"Good morning U.S.A."
Pvt. James Ramirez
1st Battalion - 75th Ranger Regiment
October 31, 2055
I-95 to Philadelphia, United States of America
The soft rumbling of trucks and tracked vehicles filled the air. The afternoon sun lit up the Highway that they were traveling on, which showed turned over, burnt, and even slashed vehicles. Towards the front of the convoy was an M1 Breacher using its kit to push the derelict vehicles out of the way.
A soldier peaks his head out of the hatch of a turret atop an Uparmed LATV4. Resting his head back, he sighs and looks up to the clouded skies. The sun began to beat down on him and the rest of the convoy, but they didn't care. He lifted his head back, laughing. The day seemed beautiful, like nothing will interrupt it.
"Ramirez, get back in the vehicle unless you want the sun to burn you," said a monotone and bored voice from within the vehicle. A more sarcastic scoff was heard there as well.
"Or who knows the virus has guns? Might get sniped out there," a few other voices laughed down there, causing 'Ramirez' to get back down into the vehicle.
Quickly, he screws on and attach the CROWS remote system onto the MG and ducks back down, pulling out a Military-Issued tablet and opening a program.
As he works to connect the device, he looks around his vehicle, his Visor on and giving information on the occupants. A black man, who by the back of his head says "SGT. Foley". His HUD is showing that he has a big A-SL over his body, signifying that he is the squad leader of this unit. He looks to the passenger seat, Corporal Dunn, bit of a smart mouth if anything, but he's still a good man and a good fighter.
To his left, Private First Class — or PFC — Jonathan, never disclosed his last name but he's a Native American, Sioux tribe. He's a great marksman, and he is always willing to do anything.
Doesn't stop Foley from still calling him to do literally anything.
RAMIREZ!
He shudders, as he recalls PTSD filled memories of Foley calling him for almost every task imaginable. He looks to his right, another PFC, but he's familiar with her.
Carmen Ramirez, his sister, excelled extremely well in the Marine Corps and now she got the invitation to the 75th.
What an honor.
Now she can joke about the amount of chores his own parents tell him to do to Foley. He puts his hand on his face and looks down at what he is given.
2032, the United States has adopted the M5 Rifle as its brand new assault rifle. With one key difference, it's chambered in a modernized version of the .30-06 round, in response to the need to get a more powerful round. Also in response, the M5 rifle has been given multiple implications, borrowed from weapons like the KRISS Vector SMG to reduce its recoil.
His rifle has a GripPod, an ACOG, a laser designator and guide, Suppressor, and a 45 round magazine.
"Anybody else find it weird," Dunn began as he checks his magazine, "They made us load HEI into our mags?" He puts the mag into his rifle and presses the bolt release, letting out a sharp Shnk! and quickly putting his safety on.
Jonathon scoffs, "I don't know, I honestly think this is just some elaborate prank by the government." Foley shakes his head as Jonathan and Dunn laugh.
"I don't think that's the case." He mutters as he watches the M1 Breacher moves a full bus out of the way. Black crystals all over the thing.
"What makes you say that?" Ramirez looks at his tablet, The thing finally connects as he turns on thermals and began to scan.
And that's when he noticed the unknown heat blob charging the Breacher. Ramirez began to raise his voice, "Hey! Unknown coming in from the 2-3 o' clo-!" He failed to fully say what he was trying to report as a massive hooded figure with what appears to be black crystals all over them slammed into the Breacher, causing noticeable and audible sounds of metal under stress, while the radio began to blow up in activity and traffic.
"Enemy contact! Get out of the LATV! Ramirez! Stay in and use the damn .50 to suppress any hostiles you see!" Letting out a curt, "Aye sir!" Ramirez gets the tablet onto a mount and began to use the touch controls to start scanning for enemies as Dunn, Jonathan, and Carmen get out of the vehicle and letting their safeties off.
"What the FUCK is that?!" Dunn shouts. The thing seems to have a white mask covering its face while weird lightning surrounding it's hands began to bore into the M1 Breacher. Carmen starts beginning the SOP for the AT-4 she has. Checking her behind, and yelling "CLEAR BACKBLAST!" before moving to depress the trigger, sending the AT-4 rocket on a Beeline for the entity.
Ramirez noticed 3 heat entities near some of the buildings, and judging from the fact they seem to be aiming at his sister and Dunn. He concluded one thing as he presses a cross hair shaped touch control on the tablet.
They weren't friendly, and they need to meet their new best friend.
.50 Cal.
The building that the hostiles had its walls broken in as the heavy round pierced through and killed the entities.
The convoy began to get active with soldiers getting out of the M3A3 Bradley's, M126 Strykers, and an M1A3, which was born out of the Abrams X of General Dynamics, exited its position in the formation and began to aim its gun. "Hunter 2-1 Actual, this is Buffalo 1, have your .50 LazDes ( Laser Designate ) targets that are in hard to strike positions." The 30m and modularly attached .50 Calibre began to scan for viable and softer enemy hostiles.
Ramirez presses the trigger again, and sends a few unfortunate bastards out. He then clicks on the RF-Pose Tracking technology on his weapon and starts scanning. RF-Pose technology is the WiFi based technology that allows for detecting and seeing bodies through walls via WiFI signals.
