In the Line of Fire - In Character

It was at the very break of dawn, 6:21 AM, that the combined assault began on Chongjin. It started as little more than a whisper, the footsteps of a few lone infantrymen and snipers patrolling the forests and mountain ranges in search of positions to take up in preparation for the inevitable. Then slowly and surely the march began, impending and unstoppable. In the outskirts of the city small military watchtowers were quickly and efficiently dispatched by the advance teams, never even capable of requesting support before put to rest. Then the first battle of a long, harsh war began, and the quiet footsteps were replaced by the thunderous treads of tanks.

Romeo Five-One headed its squad’s assault in a rather old and beaten HMMWV, its oldest soldier, “Dom,” handling the driving. The city was alive with activity and gunfire, though the advance teams had cleared various “safe” routes with the M1 Abrams. Now the majority of the tanks laid on the perimeter of the city, unable to advance for fear of the heavy firepower nestled in the larger buildings. North Korea had, of course, been well prepared for the attack, and Chongjin was well protected on all sides. And that was, of course, the problem.

As a squad, Romeo had drawn the short straw. Stuck approaching from the west, they would be forced to push through heavy enemy resistance into the heart of the anti-air defences of the city which were stationed primarily in the massive shipyard engulfing nearly the entire central western district of the city. It was a perilous journey to say the least, and though the HMMWVs were well armoured, their commanding officer, Sgt. Maj. Swift, would be the first to admit that they were massively underequipped.

Romeo Five-One had the distinct honour of carrying their lacklustre commander into battle, and he quietly took command of the lead vehicle’s direction, navigating the suburban districts of Chongjin whilst carefully taking an occasional glance at his handheld GPS. All around the HMMWVs it was obvious how prepared the North Korean military was for the impending assault; the suburbs were a ghost town. There were no signs of life, no human silhouettes in the windows, nothing more than the occasional stray dog sniffling about month old garbage for scraps.

“Take a left here and continue straight. We won’t have to stop unless we encounter any sort of heavy resistance,” Swift said calmly, in a sort of bored, sarcastic fashion. The HMMWV turned and, outside the windshield, the flashes of gunfire could suddenly and very clearly be made own far down the gradual decline the vehicle now rolled upon. It was not a promising sight.

“Well, I’ll be damned, boys, it’s heavy resistance already,” Swift grunted out, then quickly went to his radio, informal as always. ”Best get on the main guns, we can’t avoid the engagement ahead. Romeo Four-Two, get a line into command and ask them for a detour. This looks heavy.”

“Copy that,” Romeo Four-Two replied.

“Don’t get too optimistic, this Goddamned city is surrounded by bottlenecks,” Swift finished, then nodded to Dom. “Keep her rolling.”

Up ahead the engagement began to become more visible, three LAV-25s at the mouth of the major highway that Romeo had been rolling along. The entire infantry from the squadron had been deployed, and they now stood taking fire from the high number of combatants hiding behind a makeshift barricade of civilian vehicles on the highway no more than fifty metres away. It was a stalemate, with neither side capable of advancing. Though the LAV-25s themselves laid down heavy fire support, the sheer mass of troops on the opposing force was impressive. It was, in a sense, a testament to what was to come.

To make matters worse, it was a genuine bottleneck, as the rocky and mountainous terrain surrounding the city had been carved out, leaving two cliffs perhaps three to five metres high on either side of the highway, making flanking a difficult affair. As Romeo Five-One rolled to a stop near one of the LAV-25s the first of many bullets deflected off of the armour plating of the vehicle, and Sgt. Maj. Swift began barking orders over the radio.

“I want a base of fire kept on the right flank of that barricade, and I want Romeo Five-Three on the launcher providing fire on the left flank. Romeo Five-One and Five-Two need to start advancing on the right. I’m not getting beaten by Romeo Four to get to the damn port,” he said, then promptly exited the vehicle, running across the battlefield to take up position near one of the LAV-25s and what appeared to be the squad commander of the group.

Sgt. Williams, who had been in the front passenger’s seat the entire trip, was quick to follow suit. He took cover behind the hood of the HMMWV and hoisted up his M4, peering down the sights. At the same time he shouted over the din of bullets striking metal and the asphalt highway, “You heard the man, let’s go, let’s go! Dead-Eye, keep an eye on the cliffs! The rest of you, get some fire on the right side of that barricade!”

Domonic hated the grime. He was never one to be caught sitting inside one of these old HMMWV's. They weren't old by Marine Corps standards. Well, they were, but that didn't mean they were useless. Up-armored and refitted, they would get the job done. Nothing like the JLTV's that he had ridden in when he was over in Afghanistan, no. But the old HMMWV's, they were rough and gritty. He still didn't like them. He also found it a bitch he was having to drive one.

