Chapter 16: Los Angeles

10:20 Central LA, California, 1-14-05

Mark 'Hoover' Mathews looked up from his bunker behind two wrecked tractor-trailers. In the distance, the AH-1 Cobra still burned from where his stinger had taken the Marine helicopter down. Around him were the rest of his brothers from the local Blood gang.

"Hey Hoover, did you hear what the man in power did to those cities up the state?" asked Vince 'Snakeman' Anderson.

"Ya, I heard Snakeman, but we shall kick whities ass out of LA and then we shall rule it all." Mark stopped talking as he saw one of the baby gangsters running towards him, "Hey is that 'Thumper' coming towards us?"

Andrew 'Thumper' Washington scrambled over some of the loose masonry and looked over his shoulder in fear. Behind him, an entire block of territory was going up in flames from the monster machine. He was running so fast he didn't see the missile pit until he was almost on it. He screamed when a black fist reached out and picked him up.

"Thumper calm down, why you ... damn kid you pissed and shit yourself. Don't you have any pride in who you are?"

"You would too if you just saw what I saw," Andrew said in fear and continued, "I quit, I want no part of those fucking robots."

"What robots? You been snorting snow again?"

"Fuck no, haven't touched it in three days. We were over on Lincoln, guarding as we were supposed to. We saw the chopper go down and then we heard a loud noise. When we looked up nine giant robots were landing on top of us and ... and Jake told everyone to open fire. They're all dead! We never had a chance. The big bastard opened fire with liquid fire and that was it. We couldn't find anything of Jake or that big 50 he loved. One second..." shaking in fear he heard the thumping again and pissed himself once more, "Let me go, have to get out of here, and if you were smart you would run too."

United States Army

Captain Vincent Hernandez United States Army walked his battlemech up the road, behind him six square blocks of what used to be East LA were going up in flames. He checked his life scanner and he saw the kid he was tracking had stopped. With an evil grin, he raised his arm with the bushmaster cannons built into it and fired a burst of white phosphorus rounds into a small video store that showed ten people in there with weapons.

"Red one to command base, enemy combatants in sector three niner. Engaging now," Vincent said into his com unit.

"Roger Red one, exterminate at will. The CIC wants this rebellion of the gangs put down and put down hard."

"Roger command, exterminate at will. Red one to all Red Chicks, you heard them, let's take this scum out."

Vincent ripped the building apart and staggered as his mech took a direct hit from a Dragon antitank missile. Turning he continued firing the auto cannon and watched his rounds slam into a gas station and explode.

Machinegun and small arms fire opened up on the mech and he started spraying high explosive rounds across his front arc. Gang members started retreating around buildings as he killed them and he started walking towards a large cluster of them. Turning on his mic, he said into it, "The time of the gangs is over. Surrender now and live or fight and die. I don't care."

Hoover watched his brothers being slain and he pulled out his big police whistle he has taken off a dead pig. He gave four fast blows into it and his men faded back into the alleys and around the houses. Picking up the LAW's bazooka he had stolen from the Guard truck, he took aim and fired it and started running with his men.

The missile slammed into the mech's side and Vincent turned the mech and started walking after the gang bangers; shoving the two semis out of his way he never saw the antitank mine. His foot came down on the mine and the explosion shattered his mech's leg and hurled him on his back as a ton of C-4 that was buried with the mine picked him up. Vincent's head was slammed into the headrest and he lay there stunned as his mech shut down around him.

Hoover grinned as he looked at the downed mech, "Come on let's take that bastard!" he screamed. Blowing two quick blasts into the whistle, his men charged the damaged mech and started firing into it as they tried to open it up to get to the pilot.

The mech's armor held against the assault, and inside Vincent groaned as he woke up. Hearing the thudding of bullets hitting his mech, he shook his head, brought up his HUD, and winced as he realized he wasn't going anywhere. Both legs were gone, one arm was crippled but the other was fully operational and he started powering the four plasma cannons. Activating his sensors, he realized he was surrounded and he sat up and opened fire with the auto cannons built into his shoulders. The one hundred and twenty mm auto cannons opened up with high explosives and started tearing up the road in front of the charging gang bangers.