He saw a large gathering somewhere behind a gas station that his gun can't reach or penetrate, so, he designated it for the M1A3. "Got a present for you Buffalo 1, a group of X-Rays behind the Gas Station, hit it with the big gun!"
"Copy," came the reply and the 120mm shell, sailing towards the gas station. The Multi-Purpose Round flew above it, and then, timed, detonated above the heads of more hooded hostiles, turning them into paste.
Ramirez whooped, "Solid hit Buffalo!" Ramirez began to designate another target, as soon, Carmen, Dunn, and Jonathan came rushing back into the Uparmored LATV4 and began to reload their weapons and magazines quick with onboard ammo resuppliers.
"Lots of those fuckers out there! Where the hell did they come from?!" Spoke Carmen through what seems like an endless stream of curses from the corps. An M3A3 Bradley fired a couple of shells into a building as the group began to push up, the M1 Breacher crew getting out and heading to the M1A3.
Ramirez recalled all the facts he can about the tank while he fired a bunch of .50 at some hoods. It's the Abrams X from GD, it has a bunch of bustle racks, very open to modularity, all crew in front with turret mostly automated. The engine has been severely downsized, but the particular engine still produces a damn high pitched whine.
Tank is pretty spacious, well armored, and has a bunch of TUSK ERA and other goodies to ensure it's survival onboard. It has a crab door like the Israelis on the Merkava IV, and with its space and armor, supplies and personal can actually sit in the tank, safely and be as comfortable as they can really.
Lucky bastards who are the crew or internal passengers get AC when it's hot and cold.
Ramirez stopped firing as he yells out, "Area secure Sergeant!" Foley who had to take off his right ear muff gave Ramirez a thumbs up, "Good job private. Let's get ourselves to the objective, Liberty Hall."
The engine hummed as Foley stepped on it, reporting to the rest of the unit as he slips his right ear muff on. Dunn takes a sip of water out of his flask as Ramirez checks ammo count on the little widget, "still got plenty of .50, did good conserving shots."
Slowly the vehicles hummed forward. Above, UH-60s and V-22s flew to parks and rooftops, as teams of marines moved to secure the skyscrapers and wide open areas to establish FOBs for CDC teams to use.
Couple of police cars that had their officers missing and lights on was in the way. It was probably a last ditch barricade to draw fire.
The LATV4 stopped in an intersection, where a group of dead people, bloodied, shot, and bludgeoned, covered in crystals was seen, Carmen and James respectively shuddered and said quick prayers. Dunn let out a quiet, "My god."
Jonathan squinted his eyes, "...arrows?" He muttered as Foley began to drive around the pile, saying a quiet sorry for them. Ramirez shakes his head as he goes back to scanning the horizon, only to stop curiously when he looks in the direction of Liberty Hall, somewhere northeast of them.
Foley muttered to command about something, as just before that, his name could faintly be heard as well as his designation on his right ear muff. Ramirez gave the preliminary warning again, "Hey Sarge, I got what looks like body signatures on the Liberty hall's park tree line" he didn't hear nor see the poof of light to his left.
That costed him.
Before he gets to finish what he was reporting, the LATV4 was rocked by a fiery explosion, sending the vehicle off into the department store on the right, the passengers all fell out, as Foley was knocked onto his side. "Damn it..! We got an AT somewhere up there, Buffalo! Can any of your units..." Ramirez meanwhile, was shaking off his daze and shock as he picks up his M5 and the tablet.
Looking though the somewhat damage sight of his ACOG, he began to get a bearing on the culprit that shot them. Breathing slowly, Ramirez began to fire, pin point accurate shots on the offender, as the Abrams used its 30mm to send HEI-T rounds up into the structure, the rounds shredding the hostiles up there apart, as Ramirez watched as the offender who shot his team's LATV4 began to fall downwards.
When he saw him get impaled on a damaged flag pole waving an updated and modernized Pennsylvania Flag, he only winced, "Ouch, that's a way to go."
Dunn quickly injected adrenaline into himself as he gets up and checks on the others. Crawling over to Jonathan, he pats him on the shoulder, "You good man?" said patient looked at Dunn with a tired gaze,
"Been through worse, but I think I'll live."
The M1A3 rolled up next to them, and the tank commander on the left most hatch opened and peak his head out, "Let's go! Grab your supplies and get in here, we're Oscar Mike in 2!"
Foley charges his Mk17 as he looks over to his recovering unit, "Got it." Dunn and Jonathan began to grab some of the supplies, joined by Carmen after she slinged her rifle and began to grab anything in the main compartment of the LATV4.
He then turns to Ramirez who had put the tablet away and went to grab the extra AT-4s and NLAWs. "Ramirez!"
Ramirez visibly froze, causing his sister to laugh as she was carrying ammo boxes. "Ramirez! Get those AT weapons and equipment to Buffalo 1's storage racks, double time!" Dunn and Jonathan laughed as they pat his back carrying other supplies.
Ramirez then realized they just took all over the much lighter supplies, leaving him with all of the more heavier equipment for him to carry. All by himself, as much as he could carry at once.
Ramirez closed his eyes, Take a deep breath... yeah no. He opens them, breaths in sharply, and just looks to the sky, agony and annoyance lining his facial features.
"FUCK!"