Badass Story About these Marines who get sent to Equestria [Temporary Name]by NotWhoYouThink123321Chapters"You've been Reassigned!""FLASHBANG!"The Glint"November Kilo"Actionable Intel"You've been Reassigned!"~Part 1~“You’ve been Reassigned” I watched as the North Korean flag was lowered, and American flag taking its place over the city of Pyongyang. I wiped the blood and sweat from my forehead and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Kim Jong Il was currently being arrested by the U.N. and a group of Marines, effectively ending the war. I looked over the city. Smoke rose from distant buildings, jets screamed as they flew overhead, and Kim Il-Sung square was filled with burning tanks and armored vehicles. The 12 year war against the country was finally over. We were going home, and I would finally be able to meet my daughter, Kendall, who was born while I was deployed. As we stepped aboard our unit’s Osprey and we elevated into the sky, we looked forward to a brighter future for the world. 3 hours later, the Osprey touched the deck of the USS Obama. We immediately started heading towards the mess hall to grab a bite to eat. As we ate, Col. Richard Gibson walked up to me to notify me of a change in my return. “Ewing, you’ve been reassigned. Come to my office in 10 minutes and I’ll get you briefed.” With that simple sentence, he left for his office. After I ate, I navigated my way to the Colonel’s office, getting lost a few times on the way. When I reached his office, I knocked on the door just as a lower ranking sailor opened the door with some papers and hastily ran down the hallway. I stepped in to be greeted by Col. Gibson. “Alex!” He greeted me casually, “You’re late.” “The Obama’s a labyrinth, sir.!” I responded formally. “Ah, that she is. Have a seat.” I did as I was told. “Now, I know this doesn’t sound fair, what with your baby girl being born a few months ago and all, but, this order comes straight from the top. You’re being reassigned to a remote base along the Colville River in Alaska. You won’t be home until May.” There was a hint of sympathy in his voice. “7 months?! What will I be doing there?” I asked, hoping I could find a way to see through any bullshit and argue my way out. “All it says here is a ‘special research task using highly classified technology.’ This message doesn’t include anything about a choice of going, so I’m afraid it is mandatory as well.” “When do I leave?” “Tomorrow morning. A long range transport will be ready to launch from the flight deck at 0700. You’re dismissed.” I stood up, saluted him, and left. I was furious. I was told that I could return home after Pyongyang fell. Why, I wondered, were they using a SOG operator for a research task? It made no sense, but then again, almost everything my guys and I were tasked to do made no sense either. But who knows why, at this point. Our superiors always seemed to have their heads up their asses, but there was no changing it. As we always say, "FUBAR, but deal with it." * * * My alarm went off. 0630. I slid out of bed and threw on my clothes, grabbed my rifle and other gear, and headed topside. When I opened the door to the flight deck, the sun had not yet risen and the stars still shone brightly in the sky. There was a C-17 Globemaster waiting for me at the end of the runway. I stepped on the ramp to be greeted by 3 others, 1 of them SOG and the other 2, scientists. At least I knew I wasn’t going to be the one researching anything. We strapped into the seats that lined the body of the plane. We began talking about what we were expecting in the arctic circle, and why 2 Marine SOG operators needed to accompany them. The transport plane began rumbling as its engines increased power, and we could all feel the sling that boosted planes of this size down the runway to get a better take off. We jolted back towards the ramp as we shot down the runway and went airborne. A few minutes after initial takeoff, the pilots let us do whatever we wanted in the cabin. I found that I was joining a Staff Sergeant named Edward Miles to escort the two scientists, Dr. Jerry Mikes and Dr. William Kenley as they did their research. Most of the time in the plane was spent sleeping or conversing about one anothers’ families. The plane ride was about 8 hours to the U.S. border around Alaska, and then another hour to the base. When the ramp opened, we were greeted by a man in a parka with a Jeep and a sub zero blizzard. “Welcome to Kenfield Air Force Base!” The man said, “It’s the most secluded, secretive, and freezing of all Air Force bases. Hop in my Jeep, I’ll give you a ride to the HQ.” The car was heated to at least 100 degrees fahrenheit, which was great, compared to the -5 degrees it was outside. The man continued, “We normally only use this base for top secret operations, because as you can see, its doesn’t have the greatest weather.” We pulled into a large hanger. We all got out and were directed to a doorway that lead to a few bunk rooms. Our bunk room’s door had a label that read “I.D. Study Group.” Once we were settled, it was time to be briefed. We stepped into the briefing room where we sat down at a conference table. After a few minutes of waiting, a man walked in with a laptop and shut off the lights. He plugged the laptop into a projector and began. “I’m glad you all made it here safely. Your task in anything but normal. Last year, a research group discovered a way, using a tesla-nuclear reactor, to transport humans to an alternate dimension. We sent people before, but we never heard anything back from them, and we assumed they were unable to return using the device we gave them to do so. We are sending you, with a new device that was tested and is functional, to not only retrieve the team, but also to study other aspects. You will be leaving in 3 hours from now. In that time, do what you need to do to prepare. Call your families, if you want. You can get food back in the hanger. Meet back here in exactly 3 hours to leave." We prepared. Not only as escorts to the scientists, but also as a search and rescue squad for the other expedition. Ed, the other SOG guy and I got some new rifles, I got a Heckler & Koch HK416 and Ed got an M200 Intervention for any long range shots he may need to make. We had our choice of side arms, both of us went with the Colt M1911 .45, a classic. The two scientists got personal defense weapons, each armed with an M9 Beretta 9mm pistol. After we were armed up and ready to go, we made personal preparations. We grabbed some food or a short nap, and called our families. I called my wife and daughter. My daughter was only 5 months old, she had not yet learned to speak, but could still make sounds that any 5 month year old could. I was careful not to tell my wife too much about what I was about to do, as I always was before going on a special op. When she learned that I would not be home until May of the next year, she was just as mad as I was. She knew very well that I was only supposed to be deployed for so long, and nothing could extend that. I just had to tell her that “...my guys need me out there, and I’m not prepared to let them down.” I never told her that we had no way of knowing whether they were even alive or not, but I think she