He gripped the wheel tightly, anchoring himself forward to take in all he could see from the confined, cramped vehicle. This whole "Plan of Attack" didn't sit well with him either. By his mind, if you hear the gunshots, you drive opposite of them. Not directly into them. He titled the wheel slowly as the HMMWV rounded a corner, his foot easing off the pedal as the vehicle rolled across the street, Domonic cringed quietly in his bulky armor as he heard the distinct tone of a Kalashnikov. Kalashnikov's weren't something that was a friend to the Merc-turned-Marine, many firearms could instill a certain amount of fear, or apprehension when you are faced with them, but the Kalashnikov really did a number on anyone who knew it wasn't going to be helping them.

The clack of gunshots, announcing a discharge as dust and chunks of asphalt raced across the street in front of the HMMWV.
“Well, I’ll be damned, boys, it’s heavy resistance already ... ” Swift, Swift. Swift. Swift. Distinguished Sergeant Major of Romeo Five. Or Six. Or Five and Six.
"Would you look at that! They are shooting at us! All this time I thought they were just firing blindly into the air!" Domonic grunted bitterly, running the wheel of the HMMWV sideways as he stamped his foot onto the pedal. The vehicle bucked forward with the sudden attack on the convoy, Domonic and likely the rest of the crew occupying the HMMWV bounced as it ran up along a sidewalk. A soldier residing within the HMMWV cursing bitterly.
"Domonic, get the fuck back on the road you idiot!" He snapped, his hand wrenching around a small handle on the door as Dom swiveled the wheel and pumped the pedal several times, coordinating his actions to bring the HMMWV back onto the causeway.
"Shut the hell up! I'm -- I'm trying!" Domonic gritted his teeth bitterly, swerving and sliding the wheel as he attempted to redirect the vehicle.
"Forward, forward!" His passenger pointed as Dom pressed his foot to regain his speed. Domonic leaned inward to look upwards as the HMMWV passed by several flats, Domonic noticed the distinct flash of firearms coming from numerous windows, alleys, and doorways. He laughed devilishly to himself as he heard the round ping and pang off of the vehicles armor.

"Guess who's shooting at us!" He smiled sarcastically, his eyes locked forward as several LAV-25's quickly appeared on the scene. Accompanied by all the angry North Koreans that would like to see the Marines only armor support burning, and useless.
"Oh shit. Those are LAV's. Those things are taking heat!" Domonic grumbled as the HMMWV broke onto the ramp.
Taking in the sudden change of surroundings, leaving the dense urban and built of grouping of buildings for a gradient causeway leading to an autobahn, Domonic quickly eased his way to nestle the HMMWV roughly a few meters behind the closest LAV to the ramp.
"Holy crap!" He squealed as the soldier inhabiting the passengers seat flung open the door, and with a tug of his M4, cemented himself into the firefight.

“You heard the man, let’s go, let’s go -- !" He yelled, Domonic turning to him and grabbing his own rifle from it's cradle within the vehicle as he prepared to open the door.
"Are you fuc -- Your crazy. Why are we leaving the safe place that bullets can't go?!" He grunted angrily as he rolled himself from within the vehicle. A string of bullets tracing the side of the vehicle and pock-marking the door as Domonic fell onto his stomach.
"Jesus!" Domonic grunted as he picked himself up, skewing himself along the hood of the HMMWV, providing him a somewhat substantial amount of cover . He hefted his M4 to over the hood, beginning to eye in on the MARS Reflex Sight. If Domonic had it his way, it'd be an ACOG or something more.
"The barricade. I -- I see the barricade! Counting two. Three, three!" Domonic yelled, his finger squeezing the trigger once as he aimed toward his intended target. The carbine bucked once as a casing spat from the breech and inner mechanisms of the rifle. He saw a puff of debris leap from a corner of the opposing cover.

Travelling in the old HMMWV was like a bad dream to Havoc. He was used to almost everything from tundra’s so cold that the cold froze your fingers of in a matter of seconds to wet mashes filled with deadly stench of rotting vegetation and animals. As an elite sniper he knew it all but he never quite got the hang of riding these cars. “I swear they are worse than the enemy” he thought as he “enjoyed” the ride. This mission was a bit different from his standard recons alone or in two to take out a target quickly and with no trace but being the support of a team wasn´t that new to him either though he preferred solo missions but he couldn´t be picky, nor could he object. He got the mission and he would see it through with his team.