"Shit my tracking is off," Vincent snarled as he raised the targeting icon five inches and the next burst ripped three men wearing black pants with red shirts apart.

"Hold on Captain the cavalry is here," replied Sergeant Sam Bakes in his com unit.

"Watch out Sam, these fuckers are sneaky."

"As Arnold said in T-2, 'No problemo' I will make Swiss cheese out of these fuckwads."

The Ninja mech came to a stop as Sam started tracking the heat sources charging his commanding officer's downed mech and he let loose with a barrage of thirty medium range missiles.

James "Moocher" Gains watched the huge mech come to a stop and fire a barrage of missiles at his friends. He lifted the Chinese made PF-98 to his shoulder and fired the 120 mm heat round at the second mech as it started running up the street again.

Missiles continued to belch from the giant mech and rain down on to the gang bangers as they started running for their lives. The round flew down the road between the demolished tractor-trailers and slammed into an outgoing missile and the explosion lit up the night sky.

Federation Base Grand Canyon, 1-16-05 12:02 AM

Lieutenant Commander Suzanna Holms watched the United States Armored units move towards their attack positions. Checking the force field, she saw it was at sixty percent power and brought it up another twenty percent.

Across the room, Commander Elizabeth Rice sat at her communication panel. She was talking with several governors of the western states.

"Ma'am it looks like they are going to try to punch through the shield again."

Elizabeth stopped talking in her microphone to Governor Ben Charles of Idaho and looked over at Suzanna, "Bring defensive weapons online. Activate all antiaircraft pulse cannons. Notify the San Diego she may need to lift off to help the base. All recruits and civilians, report to the bunkers."

"Yes Ma'am," Suzanna said as she slapped the base alarm.

Turning back to her screen, she continued what she was saying, "Governors, if you go through with this, we will try and protect you from American aggression but we are stretched thin..."

"We know Commander, but we refuse to live in a dictatorship of President Kincaide, I believe the man is insane. I may not have any proof but I believe he was responsible for the massacre in D.C. not you people."

Elizabeth looked at the woman from Arizona and replied, "Thank you, Teresa. Now I will forward all your requests to General Polk on Mars Base but I am sure he will authorize it. May I be the first to welcome you to the Federation."

Governor Teresa Franks smiled and nodded, "Thank you and good luck it sounds like its turning into a battle out there."

"Yes it is, now I have..." the com flashed up with a message from Cuba, and she said, "Have to go, we have another call."

Switching the frequency, and a picture of a dark haired girl came on wearing army fatigues, behind her the wall was stitched with bullets and blood.

"Yes can I help you?"

"Comrade, my name is Commander Maria Garcia, Cuban army. The country of Cuba wishes to join your Federation. That is if you will have us?"

"What about Fidel and his friends?"

"Fidel and high ranking government officials have been killed or arrested. We the younger generation believe, the Federation is the way to go. We believe that Earth is in danger, and I have proof that your T'Lari, are here on Earth already..."

"What do you mean?"

"Our allies in Venezuela have picked up images of your T'Lari like the ones in Canada that have been running loose in the Colombia jungle. Several base camps of the FARC have been attacked and wiped out."

"Thank you Miss Garcia, I will send your request along to General Polk, I am sure he will welcome you and your people to the New Federation. If you can, get me some information on what's going on in Colombia, we would appreciate it. I am dispatching a shuttle with modern communications and some of our doctors to your location so you can talk with us a lot easier and start inoculations to all your people."

"Thank you Commander, your help is gratefully appreciated. This is Cuba, signing off."

The screen went blank and Elizabeth smiled. "I don't believe it. That's the sixth country to offer to join."

"It's because we offer things they haven't had before..." replied Lieutenant Sharon Stafford as her long range sensors started going ballistic. Activating the scan she watched as a dozen ships appeared over Mars, and she screamed out, "Ma'am the fleet. It's here."