understood, nevertheless. SSgt. Ed Miles, Dr. Jerry Mikes, Dr. William Kenley, and I regrouped in the briefing hall. The same officer came in with packets, each specifically written for each one of us. Each packet told us what we could and could not do, as well as what we were supposed to do and what we weren't supposed to do. “Gentlemen, if you will follow me.” the officer said as he turned his back to us and walked out of the room and further down the hall. He opened a door revealing a hole with a ladder going down. We climbed down the ladder into a room about 30 cubic feet large. In the center of the room was a circular object that rose about 5 inches off the ground. “Please stand on this pad and relax. Ewing, take this. it’s your way back. There are instructions on the inside.” He handed me a large briefcase, about 24 inches at the base, 14 inches on the sides, and 4 inches thick. I nodded as grabbed the handle. I had other equipment to carry, so I handed it off to one of the scientists who was glad to carry it so I could shoulder my rifle. “This may hurt just a pinch, but we know it works, so don’t get too worried. Good luck gentlemen.” He said with a salute. Ed and I saluted back, just as the lever was pulled. It cranked loudly on the metal backboard. Along all the walls, tesla generators began to power up. A red light began to flash along with a siren. After the 5th tone of the siren, there was a bright flash, and we were gone. "FLASHBANG!"~Part 2~“FLASHBANG!” My ears were ringing. I could see nothing. The ringing was broken by a low pitched sound, like a bass drop in a Skrillex song, followed by more ringing. The bright white I was constantly seeing faded, and I could see again. We were lying in a field as if we had just fallen from the sky. I stood up, and, although i was extremely dizzy, I managed shouldered my rifle. When everyone else’s dizziness wore off, we walked to a nearby tree to shield us from the sun and figure out what to do first. We all pulled out our packets and began to read. The introduction was friendly: “If you are reading this, then you have successfully traveled to another dimension!” Once we were done with the first page, we all did what it specifically asked us to do. Ed’s first objective was to find a vantage point and take note of distances and landmarks in the surrounding area. The scientists’ jobs were to take note of everything they could. My first objective was to set up a safe perimeter around the area based on Ed’s observations. As I began looking around, Ed yelled down to me from the tree. “There’s an orchard of some sort about 1.5 klicks west of here. I think I see a flag about a klick beyond that.” “My instructions say to head towards any civilization once the scientists are done collecting any data, so lets head over there in, say 5 mikes.” “Check. On your go.” We used what we had learned in SOG training to ensure that everything we did, we did exactly as intended. After the scientists finished gathering their data, we moved off. I took point, Ed watched our backs, and the two scientists stayed in between. We had no idea what kind of weapons training they’d had, so we ensured that they kept their guns with safety on, concealed in their holsters. After about 20 minutes, we reached the town. We were still about 150 yards away, however, so we could tell no great details. As we began walking into the town, we noticed that the indigenous population were of a horse-like species. We were dumbfounded by this, thus letting our guard down. Huge mistake. Just as we began to lower our weapons in confusion, we were surrounded by them. About 9 of them surrounded us, armed with spears and swords (which seemed to hover in front of them), and protected by gold armor, similar to Spartan armor. One of them stepped forward. “Drop your weapons! Your kind is a threat to our way of living! If you do not go back to the place from which you came, we will be forced to engage you!” We hesitated. We had no idea who these were, if they were important or not, or what our RoE’s were. We stood there, looking at eachother. I know for sure that they were ready to attack, but I can’t say that we were ready to defend. Suddenly, we all heard a cracking noise just as one of their skulls was split, blood splattering into the air. FLASHBANG! I heard from a distance. Ed and I were trained against these, so we quickly covered our eyes with the inside of our elbows. After the bang, we saw 2 other humans running in, taking down the guards as quick as a flash. One of them yelled at us to get back and pointed at an open doorway. Ed and I grabbed the scientists, who, along with the guards, didn’t cover their eyes, and were therefore temporarily blinded by the flashbang. When we were in the building, we heard the shooting stop, and the other humans came running back in the room, slamming the door shut behind them. “You guys good?” One asked us. “Yeah. Thanks for that.” Ed replied. “No problem,” the other began to speak, “The Royal Guard can be a Royal pain in the ass. These ‘ponies,’ as they call themselves, think that humans are here to ruin their way of life. They never even gave us reasoning, they just started killing us. We started out with 6 guys, now its just us 3. I’m Martin, this is John,” The other soldier wove as he took a large gulp from a water bottle, “and the sniper who took out at least 4 of the guards in Mark.” We introduced ourselves. These 3 humans we encountered were, what was left of, the first expedition. They told us that the building we were in was compromised, and that we had to leave. We got out through the back and followed Martin to a new building. “We move from building to building. It keeps the guards confused for now, but soon, they’ll be on to us.” Another pony walked through the door in the back of the new building. “You guys need to keep it down. The guards are going to find you in no time if you kill an entire patrol every other day.” She said. The pony’s name was Rainbow Dash. She agreed to help Martin, John, and Mark when everything started going south for them. It turned out that, 2 months before, there was a large explosion in another city, and it was blamed on humans. It killed 35 ponies, and completely decimated 4 buildings. The day after that explosion, the guards showed up at the human’s doorstep and killed the first one to open the door. 2 more were in the room, and they were killed, too. Martin & John were in the next room relaxing, but they heard screams, so were able to fend off the guards. Mark came to their rescue with a single M67. it was the day after that incident that Rainbow Dash, a friend of them, decided to stick with them and be their eye in the sky, literally and figuratively. She reported anything that could mean harm to the humans and kept watch whenever she could. When she couldn’t, Mark is a Navy SEAL sniper, highly trained, and could stay awake for 2 days straight with one cup of coffee. Rainbow Dash became an imperative ally for the remaining humans. We stayed in this building for the night, but in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Luckily, Rainbow Dash had come in early to help with anything we needed help with. She opened the door to find 3 royal guards asking about the incident. They asked if they