He only pretended to pay attention to the radio conversation between the commanding officer and whoever was on the other side. He had other things on mind, like when will they get to the heart of the action but his thought were answered before he could even finish them. Soon they reached what looked like the main battlefield and the fun begun.

“Dead-Eye, keep an eye on the cliffs!” that was all John needed to hear. He immediately got out of the HMMWV and carefully made his way to some higher ground from where he had a good look around the battlefield and his main target of interest, the cliffs.

It didn´t take him long before he found a vantage point on the top of a ravaged building. The outlook wasn´t perfect but it had to do. John expertly stationed himself into position and observed the cliffs. “The cliffs look clear sir. Awaiting further orders.” He couldn´t give away his position without a direct order and with no potential threats in sight on the cliffs he only maintained his fixed position and waited for further orders to support or to remain his position and task while he scanned the battlefield through the mounted on telescope.

“This isn’t about being subtle, move your ass!” Williams shouted as Dom scurried out of the vehicle. Dom was a cheeky bastard at times, but he was reliable at least. Williams could respect that, though he gave Dom a look as he joined him by the hood of the HMMWV. This was cut short as a series of 7.62mm rounds bounced off of the armor plating on the hood of the HMMWV, startling the sergeant to the matter at hand. Williams took the opportunity to swear once or twice before taking more appropriate aim down his sight and squeezing off single rounds towards the barricade

“No Goddamn way we’re going to be effective at this range,” Williams grunted as he fired, clearly annoyed. Shooting a glance at Swift, who was sharing a hasty conversation with the commanding officer of the LAVs, Williams took the opportunity to briefly stop firing and scope out the cliffs. This was short lived as, moments later, the Mk 19 on Romeo-Five-Three’s HMMWV began firing on the left flank of the opposition.

“Holy shit!” one of FNGs shouted as the grenades began to rather hastily turn the tide of the engagement. The bulky looking soldier handling the grenade launcher seemed reasonably comfortable with the device and clearly enjoyed its operation, a smirk on his face. The vehicle, carefully positioned to optimize the grenadier’s cover by hiding relatively close to the leftmost LAV, rarely saw a ricochet.

Williams, meanwhile, took the brief opportunity to get on his radio, pressing the headphone down as hard as he could with his left hand to hear Dead-Eye. “Roger, cover us until we’re about fifty yards from the barricade, then get the hell down here, on the double! Out!” he shouted, barely audible over the detonating grenades and wall of small arms fire put forth by the North Korean infantry.

Williams popped his head over the hood of the HMMWV once he had finished his brief conversation and went to shoulder his rifle to begin fire again, but as he did one of the LAVs slowly began to creep forward into his field of fire, though it also provided complete protection from the incoming fire. “Thank God,” Williams grunted, glancing at the dozen or so Marines following alongside the LAV, using it as cover along with Romeo-Five-Three’s HMMWV.

“Squad,” Swift said over the radio, “Romeo-Five-Three is going to lay down fire with the launcher on the right flank, then the LAVs from Delta-Two are going to breach the barricade. We’ll follow afterwards and get the hell going, so get ready to go. Out.”

The bullet-riddled cars protecting the North Koreans were virtually worthless under such heavy fire, and predictably the Mk 19 began mopping them up. Williams, with his line of fire now obstructed by the LAVs proceeding across the battlefield along with the Marines taking cover behind them, took the chance to swap out magazines and contact Dead-Eye on the radio, “Dead-Eye, get down here, we’re moving out.”

“Well, if the resistance stays like this, we’ll be out of here in no time,” Williams grunted, pulling open the door on his side of the HMMWV. “Let’s go, Dom, we’ll pick up Dead-Eye and Swift as we roll along.”

John carefully observed the surroundings and waited for commands until they finally came. “Roger that sir. Commencing cover fire” he said to the radio as the telescope of his rifle picked up its first target. The enemy soldier was crouching behind some stone debris left from a destroyed house and seemed to be really comfortable in his almost invisible camouflage from the wreckage. Havoc only smiled as he slowly pushed the trigger. The weapons silencer made sure not to give away his position as he made the shot. The target never saw it coming. A direct head-shot through the left eye.

Havoc turned his attention to a small barricaded group on the west side of the battlefield. They were heavily armed and they just called for being exterminated. He carefully aimed at the person that looked to be in the command of the group he didn´t have to be an officer that guy still had some guts to bark orders while in a situation like this. “Cut of the head of the snake and the body dies” Havoc whispered as he made the shot. The bullet cut through the air and made contact with the man’s neck and came out the other side hitting another soldier in the shoulder. The group was first struck by terror from the sudden shock but they quickly regrouped and returned fire. Havoc ducked behind a solid looking wall and waited for them to reload but he never got the chance. He got interrupted by radio communication again. “On my way. ETA 1 minute on the south corner of this building” he said as he packed his gear carefully and made his way down.