"Load up everything for a burst transmission and send it to the Flagship, attention Admiral Thompson's eyes only."

"Yes, Ma'am sending now," Sharon said and then silently said a prayer of thanks.

Camp David, Maryland, 1-16-05 3 AM

Andrew Davis walked down the hall and passed through the doors with a nod to the secret service agents standing guard. Stepping into the bedroom, he walked over and looked at the man who was now the ruler of the United States and his whore. Reaching over he shook Thomas arm.

"Sir, we have just received some reports from the front."

"What ... Who ... Oh Andrew," Thomas said as he sat up rubbing his eyes and continued, "What is it?"

"Sir, I just received a report from the West Coast and several pacific countries."

"Well damn it spit it out," Thomas said as he stood up and pulled his robe on.

"Sir, the Solomon Islands, The Fiji, Taiwan have officially joined the Federation along with Japan. The governors of Guam, Wake Island, Puerto Rico, The Bahamas, The Grand Caymans and several of the other Caribbean islands have asked to join. As well as the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington and Idaho have seceded from the Union and asked to join the Federation and for their aid and resisting all attacks."

"WHAT? Son of a bitch," Thomas screamed as he stomped to the door and yanked it opened and stormed down the hallway with a surprised chief of staff following.

General Albert Short looked up as the doors to the command and control room were flung open.

"General what the hell is going on?"

"Sir, several states and territories have declared their independence and joined the Federation; as well as nine of the thirteen Caribbean countries have joined including Cuba. Reports just came in that Canada and Mexico have asked to join as well as Panama."

"Goddamn fucking cowards, I want missile strikes on all the major cities that have decided to defect. I want constant patrols along the borders. Sink any of their naval ships that leave port. I knew I shouldn't have trusted that fucking Frenchman in Ontario."

"Sir there is more, those creatures they have been warning us about. The T'Lari they are real..."

"Bullshit, they are a figment of..."

General Short stood up and looked at the man who was President and shook his head before he spoke. "No, Sir, they are real, and here's the GODDAMN PROOF." Slapping the 8x12 colored pictures down on the table that showed the half eaten remains of a human and several T'Lari he slid them across the table at the man.

Thomas Kincaide paled as he looked at the pictures and then shook his head, "Doesn't matter, now order the missile subs to launch their cruise missiles against Boise, Seattle, Sacramento, Santa Fe, Denver, Phoenix and Juneau. I want the cities flattened with enough ordinances that the rest of the population will think twice on their decision, I want as many cities as possible hit."

"Sir?" General Short asked.

"I said flatten them."

"No, Sir, I won't."

"You're fired."

General Short never got the chance to move as Thomas fired the pistol from his robe pocket. The round hit the general in the nose and destroyed his face. Before the man's body could hit the ground, he had pulled the pistol from his pocket and pointed it at Admiral Wilson-Smith, and issued his orders once more.

"Yes Sir, I will send your orders," James said as he picked up the phone. "This is Admiral Smith. I will have orders for the missile subs Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Nebraska, and the Maine of the west coast to prepare to receive missile launch commands."

"Yes, Sir, as soon as you send me the target coordinates. I will send them out to the ships."

"Thank you. Give me ten minutes to set the computer up. That is all for now."

Hanging up the phone, he started typing in the launch and confirmation codes and the destination coordinates. Ten minutes later, he was ready and he sent it to the main frame to be sent out on the ELF frequencies. The whole time the President sat there watching him. The pistol still held firmly in his hand as secret service agents dragged the body of General Short away to be buried in a shallow grave out back.

"Sir, all targets have been inputted and I am prepared to send them off at your orders."

Kincaide reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to the Admiral. "Insert this code and then send the orders, it's time the people of the West Coast realize I am not playing games. Also, drop about twenty of those missiles on the Federation base in Arizona. It's time that cesspool of traitors was taken care of."

"Already done, I have targeted thirty missiles on the base to take out the shield. I figure once the shield is down we should be able to take it. Depending if anything is left after the missiles get done."