could search the building. Rainbow let them in, but not before tapping a beat on the wall that told the others about the guards. John, Ed, Martin, and I were sitting in the next room, each with a cup of coffee in our hands. Hearing the tapping, John and Martin sat up. “SHIT.” They both said simultaneously. We all grabbed our guns, flipped the couch we were lounging on and took cover behind it. I knew guns would be too loud, giving us away to the guards that were sure to be roaming the streets after yesterday’s incident, so I told everyone of my plan. I pulled out my 8 inch SOG knife and hid next to the entranceway. Martin did the same on the opposite side of the entrance. The first guard entered. Martin reached around its neck with his elbow, pulling the pony guard to the side before jamming his blade into the guard’s throat. The other guard came to investigate, and before it could see anything, I spun around the corner and used my arm to force his head towards the floor, revealing a weak spot between his helmet and backplate, where I planted by knife, severing his spinal cord. We dragged the bodies around the corner and hid them under blankets. Martin spoke into a radio “Bravo hideout is compromised. We gotta get the hell out of here.” I could hear a response: “Got it. I’m coming down. I got the HVI’s.” It was Mark, upstairs with the scientists. John kicked open the back door. We went into the alley behind the house, clearing every corner before moving up. When we reached a major street, we were able to get a good look at everything. “How’s it look Romeo Delta?” Martin spoke into his radio. He then passed me and Ed similar radios. They were the ones the other humans were carrying when they were killed. “We got one for each of you. HVI’s will have to go without.” We installed the radios to our packs just in time to hear the response from ‘Romeo Delta.’ “Not good. At least 25 guards on the street. I don’t know how you will get by.” She said. “Pop smoke!” John yelled to Mark, who took out a smoke grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it into the street. “Flash out!” John threw another flashbang so as to stun other guards who might be able to see us as we went into and out of the smoke. “GO, GO, GO!” We filed out of the alley and sprinted into the smoke. Guards were yelling left and right to go to the smoke. But once again, John was prepared. He dropped remote detonation charges across the path we had just run. When we were all safe in the alley across the street, he detonated them. “PUNCHING!” He yelled to us as he hit the top of the clacker with his wrist. The street illuminated in large balls of fire excreting from the charges’ locations. We ran through the alleys, following Martin’s every step. “Guard, nearing the end of your alley!” Someone said over the radio. A guard knew our plan, so he ran to the end to meet us with a spear. The guard burst from around the corner, spear hurling towards Martin. He held up his M4 and locked the spear in the carry handle on top and spun his rifle, tossing it to the ground, effectively breaking the guard’s magical grip on the spear. With his right hand, he unsheathed a knife he kept under his arm and swung it at full force towards the guards throat. Seeing this, the guard reacted quite quickly, grabbing the knife with a magical aura, and broke Martin’s grip on it. Just as the guard thrust the blade at Martin at full force, I drew my 1911 and shot. The first bullet, miraculously, struck and broke the knife, doing only minor harm to Martin’s flesh. The second pierced the guard’s eye, sending a crimson mist in all directions. Martin stood up, dusted off his vest, nodded to me in thanks, and shouldered his weapon. We ran straight out of the alley and headed towards a forest. We kept running until we were a good 70 feet into the forest. It was dense and dark inside, perfect for hiding from the guards. This is where we settled down for the time being. Mark and Ed took up positions in trees so they could watch the entrance of the forest, which was barely visible. The rest of us rested. “The ponies shun this ‘Everfree Forest.’ They say shit about it being haunted or something. Makes it the perfect place to hide out until things calm down.” John said, sounding very confident. “We could probably stay in here for days. Birds fly above. Easy targets, really. There is a stream that flows not far from here, and it’s a perfect water source.” Martin added. I looked over at the scientists. “You guys still got that brief case?” “Shit. It’s upstairs in the last place we stayed at.” Jerry said. “Fuck. Think we can retrieve it?” I asked John and Martin. “Not us, hell no. Rainbow might be able to. Wait until dark. We’ll lend her a pair of NVG's. She can slip in, grab it, and fly that shit over here.” John proposed, “What’s in there, anyway?” “Our way home.” After I said that, Martin sat up, excited. “And it works?” He asked. “They said they tested it, so I assumed it works.” I added. “Lets get that briefcase.” John was excited, now, too. He was rubbing his hands together as if devising some evil plot. He got on the radio, “Hear that Rainbow? You gotta get that briefcase, tonight.” * * * The Glint~Part 3~ The Glint For a long while, we rested in the forest. It was only 1030 when we arrived in the forest, so we had all day to wait until night fall. We spent the day setting up a base; digging foxholes, setting up positions in the trees for concealment, and the like. The scientists studied everything. As we dug, climbed, and gathered materials, they ran around the area frantically with notepads and cameras. The day was spent in fear that a guard had seen us enter the forest and went to alert others. Every now and then, Ed or Mark would radio us and let us know of any nearby guards. When that happened, we would stop what we were doing and hit the deck, careful to make no noise so as not to alert them. When the guards passed, we would be notified. When at long last my watched beeped 2130 hours, we gave Rainbow Dash NVGs and a small camera that would allow us to guide her to the briefcase. She stealthily slipped into the building in which we left the briefcase, and guided by our voices, she managed to retrieve it and return to our temporary FOB in the Everfree Forest. We were preparing to open the briefcase and set up the return device, when we stumbled into a problem. The device needed solar power to jumpstart the tesla generator. We had to wait until daylight, so we could move out from underneath the forest’s opaque canopy. Only then could we deploy it, charge it up, and return home. We had already run into far too many problems, and we had only been there for 2 days. Martin and John made it apparent, with their endless mental library of their stories in this world, the longer we stayed here, the worse things would get. But for now, we had to focus on the problems as they were presented, so we got some sleep before dawn. At exactly 0700 hours, we woke up and packed our FOB. Rainbow flew above the canopy so as to guide us to where the guards were scarce enough that we could pick them off without attracting too much attention. We moved south along the edge of the forest, still concealed by the canopy. Mark took up a position in a large