Williams listened in on the radio transmission from Dead-Eye, then nodded and gestured for Dom to make it to the driver’s side. Yet, before Williams could jump into the passenger seat, a streak of smoke suddenly connected from the ground near Romeo-Five-Three’s HMMWV and exploded in a shower of shrapnel. The nearby Marines were thrown to the ground, some of them screaming, some of them not moving at all, and some of them quickly recovering. Williams dropped to the ground momentarily, halfway in shock, halfway to protect himself. Upon recovering he traced the trail of smoke up to a nearby building, just on the other side of the street where Dead-Eye had taken up position, then began firing at the broken-out windows where the RPG had come from.

The various soldiers stooping behind the LAVs finally had something to fire at, and they all took aim at the building and began letting off rounds. A battlefield medic tended to the wounded and enlisted the aid of a soldier to drag the dead and dying into the relative safety of the LAV. Meanwhile, Romeo-Five-Three’s gunner, albeit apparently injured in his right arm, never stopped for a moment on his suppression of the line of cars blocking their way.

Swift took a short time to converse with the nearby leader of Delta-Two, the LAV squadron, then broke in over the radio, “Romeo-Five-Three, press on, we’ll follow!” Like clockwork, the LAVs were suddenly doubling back and exposing the front side of Romeo to the incoming fire, but at the same time leaving a decimated enemy front. Swift, as the LAV he was taking cover behind slowly drifted across the battlefield, made his way over to Romeo-Five-One’s HMMWV and quietly made his way out of the line of fire.

Once there, Swift gestured into the HMMWV, “Come on, boys, we’re moving already. There’s no easy way around this, it’d seem, so we’re going to press forward.” Williams nodded, got up carefully, then gestured for Dom to take his position at the driver’s seat once again. Swift wasted no time hopping into the safety of the HMMWV, and Williams was quick to follow, shoving his rifle into the vehicle’s rack.

“Sir, we need to circle back somewhat to pick up Dead-Eye,” Williams said, fixing his helmet as he did.

“We’re wasting time here,” Swift grunted.

“Sorry, sir,” Williams said, then held on tight as the vehicle began to roll.

As they found the very edge of the LAVs’ defensive line protecting them against the deadly fire of the RPGs, which were still taking shots at Delta-Two, Swift pushed open the door for Dead-Eye, and Romeo-Five-One quickly found itself at the rear of the line of HMMWVs proceeding towards their objective. Romeo-Five-Three barely let off the gas as it forced its way through two of the weaker looking pieces of wreckage making up the front lines of the enemy militia, and the trail of HMMWVs behind it took the same path. Back in the distance Delta-Two concentrated heavy fire on the building, and the occasional bullet would hit the armored plating of the HMMWVs from small pockets of resistance still holding out in the larger buildings lining the highway.

Swift, after taking a look back at Delta-Two, managed a grim chuckle, “Well, this is going to be a long damn day. Anyone else feel like command’s stretched us out a little thin?”

PFC Alex Rico was near the back of the vehicle column during the firefight. When the shooting started he was assisting one of the HMMWV drivers with a radio problem. Alex had a worthless fire sector during the short exchange of fire, so he didn't bother shooting. Now his problem was getting back to the head of the column to Romeo Five One's HMMWV. The radio lines were tied up with SITREP's and SALUTE reports from various units in the area, so Alex would have to hoof it back to the lead vehicle if he wanted to mount up. Thankfully the vehicles were all moving at a somewhat slow pace.
Out of nowhere, one of the vehicles exploded. Alex covered his face and neck with one arm, feeling the debris and sand rush towards him. As the vehicle column stopped he set up his M249 on the hood of a nearby HMMWV. At his 11 o'clock, six or seven Devil Dogs were lighting up a window. Alex couldn't see inside, but it didn't really matter. He fired 3 small bursts at the window before he heard a familiar voice on his headset. It was Dead-Eye. Whoever was in that window was certainly dead now.

The head of the column was still a good ways up. Alex double timed it up the the front of the line, being careful to check his fire sectors this time. Finally he reached his team's vehicle. Alex could see Dom in the side view mirror of the vehicle. Alex slapped the side of the vehicle to get Dom to hold up for a second.

