First Contact (Terran Chronicles)

by James Jackson

  “A trap perhaps? Or merely a deflection?” Questions Radclyf. “Well let's go and find out.”

  Peter is again armed with an abundance of information that the team puts to good use.

  The now five man team once again finds themselves stalking the shadows of the night as they stealthily make for a very special medical facility. With two vans parked in different locations, the team approaches the collection of buildings with great caution. Making their way into the compound and heading to the laboratory building is far too easy, thinks Radclyf. With a single hand gesture, he halts the team. They wait, crouched in the shadows, looking and listening. The minutes pass by one after another and still Radclyf has made no move to indicate the team should continue. Finally, just as Radclyf raises his hand to signal them, a single stifled cough can be heard along with footsteps. They are close, too close, smoke from this person’s cigarette wafts by the team as the newcomer walks toward them. The offending doctor takes a few more steps, coughs again as he throws his cigarette down. He is close enough that Radclyf can almost discern his name on a dangling ID tag. Stubbing out the cigarette with his foot he enters the very building the team is planning to enter. Infra red glasses reveal no one else in the area. Radclyf makes a quick decision, he wants that doctor’s ID.

  The team moves fast. Entering the building, the doctor turns to look back. At twenty paces he is brought down by a tranquilizer dart. A spilt second later, an alarm sounds, the team runs in. Grabbing the fallen doctor’s ID, they run past the front desk and head for the stairwell. Paul and Jim team up and head upstairs, while Peter and Radclyf head down. They neutralize cameras with spray paint as they go. The remaining member of the team, Henry, walks the level they entered, quickly neutralizing every camera he can find. The building is so small the task takes him little time. Henry arrives back at the stairwell just in time to see two security guards entering the building. One checks on the fallen doctor while the other, with his gun drawn looks fearfully around. He spots the intruder and fires. Thwack. He hits the ground hard, followed immediately by his colleague. The plan is not to kill anyone, but the risk of death from these super fast acting darts is still there.

  Paul and Jim make it to the uppermost floor as Peter and Radclyf come to a metallic door. The doctor’s identification with its bar code allows access easily enough. Peter is as steady as a rock on the main level as he awaits another incursion through the front door. The guard’s shot having missed its mark by a large enough margin. Off in the distance a siren can be heard, soon to be joined by more until a chorus can be heard heading toward them. The team is not too concerned with this unexpected turn of events. Paul starts the task of hurling tear gas canisters out the top floor windows, while Jim makes sure they are alone upstairs. A man chokes and coughs his way inside, only to be taken out by another tranquilizer dart. His lab coat falls open to reveal an assault rifle. Downstairs, all hell is about to break loose.

  Radclyf and Peter step inside to see a dozen doctors all standing at desks with microscopes, computer terminals and more. The nearest doctor flings open his coat as he raises a weapon. The assault rifle spits out a lethal barrage that falls just short of both men. He collapses as the contents of the dart protruding from his neck take effect. With eleven men, all possibly armed with automatic weapons, going against two armed only with tranquilizer darts, the battle seems to be quite one-sided. Donning small masks as they dive behind what little cover there is, both men unleash a volley of canisters about the room. Bullets fly, but it seems the men in the room are as concerned about the equipment as they are about hitting each other. These confines allow Peter to bring down another man with a dart, as Radclyf rolls further away, drawing fire. Peter silently downs another, as Radclyf plays the dangerous part of being the bait. A bullet grazes his vest as he barely rolls away in time. The assailant goes down, his finger relaxing from the trigger as he falls. A well placed dart protrudes from his neck as well.

  The tear gas begins to have its desired effect, forcing the remaining defenders to grab face masks, allowing the two men a precious respite. Radclyf jumps up and fires darts at two men near him. Peter still laying down, peers through the fogging air and bags three more in the process. The odds look a lot better now. Radclyf dives to the ground and rolls at the barest of shadows in the mist. His reflexes saving his life, as the wall behind him disintegrates under a combined attack by all four remaining men. As he rolls to a stop he finds himself staring straight up at a man armed with a rifle. Radclyf lifts up his dart gun as the man above swings his barrel down. Three men fire weapons almost simultaneously. The gun blast is deafening this close, but it swings up and wild as the shooter goes down. Two darts protrude from the man's neck. Radclyf, still on his back nails one more with his dart gun, as does Peter.

  “Drop it.” Peter feels the barrel of a gun pressing into his back.

  At this range the armor in his vest will be useless. The one man they both somehow missed now stands with his gun firmly planted against Peter’s back. Peter lets his dart gun fall to the ground. Radclyf dares a glance around the room that is slowly clearing of smoke. Having reviewed his options, he lets the dart gun fall from his hand as his shoulders sag in defeat. Very slowly, he raises his hands up with his palms exposed as he steps forward, lowering his head. The armed man makes one small mistake. He uses his weapon to wave the two men toward the back of the room. With the gun away from Peter’s back for just one second, Peter drops to the ground as Radclyf dives forward. He crash tackles the armed man while Peter retrieves his dart gun. Bullets fly again as the armed man falls backward with Radclyf.