tree to cover us across an open field to a small patch of trees at the edge of the town. Confidently, Mark loaded his L115A3 as he sat on a branch. With the barrel of his rifle, he moved aside some smaller branches to get a better view of the field. “Go.” He said quickly, notifying us that the field was clear of guards. We dashed across the field and took shelter in the small grove. The grass around the trees was overgrown, so we were easily hidden. Moments later, Mark joined us. “You’re clear. All the guards are on the main streets of Ponyville. There’s a cottage to your right. I would recommend going in there. You will stand less of a chance of being discovered.” Rainbow was watching our every move. We slowly emerged from the tall grasses around the small grove to head towards the cottage. Martin and I were up front, followed by John, the scientists, then Mark, and finally, Ed watching our backs. When we were mere yards from the doorway into the cottage, a glint in a distant tree caught his eye. “SNIPER!” * * * -4 hours earlier- The guards blew open the door to the house where two others had recently been killed. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and it bathed the room in light. The guards searched the house, looking to kill any humans, should they find them. As they marched upstairs, swords and spears ready, the spotted something peculiar. It was a human weapon. An M40, loaded and ready to fire. “Take that weapon! We can use their own weapons against them.” ordered one guard while some others complied. They set up a position in a tree overlooking where the humans had last been seen. Two guards sat in the tree watching every bit of movement. The guard who held the rifle did so in a peculiar manner, barrel resting on his raised left foreleg, right foreleg stabilizing the the butt. His cheek rested on his right foreleg, looking through the scope. He had seen how the humans held and fired their weapons. Because it was not possible to fit a hoof in the trigger guard, he was ready to pull the trigger with a magical grip. They waited for hours, watching the area. At last, the second guard pointed his hoof to their left, where he saw something emerging from grass about 1,000 yards away. The pony with the rifle grinned deviously as he rotated his body to face the humans. He noticed one of the humans was carrying a briefcase. He figured that was another weapon like the one that killed the 35 in Fillydelphia 2 months before. He figured that if he could stop them from detonating their device, he could save even more lives. As he lined the crosshairs up with the carrier, taking into account distance and wind speed as any sniper would, he did leave out one major detail: Glare. The sun was reflecting off the lense of his scope directly at the humans. He saw one of the humans shove another towards the entrance of the cottage just after he shot. To his delight, the carrier of the briefcase dropped. He pulled the trigger to fire again. *Click...* “Shit,” He thought. He had forgotten that, to chamber a new cartridge, the humans had a hand motion involving the stick that extruded from the right side of the rifle. He and the other pony frantically tried to figure out how the action worked so they could get more shots off. But just as they lifted the bolt and pulled it pack to eject the spent shell, there was a crackling noise. * * * -Second of the guard’s shot- “SHIT!” I yelled as I saw Jerry fall to the ground. “GRAB THE BRIEFCASE! WE GOTTA GET THE FUCK INSIDE!” I wasted no time, diving through the window to the immediate left of the door, followed by the others. As Ed jumped through, he got caught on the broken glass, falling face first and dropping his M200. I dragged him deeper and hid him from the window. The glass had gotten caught on his pants, so when his torso fell to the ground, the glass was pushed up further into his thigh. Martin pulled out a first aid kit and started treating Ed’s wound. “The tree, 1000 yards east!” He told me. I nodded and grabbed his rifle. I went to the back of the room and looked through the window until I lined myself up perfectly with a lone tree, about a thousand yards away. I closed the bolt, ensuring a cartridge was chambered. I looked down the advanced M200 optic and zoomed in on the tree. I could make out two figures fidgeting with a rifle. I let out a breath and shot. The .408 CheyTac bullet leapt from the barrel, sailing through the air and impacted one of the ponies just as I saw the glint of the scope. I quickly pulled the bolt back and pushed it forward, chambering a new round just has I heard the cracking noise. I could tell the shooter was worried, because the shot he had just fired hit the wall on the outside of the cottage, barely pushing through to the interior. My chance had arrived. I looked back into the scope and zeroed in on the target. I saw him fidgeting with the rifle again. No doubt he was having trouble with the action after his assistant had just been killed. I let out my breath again as I fired. The bullet tore through the wind. The guard never even heard the shot. Hearing this ruckus, a pony who was just upstairs began walking down the stairs to investigate. Rainbow had just entered, as well, to check to see if we were alright. Seeing the pony who stood on the stairs, she tackled the other pony and dragged her to a room upstairs. After a minute or so, she returned and told us the situation. The other pony who was standing on the stairs was a friend of Rainbow’s, and went by the name of Fluttershy. She told Rainbow that, when she saw the humans, she was about to run off to tell the guards. She was just informed, however, that she would have been killed, had she gone off. “I’m going to try to convince her to let you guys stay here for the time being.” Rainbow flew back upstairs. Safely hidden in the cottage, we decided to come up with a new game plan. “We need to get that rifle, along with any other weapons we may have left back in the old building. If the guards get their hooves on those, we’re fucked.” I proposed. “That we are. Do you think they’re smart enough to find out what direction you killed them from?” Martin asked. “Yeah, the shooter didn't fall from the tree like the spotter did. You could still clearly see what direction he was hit from” I responded. “Then tonight, lets have Rainbow retrieve the rifle and mess with the bodies. In the mean time, lets bring Jerry’s body in and cover up the blood that’s all over the place out there. Mark, get upstairs and watch out for any other guards.” Complying with John’s order, Mark went upstairs and went into a different room than Rainbow and Fluttershy were in. He found a window through which he could see every position that could see us in front of the cottage. We went out, carried Jerry’s body in, and cleaned up all the blood as best we could. When we were done, you couldn’t even tell someone had been killed there. The sun began to set, and we missed our chance to set up the return device. Rainbow Dash had succeeded in convincing Fluttershy to allow us refuge in her cottage, so she headed out to retrieve the M40 from the bodies and to move them around, do as to conceal the shooting direction. When she returned with the rifle, we dug in for the night. * * * * * * "November Kilo"Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Actionable IntelSomething has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.