”Holly shit” John cursed as the HMMWV turned into a flaming fireball. He immediately turned his attention to the window the RPG came from. He saw even others shooting that way but the barricaded enemy was hard to spot through all the commotion they caused. The man holding the RPG was still there and was reloading to take out even more of the invasion forces vehicles and John wasn´t going to let that happen. Waiting for the right moment when the man peered to see outside John’s finger squeezed the trigger. The bullet burrowed through the man’s skull and he fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

Havoc knew that this distraction cost him precious time but he hoped it was worth it saving at least one more HMMWV from going to early “retirement.” With nothing else on his mind, John raced down to his pick up point. As soon as he was out he noticed his squad and hastily made way towards the HMMWV. Once finally inside he turned to the commander. “Mission complete sir” he said as he exhaled deeply from all the running etc. he had to do. Now he only waited for them to move or to receive new orders. Either way this day will be a long one.

Things were quickly picking away at Domonic's nerves. The countless seconds of him crouching down behind the hood of the HMMWV with his good ol' friend Williams like a small rat being chased by a cat for roughly ten minutes.

"See Williams, the Marine Corps is fun isn't it! Look at what we're doin'!" He smiled, occasionally poking his head and raising his carbine, quickly squeezing off a round or two before being beaten back down into cover by a line of bullets tracing in front of him. Luckily none of those bullets penetrated to their intended target. Something Dom was damn well to make sure of.

“Romeo-Five-Three, press on, we’ll follow!”

"Following what, what the hell're they -- " Domonic gasped quietly as a bullet paced by his head. The once protective shield of armor and weapon that the LAV's provided had slowly faded away as they doubled backward, Swift following shortly after them as he approached the LAV.

"Why does no one consider the dangerous of walking briskly through lines of fire?" He questioned, his head shifting around quickly as he spoke, his back pressed tightly against the cover of the HMMWV.

“Come on, boys, we’re moving already. There’s no easy way around this, it’d seem, so we’re going to press forward.” He heard Swift boom, walking around and waving his hand for him to return to the HMMWV, and drive.

"Moving, we just -- sat -- what the hell are they trying to make us do?" Domonic questioned, standing and moving toward the door of the HMMWV as he pulled his M4 with one hand and swung the door open with the other. Moving himself inward, he slapped his M4 against the divider between the seats and hopped into the seat. A smile on his face as he started the HMMWV once more.

"Oh yes, he's not too shoot to hell." He retorted, pulling the HMMWV's wheel before sliding his foot onto the pedal. The vehicle responding by rolling forward several inches. The engine sputtering and roaring to life as both Swift and Williams assumed seats inside the HMMWV.

“Sir, we need to circle back somewhat to pick up Dead-Eye,” Williams informed, Domonic wrenching his fingers around the wheel as the turned the HMMWV to begin on it's course.

"Sniper-Boy?! I say we met up with him in PyongYang! We're going to Pyongyang, right?" Domonic began, before being interrupted by Swift's booming retort.

“We’re wasting time here,” Swift gritted, Domonic lowering his head as he watched the road fade by as he turned the vehicle.

"Understood." He retorted.

Picking up Dead-Eye, Domonic smiled as he wiggled himself in the drivers seat. Attempting to find a more comfortable position as the HMMWV fell farther and farther behind the head of the convoy.

"Sniper-Boy! We were thinkin' of meetin' you in Pyongyang! How'd you like that?" He chuckled, attempting to weave his way past a burning HMMWV. An RPG had probably made mince meat of it. Startled though, by a sudden pounding on the side of the HMMWV, and a Marine just as suddenly appearing beside the hood, Domonic gritted his teeth as he stared at Rico.

"God dammit Rico, what do I say about hitting the fucking car!" He grimaced as he stamped a foot onto the brake and swung the wheel to the side, giving Rico an opening to reach the rear door.

"Well, I can't remember exactly...but I know it had something to do with you pulling my worthless guts out with your bare hands if I do it again." Rico said, almost laughing. He pulled the armored door open and took a seat. He sat sideways in the seat after shutting the door to give himself a better firing position with the fore grip of the M249 sitting in the window.

The vehicle started moving again. Rico quickly surveyed the vehicle and its occupants.
"Shit, I held us up?" He thought for a moment. Of course, he and Dead Eye were both distanced from the vehicle during the firefight. It was hard to say, but doubtlessly one of them was going to get chewed out later for holding up the vehicle while the rest of the convoy charged ahead.

Rico leaned towards the front seat and whispered to Dom,
"Hey man, far be it for me to say, but don't you think our convoy should be moving parallel to the LAV convoy? That makes sense right? If we put a wall of vehicles that actually have armor between us and the enemy, we'll have a hell of an easier time moving through town. We aren't going to be able to defend the roads into town if shit like that keeps happening, we'll run out of Humvees."