  The scene from the rooftop is fast becoming a spectacle unto itself, as a multitude of police cars converge on this once quiet research facility. A few spot lights shine on the building, but with the number of people failing to respond increasing, the police are reluctant to enter. No less than eighteen people now lay unconscious on the floor between the door and the stairwell. The corridor, littered with shell casing as some entered with weapons blazing. Jim and Paul having done all they can, return to the main level to assist an almost overwhelmed Henry.

  Peter and Radclyf look at the back of the room and wonder why the man wanted them back there. The two disarm and bind the unconscious men, then search the room. Just as they are about to give up, they find it. Cautiously opening the well concealed floor panel, they are met with a blast of dank cold air from below. An ancient looking stone well descends downward about thirty feet. Equally ancient looking iron rungs protrude from the round walls, allowing access. An oddity about this well is the faint light that shines from below. Radclyf and Peter look at each other, then cautiously enter.

  The well bottom opens up to reveal passageways in two directions. Light shines from one, the other disappears into darkness. Following the passageway, the two men come across a very modern looking doorway. It opens easily to reveal a small room with a glass window across from them. Through this window can be seen a flurry of activity. Dozens of hazmat suit wearing people, work over a number of bodies on tables. It is not possible to tell if the individuals on these tables are alive. Some have IV tubes attached, others do not. The suited people seem to be able to enter and leave via doors on the far side leaving this side as purely an observation post.

  Keeping away from the window, Peter heads to the only computer in the room. While Peter works on the computer, Radclyf heads back to explore the other direction of the old well bottom.

  Ten minutes later, the French send in an armored car. It smashes the doorway down and skids to a stop almost running over the people lying on the ground. Riot police storm the building in force. Through the metal doorway they find more unconscious people but not the access downward. Hours of debriefing go by, but still they are none the wiser about who the attackers were, or where they went.

  The morning news carries a wild story of a suicide attempt by a disturbed doctor. Though he was heavily armed, there were thankfully no casualties. Radclyf and Peter watch th
e news with interest as they consider their lucky escape. For whatever reason, neither side of the underground passageway was guarded. The other route led to an old wooden door that was padlocked on the inside. After easily breaking through the lock, the door opened to reveal a network of tunnels, known as the catacombs of Paris on the other side.

  Peter looks up at Radclyf and as he grins says. “I know why we survived and I believe I know why the facility was set up the way it was. The twelve men in that room were all military medics. They were secretly observing the civilian testing, while conducting their own basic research.”

  It is Radclyf's turn to smile. “I just thought we were that good my friend. I do not know your sources but appreciate the information. Your are correct though, that would explain a lot.”

  Chapter Seven - War.

  Location:

  Pyongyang

  North Korea

  A single shot rings out, echoing across the border, to mark the beginning of a new day. The target a South Korean border guard slumps down and dies in a pool of blood, as his fellow guardsman raises the alarm. With military air forces grounded around the world, it was thought that no country would be willing to repeat the events that cost France their flagship carrier. It would however seem that one military power is willing to test another strategy.

  A mighty noise can be heard thundering from across the Korean border to the north. Thousands of tanks, supported by numerous armored personnel carriers, backed by self propelled artillery units, move toward the border. A deafening barrage suddenly explodes all along the one hundred sixty miles of border. Over two thousand fixed artillery pieces commence fire and relentlessly pound positions in the South.

  With satellite feeds and aerial surveillance non-existent, the South is caught completely by surprise. By the time the South Korean military realizes that this is a full scale assault, the North already has many spearheads with forces across the Demilitarized Zone. Minefields, electric fences, and tank traps cause grievous losses to the invaders, but still they come.

  South Korea mobilizes while sending messages to her allies and the Gamin in the hopes of forcing a cessation of the North's assault. South Korea finds allies cannot help and as for the Gamin, they do not respond.

  The invaders lose numerous tanks in their seemingly suicidal rush across the border. South Korean artillery pounds back at the aggressors, but are soon overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of tanks and ground troops. The North is committing their older units to the initial rush, leaving hundreds of tanks battered and ruined all along the border.

  A massive contingent of armor heads straight for Seoul, another toward Inchon, The North does not use a single aircraft or naval vessel in its endeavors. Within an hour, the South has been effectively invaded with virtually all of its artillery destroyed or captured. With standard doctrine indicating that Seoul will be struck by artillery fire, the citizens are ordered to evacuate. With the sounds of artillery shells and tanks getting increasingly louder the people waste no time in evacuating.

  Outside Seoul, a wall of tanks and artillery greet the first wave of attackers. As tank after attacking tank, is destroyed the commanders can only wonder at the tactics of the North. It becomes clear that these attacking units are very old indeed. As the wave of attackers gets closer, the defenders get another taste of losing when the first shells start landing all around them. A massive fixed artillery piece gets blown sky-high as its munitions storage is hit. The battle rages on, bloody and merciless for over an hour. As the fixed artillery gets overrun, tank squads start playing cat and mouse as they maneuver back and forth in their attempts to destroy each other. The South seems to be about to hold the line, when a new barrage lands among them. Previously, shells would glance off the armor plating on the tanks belonging to the South, but no longer. The most advanced tanks in the North Korean arsenal are fresh into combat, having crossed the border unopposed, thanks to the enormous losses by their weaker counterparts. The tank forces of the South are already running into supply issues, and in some cases fuel shortages. Along with these newer tanks from the North, can be seen thousands of ground troops, tens of thousands. The South now outnumbered, and out gunned takes a severe blow to its morale. Defending troops flee into the city expecting a street fight as they plan to hold the city as best they can. Seoul has not been attacked yet, and remains unscathed.