"You've been Reassigned!"~Part 1~“You’ve been Reassigned” I watched as the North Korean flag was lowered, and American flag taking its place over the city of Pyongyang. I wiped the blood and sweat from my forehead and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Kim Jong Il was currently being arrested by the U.N. and a group of Marines, effectively ending the war. I looked over the city. Smoke rose from distant buildings, jets screamed as they flew overhead, and Kim Il-Sung square was filled with burning tanks and armored vehicles. The 12 year war against the country was finally over. We were going home, and I would finally be able to meet my daughter, Kendall, who was born while I was deployed. As we stepped aboard our unit’s Osprey and we elevated into the sky, we looked forward to a brighter future for the world. 3 hours later, the Osprey touched the deck of the USS Obama. We immediately started heading towards the mess hall to grab a bite to eat. As we ate, Col. Richard Gibson walked up to me to notify me of a change in my return. “Ewing, you’ve been reassigned. Come to my office in 10 minutes and I’ll get you briefed.” With that simple sentence, he left for his office. After I ate, I navigated my way to the Colonel’s office, getting lost a few times on the way. When I reached his office, I knocked on the door just as a lower ranking sailor opened the door with some papers and hastily ran down the hallway. I stepped in to be greeted by Col. Gibson. “Alex!” He greeted me casually, “You’re late.” “The Obama’s a labyrinth, sir.!” I responded formally. “Ah, that she is. Have a seat.” I did as I was told. “Now, I know this doesn’t sound fair, what with your baby girl being born a few months ago and all, but, this order comes straight from the top. You’re being reassigned to a remote base along the Colville River in Alaska. You won’t be home until May.” There was a hint of sympathy in his voice. “7 months?! What will I be doing there?” I asked, hoping I could find a way to see through any bullshit and argue my way out. “All it says here is a ‘special research task using highly classified technology.’ This message doesn’t include anything about a choice of going, so I’m afraid it is mandatory as well.” “When do I leave?” “Tomorrow morning. A long range transport will be ready to launch from the flight deck at 0700. You’re dismissed.” I stood up, saluted him, and left. I was furious. I was told that I could return home after Pyongyang fell. Why, I wondered, were they using a SOG operator for a research task? It made no sense, but then again, almost everything my guys and I were tasked to do made no sense either. But who knows why, at this point. Our superiors always seemed to have their heads up their asses, but there was no changing it. As we always say, "FUBAR, but deal with it." * * * My alarm went off. 0630. I slid out of bed and threw on my clothes, grabbed my rifle and other gear, and headed topside. When I opened the door to the flight deck, the sun had not yet risen and the stars still shone brightly in the sky. There was a C-17 Globemaster waiting for me at the end of the runway. I stepped on the ramp to be greeted by 3 others, 1 of them SOG and the other 2, scientists. At least I knew I wasn’t going to be the one researching anything. We strapped into the seats that lined the body of the plane. We began talking about what we were expecting in the arctic circle, and why 2 Marine SOG operators needed to accompany them. The transport plane began rumbling as its engines increased power, and we could all feel the sling that boosted planes of this size down the runway to get a better take off. We jolted back towards the ramp as we shot down the runway and went airborne. A few minutes after initial takeoff, the pilots let us do whatever we wanted in the cabin. I found that I was joining a Staff Sergeant named Edward Miles to escort the two scientists, Dr. Jerry Mikes and Dr. William Kenley as they did their research. Most of the time in the plane was spent sleeping or conversing about one anothers’ families. The plane ride was about 8 hours to the U.S. border around Alaska, and then another hour to the base. When the ramp opened, we were greeted by a man in a parka with a Jeep and a sub zero blizzard. “Welcome to Kenfield Air Force Base!” The man said, “It’s the most secluded, secretive, and freezing of all Air Force bases. Hop in my Jeep, I’ll give you a ride to the HQ.” The car was heated to at least 100 degrees fahrenheit, which was great, compared to the -5 degrees it was outside. The man continued, “We normally only use this base for top secret operations, because as you can see, its doesn’t have the greatest weather.” We pulled into a large hanger. We all got out and were directed to a doorway that lead to a few bunk rooms. Our bunk room’s door had a label that read “I.D. Study Group.” Once we were settled, it was time to be briefed. We stepped into the briefing room where we sat down at a conference table. After a few minutes of waiting, a man walked in with a laptop and shut off the lights. He plugged the laptop into a projector and began. “I’m glad you all made it here safely. Your task in anything but normal. Last year, a research group discovered a way, using a tesla-nuclear reactor, to transport humans to an alternate dimension. We sent people before, but we never heard anything back from them, and we assumed they were unable to return using the device we gave them to do so. We are sending you, with a new device that was tested and is functional, to not only retrieve the team, but also to study other aspects. You will be leaving in 3 hours from now. In that time, do what you need to do to prepare. Call your families, if you want. You can get food back in the hanger. Meet back here in exactly 3 hours to leave." We prepared. Not only as escorts to the scientists, but also as a search and rescue squad for the other expedition. Ed, the other SOG guy and I got some new rifles, I got a Heckler & Koch HK416 and Ed got an M200 Intervention for any long range shots he may need to make. We had our choice of side arms, both of us went with the Colt M1911 .45, a classic. The two scientists got personal defense weapons, each armed with an M9 Beretta 9mm pistol. After we were armed up and ready to go, we made personal preparations. We grabbed some food or a short nap, and called our families. I called my wife and daughter. My daughter was only 5 months old, she had not yet learned to speak, but could still make sounds that any 5 month year old could. I was careful not to tell my wife too much about what I was about to do, as I always was before going on a special op. When she learned that I would not be home until May of the next year, she was just as mad as I was. She knew very well that I was only supposed to be deployed for so long, and nothing could extend that. I just had to tell her that “...my guys need me out there, and I’m not prepared to let them down.” I never told her that we had no way of knowing whether they were even alive or not, but I think she understood, nevertheless. SSgt. Ed