions using the cover of hilly terrain, one group for each ship. The maneuver protected the he
avy guns from bug rail guns and laser cannons without compromising ballistic shelling.
As the ROLLING THUNDER groups settled in, the air force squadrons prepared for their initial attack runs. The air assault group was designated ANGEL WINGS. They divided into two command groups, North Group and East Group.
Just before dawn, as a grand finale before the start of the real event, two B-2s flew over Long Beach. They dropped upsized MOABs right on top of the bug ship. The yield was more than twice that of a traditional GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast. Those definitely got the attention of the bugs. Force field or not, they got slammed by the MOABs. It was quite apparent that nest ship shielding was very effective in disbursing kinetic and thermal energy. The ship hulls also appear quite sturdy, designed to dissipate energy. There are, of course, limitations to any shielding system.
The Long Beach ship soared straight up into low Earth orbit and destroyed all the local area military satellites watching over the operation. Only military satellites were destroyed. They seemed intent on retaining other satellites for their own use post invasion.
An entire Angel Wings squadron moved high to attack the ship. It was in low Earth orbit, still in reach of hypervelocity missiles. And that far off the ground, nukes were authorized, EMP effects or not (the modified shaped charges wouldn’t affect most ground-based electronics). The squadron, it was a newly formed mixed group for this operation, had taken the nickname Wolfpack. It was a specialty squadron set up for high altitude interdiction. Wolfpack had F22s, B-1Rs, and two BAD-Ones.
***
+ BEGIN TIMELINE DROP. This is a Timeline Project drop.
NOTE: Solcom gave assent to the drop. This is an excerpt from a General Court Martial witness debriefing report.