  The first North Korean tank enters Seoul, causing even more panic. A loudspeaker blares out that the city is being liberated. Reunification of North and South can now truly begin. The loudspeaker also continues on to say that the city will not be damaged if the defending troops walk away, or surrender. The South rushes reinforcements to the northern border, but it's too late for the capital. Millions flee Seoul, the time bought by the defenders allows almost five million to be evacuated southward. Added to the millions more that are fleeing southward from others parts of the country. This is one of the largest exodus in the history of mankind, rivaling that caused by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China.

  Not wanting to see the fine city of Seoul destroyed, South Korean generals order all surviving military assets to retreat and to create a new defensive line. Thus, within four hours North Korea finds themselves in control of over one quarter of what was earlier that day, South Korea. So swift is the victory, that encircled defenders will fight on for many more hours before succumbing. The South, having lost their northern provinces so fast in the brazen attack, comes to find a greater shock as they rally forces for a new defensive line. The generals of the South discover that more than forty percent of their overall ground forces are unaccounted for. Estimates of losses for the North reaching similar numbers causes no happiness as the South concedes that most of the North's losses have been antiquated units. The main core of the North's fighting forces is still intact and rolling south.

  By the day's end, it is estimated that some two hundred fifty thousand soldiers have died on both sides, making this yet another sad historical milestone. This day has been one of the bloodiest days in human history. Thousands of tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery pieces lay crushed and ruined. With over eleven million South Koreans displaced, the North Koreans rightfully celebrate their victory. Not a single chemical or biological weapon has been used by the North, nor did they present any nuclear assets, making this type of attack extremely unexpected and unpredictable. Additionally, Seoul was not struck by artillery fire, another unexpected event, though news happily received.

  As the following day breaks, assaults are renewed as the North Korean leadership call for the unconditional surrender of the South. With no surrender forthcoming, the North Korean forces again roll southward to begin another bloody day of combat.

  Elsewhere in the world, the morning finds Hayato decrypting a hand written message. He and his team being stationed in the Hong Kong area has them well placed for the task at hand. Looking at a massive wall map of the world, Hayato feels that the four of them should travel in the two vehicles as before. With he and Daitaro travelling in one van and Chokichi with Akira in the other, around the clock driving should have them at their target destination the following morning. Looking about the safe house, Hayato calls his team together to discuss the upcoming mission. The team dons casual gear and load an arsenal of weapons into concealed compartments inside both vans. After stocking the vans with electrical equipment and basic utility tools, the four men head out. The vans that were provided to the team in Germany are quite impressive. Being virtually bulletproof, made of radar absorbent materials with infra red cameras, these vans also boast long range fuel tanks for their ultra quiet diesel engines. An outside observer would see a utility van, just like many other grey vans. A trained eye may notice the heavy duty struts and supports or hear the quiet rumble of an engine far more powerful than such a utility van usually has. All that built in armor, hidden compartments, and extra fuel, add weight, lots of weight, but the powerful diesel engine is able to manage the load with power and torque to spare
.

  Travel papers indicate that the four of them are all working for a Japanese power company with contracts in China. This ensures that they should have little to no difficulty travelling throughout China. Especially as these papers come endorsed with a Chinese cabinet seal. Few would dare challenge the group, or even dare more than a cursory inspection, if any. Once loaded up, the four man team head toward the war zone.

  The South Koreans, having consolidated and moved all their assets northward, see the next day turn into a slug fest. The South loses ground due to the sheer weight of numbers from the North. With many of the North's antiquated tanks destroyed, they are eventually forced to commit their newer units, which break the South's lines in many places. By the end of the second day both sides are suffering chronic shortages of fuel and munitions. It's clear to all that the South has lost, it's just a matter of time. Slowly, inexorably, the North advances, towns and cities fall across the entire peninsula as the invasion seems unstoppable.

  Still the Gamin have said nothing and more interestingly enough, have done nothing to stop the bloodshed. Regent Voknor is watching events unfold, as he considers how this will affect his own agenda.

  Hayato and Daitaro are in the lead van with Chokichi and Akira following. They arrive at their destination, the Sino-Korea Friendship Bridge, Dandong. Getting their papers ready, Hayato and his team with hand guns close by, albeit in secret compartments, approach the North Korean Border. There are two border guards, they are quite animated and talking excitedly. Hayato stops his van, and with one hand out the window presents his Chinese papers. One of the guards reviews the authentic looking work order, while another casually inspects the van’s contents. They are quite excited by the war and can't help but talk about it.