Miles, Dr. Jerry Mikes, Dr. William Kenley, and I regrouped in the briefing hall. The same officer came in with packets, each specifically written for each one of us. Each packet told us what we could and could not do, as well as what we were supposed to do and what we weren't supposed to do. “Gentlemen, if you will follow me.” the officer said as he turned his back to us and walked out of the room and further down the hall. He opened a door revealing a hole with a ladder going down. We climbed down the ladder into a room about 30 cubic feet large. In the center of the room was a circular object that rose about 5 inches off the ground. “Please stand on this pad and relax. Ewing, take this. it’s your way back. There are instructions on the inside.” He handed me a large briefcase, about 24 inches at the base, 14 inches on the sides, and 4 inches thick. I nodded as grabbed the handle. I had other equipment to carry, so I handed it off to one of the scientists who was glad to carry it so I could shoulder my rifle. “This may hurt just a pinch, but we know it works, so don’t get too worried. Good luck gentlemen.” He said with a salute. Ed and I saluted back, just as the lever was pulled. It cranked loudly on the metal backboard. Along all the walls, tesla generators began to power up. A red light began to flash along with a siren. After the 5th tone of the siren, there was a bright flash, and we were gone.
"FLASHBANG!"~Part 2~“FLASHBANG!” My ears were ringing. I could see nothing. The ringing was broken by a low pitched sound, like a bass drop in a Skrillex song, followed by more ringing. The bright white I was constantly seeing faded, and I could see again. We were lying in a field as if we had just fallen from the sky. I stood up, and, although i was extremely dizzy, I managed shouldered my rifle. When everyone else’s dizziness wore off, we walked to a nearby tree to shield us from the sun and figure out what to do first. We all pulled out our packets and began to read. The introduction was friendly: “If you are reading this, then you have successfully traveled to another dimension!” Once we were done with the first page, we all did what it specifically asked us to do. Ed’s first objective was to find a vantage point and take note of distances and landmarks in the surrounding area. The scientists’ jobs were to take note of everything they could. My first objective was to set up a safe perimeter around the area based on Ed’s observations. As I began looking around, Ed yelled down to me from the tree. “There’s an orchard of some sort about 1.5 klicks west of here. I think I see a flag about a klick beyond that.” “My instructions say to head towards any civilization once the scientists are done collecting any data, so lets head over there in, say 5 mikes.” “Check. On your go.” We used what we had learned in SOG training to ensure that everything we did, we did exactly as intended. After the scientists finished gathering their data, we moved off. I took point, Ed watched our backs, and the two scientists stayed in between. We had no idea what kind of weapons training they’d had, so we ensured that they kept their guns with safety on, concealed in their holsters. After about 20 minutes, we reached the town. We were still about 150 yards away, however, so we could tell no great details. As we began walking into the town, we noticed that the indigenous population were of a horse-like species. We were dumbfounded by this, thus letting our guard down. Huge mistake. Just as we began to lower our weapons in confusion, we were surrounded by them. About 9 of them surrounded us, armed with spears and swords (which seemed to hover in front of them), and protected by gold armor, similar to Spartan armor. One of them stepped forward. “Drop your weapons! Your kind is a threat to our way of living! If you do not go back to the place from which you came, we will be forced to engage you!” We hesitated. We had no idea who these were, if they were important or not, or what our RoE’s were. We stood there, looking at eachother. I know for sure that they were ready to attack, but I can’t say that we were ready to defend. Suddenly, we all heard a cracking noise just as one of their skulls was split, blood splattering into the air. FLASHBANG! I heard from a distance. Ed and I were trained against these, so we quickly covered our eyes with the inside of our elbows. After the bang, we saw 2 other humans running in, taking down the guards as quick as a flash. One of them yelled at us to get back and pointed at an open doorway. Ed and I grabbed the scientists, who, along with the guards, didn’t cover their eyes, and were therefore temporarily blinded by the flashbang. When we were in the building, we heard the shooting stop, and the other humans came running back in the room, slamming the door shut behind them. “You guys good?” One asked us. “Yeah. Thanks for that.” Ed replied. “No problem,” the other began to speak, “The Royal Guard can be a Royal pain in the ass. These ‘ponies,’ as they call themselves, think that humans are here to ruin their way of life. They never even gave us reasoning, they just started killing us. We started out with 6 guys, now its just us 3. I’m Martin, this is John,” The other soldier wove as he took a large gulp from a water bottle, “and the sniper who took out at least 4 of the guards in Mark.” We introduced ourselves. These 3 humans we encountered were, what was left of, the first expedition. They told us that the building we were in was compromised, and that we had to leave. We got out through the back and followed Martin to a new building. “We move from building to building. It keeps the guards confused for now, but soon, they’ll be on to us.” Another pony walked through the door in the back of the new building. “You guys need to keep it down. The guards are going to find you in no time if you kill an entire patrol every other day.” She said. The pony’s name was Rainbow Dash. She agreed to help Martin, John, and Mark when everything started going south for them. It turned out that, 2 months before, there was a large explosion in another city, and it was blamed on humans. It killed 35 ponies, and completely decimated 4 buildings. The day after that explosion, the guards showed up at the human’s doorstep and killed the first one to open the door. 2 more were in the room, and they were killed, too. Martin & John were in the next room relaxing, but they heard screams, so were able to fend off the guards. Mark came to their rescue with a single M67. it was the day after that incident that Rainbow Dash, a friend of them, decided to stick with them and be their eye in the sky, literally and figuratively. She reported anything that could mean harm to the humans and kept watch whenever she could. When she couldn’t, Mark is a Navy SEAL sniper, highly trained, and could stay awake for 2 days straight with one cup of coffee. Rainbow Dash became an imperative ally for the remaining humans. We stayed in this building for the night, but in the morning, there was a knock on the door. Luckily, Rainbow Dash had come in early to help with anything we needed help with. She opened the door to find 3 royal guards asking about the incident. They asked if they could search the building. Rainbow let them in, but not before tapping a beat on the wall that told the others about the guards. John, Ed, Martin, and I were sitting in the next room, each with a cup of coffee in our hands. Hearing the tapping, John and Martin sat up. “SHIT.” They both said simultaneously. We all grabbed our guns, flipped the couch we were lounging on and took cover behind it. I knew guns would be too loud, giving us away to the guards that were sure to be roaming the streets after yesterday’s incident, so I told everyone of my plan. I pulled out my 8 inch SOG knife and hid next to the entranceway. Martin did the same on the opposite side of the entrance. The first guard entered. Martin reached around its neck with his elbow, pulling the pony guard to the side before jamming his blade into the guard’s throat. The other guard came to investigate, and before it could see anything, I spun around the corner and used my arm to force his head towards the floor, revealing a weak spot between his helmet and backplate, where I planted by knife, severing his spinal cord. We dragged the bodies around the corner and hid them under blankets. Martin spoke into a radio “Bravo hideout is compromised. We gotta get the hell out of here.” I could hear a response: “Got it. I’m coming down. I got the HVI’s.” It was Mark, upstairs with the scientists. John kicked open the back door. We went into the alley behind the house, clearing every corner before moving up. When we reached a major street, we were able to get a good look at everything. “How’s it look Romeo Delta?” Martin spoke into his radio. He then passed me and Ed similar radios. They were the ones the other humans were carrying when they were killed. “We got one for each of you. HVI’s will have to go without.” We installed the radios to our packs just in time to hear the response from ‘Romeo Delta.’ “Not good. At least 25 guards on the street. I don’t know how you will get by.” She said. “Pop smoke!” John yelled to Mark, who took out a smoke grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it into the street. “Flash out!” John threw another flashbang so as to stun other guards who might be able to see us as we went into and out of the smoke. “GO, GO, GO!” We filed out of the alley and sprinted into the smoke. Guards were yelling left and right to go to the smoke. But once again, John was prepared. He dropped remote detonation charges across the path we had just run. When we were all safe in the alley across the street, he detonated them. “PUNCHING!” He yelled to us as he hit the top of the clacker with his wrist. The street illuminated in large balls of fire excreting from the charges’ locations. We ran through the alleys, following Martin’s every step. “Guard, nearing the end of your alley!” Someone said over the radio. A guard knew our plan, so he ran to the end to meet us with a spear. The guard burst from around the corner, spear hurling towards Martin. He held up his M4 and locked the spear in the carry handle on top and spun his rifle, tossing it to the ground, effectively breaking the guard’s magical grip on the spear. With his right hand, he unsheathed a knife he kept under his arm and swung it at full force towards the guards throat. Seeing this, the guard reacted quite quickly, grabbing the knife with a magical aura, and broke Martin’s grip on it. Just as the guard thrust the blade at Martin at full force, I drew my 1911 and shot. The first bullet, miraculously, struck and broke the knife, doing only minor harm to Martin’s flesh. The second pierced the guard’s eye, sending a crimson mist in all directions. Martin stood up, dusted off his vest, nodded to me in thanks, and shouldered his weapon. We ran straight out of the alley and headed towards a forest. We kept running until we were a good 70 feet into the forest. It was dense and dark inside, perfect for hiding from the guards. This is where we settled down for the time being. Mark and Ed took up positions in trees so they could watch the entrance of the forest, which was barely visible. The rest of us rested. “The ponies shun this ‘Everfree Forest.’ They say shit about it being haunted or something. Makes it the perfect place to hide out until things calm down.” John said, sounding very confident. “We could probably stay in here for days. Birds fly above. Easy targets, really. There is a stream that flows not far from here, and it’s a perfect water source.” Martin added. I looked over at the scientists. “You guys still got that brief case?” “Shit. It’s upstairs in the last place we stayed at.” Jerry said. “Fuck. Think we can retrieve it?” I asked John and Martin. “Not us, hell no. Rainbow might be able to. Wait until dark. We’ll lend her a pair of NVG's. She can slip in, grab it, and fly that shit over here.” John proposed, “What’s in there, anyway?” “Our way home.” After I said that, Martin sat up, excited. “And it works?” He asked. “They said they tested it, so I assumed it works.” I added. “Lets get that briefcase.” John was excited, now, too. He was rubbing his hands together as if devising some evil plot. He got on the radio, “Hear that Rainbow? You gotta get that briefcase, tonight.” * * *
The Glint~Part 3~ The Glint For a long while, we rested in the forest. It was only 1030 when we arrived in the forest, so we had all day to wait until night fall. We spent the day setting up a base; digging foxholes, setting up positions in the trees for concealment, and the like. The scientists studied everything. As we dug, climbed, and gathered materials, they ran around the area frantically with notepads and cameras. The day was spent in fear that a guard had seen us enter the forest and went to alert others. Every now and then, Ed or Mark would radio us and let us know of any nearby guards. When that happened, we would stop what we were doing and hit the deck, careful to make no noise so as not to alert them. When the guards passed, we would be notified. When at long last my watched beeped 2130 hours, we gave Rainbow Dash NVGs and a small camera that would allow us to guide her to the briefcase. She stealthily slipped into the building in which we left the briefcase, and guided by our voices, she managed to retrieve it and return to our temporary FOB in the Everfree Forest. We were preparing to open the briefcase and set up the return device, when we stumbled into a problem. The device needed solar power to jumpstart the tesla generator. We had to wait until daylight, so we could move out from underneath the forest’s opaque canopy. Only then could we deploy it, charge it up, and return home. We had already run into far too many problems, and we had only been there for 2 days. Martin and John made it apparent, with their endless mental library of their stories in this world, the longer we stayed here, the worse things would get. But for now, we had to focus on the problems as they were presented, so we got some sleep before dawn. At exactly 0700 hours, we woke up and packed our FOB. Rainbow flew above the canopy so as to guide us to where the guards were scarce enough that we could pick them off without attracting too much attention. We moved south along the edge of the forest, still concealed by the canopy. Mark took up a position in a large tree to cover us across an open field to a small patch of trees at the edge of the town. Confidently, Mark loaded his L115A3 as he sat on a branch. With the barrel of his rifle, he moved aside some smaller branches to get a better view of the field. “Go.” He said quickly, notifying us that the field was clear of guards. We dashed across the field and took shelter in the small grove. The grass around the trees was overgrown, so we were easily hidden. Moments later, Mark joined us. “You’re clear. All the guards are on the main streets of Ponyville. There’s a cottage to your right. I would recommend going in there. You will stand less of a chance of being discovered.” Rainbow was watching our every move. We slowly emerged from the tall grasses around the small grove to head towards the cottage. Martin and I were up front, followed by John, the scientists, then Mark, and finally, Ed watching our backs. When we were mere yards from the doorway into the cottage, a glint in a distant tree caught his eye. “SNIPER!” * * * -4 hours earlier- The guards blew open the door to the house where two others had recently been killed. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, and it bathed the room in light. The guards searched the house, looking to kill any humans, should they find them. As they marched upstairs, swords and spears ready, the spotted something peculiar. It was a human weapon. An M40, loaded and ready to fire. “Take that weapon! We can use their own weapons against them.” ordered one guard while some others complied. They set up a position in a tree overlooking where the humans had last been seen. Two guards sat in the tree watching every bit of movement. The guard who held the rifle did so in a peculiar manner, barrel resting on his raised left foreleg, right foreleg stabilizing the the butt. His cheek rested on his right foreleg, looking through the scope. He had seen how the humans held and fired their weapons. Because it was not possible to fit a hoof in the trigger guard, he was ready to pull the trigger with a magical grip. They waited for hours, watching the area. At last, the second guard pointed his hoof to their left, where he saw something emerging from grass about 1,000 yards away. The pony with the rifle grinned deviously as he rotated his body to face the humans. He noticed one of the humans was carrying a briefcase. He figured that was another weapon like the one that killed the 35 in Fillydelphia 2 months before. He figured that if he could stop them from detonating their device, he could save even more lives. As he lined the crosshairs up with the carrier, taking into account distance and wind speed as any sniper would, he did leave out one major detail: Glare. The sun was reflecting off the lense of his scope directly at the humans. He saw one of the humans shove another towards the entrance of the cottage just after he shot. To his delight, the carrier of the briefcase dropped. He pulled the trigger to fire again. *Click...* “Shit,” He thought. He had forgotten that, to chamber a new cartridge, the humans had a hand motion involving the stick that extruded from the right side of the rifle. He and the other pony frantically tried to figure out how the action worked so they could get more shots off. But just as they lifted the bolt and pulled it pack to eject the spent shell, there was a crackling noise. * * * -Second of the guard’s shot- “SHIT!” I yelled as I saw Jerry fall to the ground. “GRAB THE BRIEFCASE! WE GOTTA GET THE FUCK INSIDE!” I wasted no time, diving through the window to the immediate left of the door, followed by the others. As Ed jumped through, he got caught on the broken glass, falling face first and dropping his M200. I dragged him deeper and hid him from the window. The glass had gotten caught on his pants, so when his torso fell to the ground, the glass was pushed up further into his thigh. Martin pulled out a first aid kit and started treating Ed’s wound. “The tree, 1000 yards east!” He told me. I nodded and grabbed his rifle. I went to the back of the room and looked through the window until I lined myself up perfectly with a lone tree, about a thousand yards away. I closed the bolt, ensuring a cartridge was chambered. I looked down the advanced M200 optic and zoomed in on the tree. I could make out two figures fidgeting with a rifle. I let out a breath and shot. The .408 CheyTac bullet leapt from the barrel, sailing through the air and impacted one of the ponies just as I saw the glint of the scope. I quickly pulled the bolt back and pushed it forward, chambering a new round just has I heard the cracking noise. I could tell the shooter was worried, because the shot he had just fired hit the wall on the outside of the cottage, barely pushing through to the interior. My chance had arrived. I looked back into the scope and zeroed in on the target. I saw him fidgeting with the rifle again. No doubt he was having trouble with the action after his assistant had just been killed. I let out my breath again as I fired. The bullet tore through the wind. The guard never even heard the shot. Hearing this ruckus, a pony who was just upstairs began walking down the stairs to investigate. Rainbow had just entered, as well, to check to see if we were alright. Seeing the pony who stood on the stairs, she tackled the other pony and dragged her to a room upstairs. After a minute or so, she returned and told us the situation. The other pony who was standing on the stairs was a friend of Rainbow’s, and went by the name of Fluttershy. She told Rainbow that, when she saw the humans, she was about to run off to tell the guards. She was just informed, however, that she would have been killed, had she gone off. “I’m going to try to convince her to let you guys stay here for the time being.” Rainbow flew back upstairs. Safely hidden in the cottage, we decided to come up with a new game plan. “We need to get that rifle, along with any other weapons we may have left back in the old building. If the guards get their hooves on those, we’re fucked.” I proposed. “That we are. Do you think they’re smart enough to find out what direction you killed them from?” Martin asked. “Yeah, the shooter didn't fall from the tree like the spotter did. You could still clearly see what direction he was hit from” I responded. “Then tonight, lets have Rainbow retrieve the rifle and mess with the bodies. In the mean time, lets bring Jerry’s body in and cover up the blood that’s all over the place out there. Mark, get upstairs and watch out for any other guards.” Complying with John’s order, Mark went upstairs and went into a different room than Rainbow and Fluttershy were in. He found a window through which he could see every position that could see us in front of the cottage. We went out, carried Jerry’s body in, and cleaned up all the blood as best we could. When we were done, you couldn’t even tell someone had been killed there. The sun began to set, and we missed our chance to set up the return device. Rainbow Dash had succeeded in convincing Fluttershy to allow us refuge in her cottage, so she headed out to retrieve the M40 from the bodies and to move them around, do as to conceal the shooting direction. When she returned with the rifle, we dug in for the night. * * * * * *
