I gently tapped the table, watching in real time as the maps updated as troop reports flowed in. The past few week had seen an increase in Raider activity… damn idiots…
Their actions had only brought more attention upon themselves. The upside was that they were the largest gang of raiders in Anaheim, unfortunately they had made Disneyland their main base of operations. I'd had to keep that from my wife…
I'll have to put in a word with the future Premier to repair the park after the area is secured. Veria would not be happy to learn what was about to happen to her beloved Disney park.
"General, recon and intel suggest the Mickey gang had anywhere from six to nine hundred holed up in the park and another four hundred on Disney property…" Major Ivan reported.
I sighed to myself. Thinking I might have gone a bit over bored while planning this sub operation. Two regiments from second division, as well as the su-25 regiment, two squadrons of MiGs, and the Hind regiment were being mobilized for operation Goofy. Complete overkill. Maybe half these assets would be needed to clear this place out… I guess I just wanted to send a message. Granted that was what the system's mission wanted as well…
'Quest issued, eliminate the Mikey Gang, destroy the gang and send a message to others that may threaten the USSR what it means to stand in its way. Reward, 12,000 credits, 1 Spetsnaz battalion.'
Not that I had much use for special forces… perhaps I'd find a use for them later? The credits were enough of a motivator for me.
"Is everything ready?" I asked.
"Yes General, just waiting on the order." Ivanov replied curtly. I nodded and looked at the screen again.
"Show these scum the might of the Soviet Union… weapons free."
Felix was a pilot, he flew his MiG in formation, checking his position as they circled over firebase Fyodor. Below him he could see the other squadrons, slowly circling like vultures.
Felix hadn't yet seen this much combat power being assembled. Almost eighty aircraft, laden with bombs, rockets, and missiles loitered, preparing for the order. It came so soon.
"Tiger squadron. Orders from top. We're flying high cover, weapons free." The squadron commander's voice crackled over the radio. Cheers sounded as the flights reorganized themselves.
Felix followed his flight lead, banking hard as they made the turn and raced ahead of the ground attack aircraft. They raced across the Los Angeles sky, engines roaring. Felix banked the craft slightly, catching sight of the orange smoke that indicated the positions the ground troops were in.
The half circle around the target highlighting it for everyone. It only took seconds to be above the park. Felix watched as Cheetah squadron raced over the park, only a few hundred feet above.
From his high vantage point Felix watched as the other MiGs dropped their bombs, hitting several large parking garages and hotels around the park's perimeter. Bright flashes of light snapped below as ordnance exploded, blowing holes in the large structures.
The MiGs raced off, their payload delivered and Felix watched from his high position as the Su-25s made their approach.
The slow, armored bathtubs screamed in. Firing streams of rockets and dropping hundreds of bombs as they roared over the park. The whole regiment slowly flew over like a giant demented steam roller, as soon as one squadron cleared the airspace the next one went in.
They created a checkerboard pattern. Dozens of large fires were beginning to spread as hotels and attractions were hit. Absolutely no mercy was being shown. As the last squadron cleared the target area the squadron leader's voice crackled over the radio again…
"All right Tigers, move south, we'll be loitering off the coast. It's time for the army to shine…" Felix acknowledged and banked his plane away, though part of him wanted to see how the army was going to mop up.
Staff sergeant Mira sat in her BTR silently… She'd heard dramatic jumps in rank were common when the general summoned more troops, but she hadn't expected it to affect her.
Her platoon was sitting in their BTRs, they were in a column behind hers. Mira sat on the top of her BTR, ahead of her was a company of T-72s, they were the spear, quickly moving in and creating covering fire for the infantry who'd dismount and clear the park.
She watched as the Airforce soared overhead, dropping ordnance on those damn raiders. Distant explosions echoed through the city as she glanced at the orange smoke grenade that was starting to fade, its vapor fading up into the sky.
Everything went quiet for a few seconds and then she heard it. The streaking roar. She glanced over head, seeing the vast cloud of rockets flying overhead.
She struggled not to gape, she'd heard twelve batteries had been assembled, all of 2nd divisions and half of 1st division's artillery pool, but to see it in action was a whole different matter.
A near continuous rippling thunder echoed to the platoon's front as thousands of rockets slammed into the gang's outer positions. Mira knew what was coming next, well it was happening already, its sound was just being drowned out by the veritable ocean of rockets sailing through the sky.
Batteries of howitzers were joining the fray, their heavy shells coming down within the curtain of rockets the grads were creating. A crackle came over the mic she'd shoved between her strap and helmet and Mira dropped back into her BTR, closing and securing the hatch as she did so.
Her company commander's voice came through over the net. "Come on Assault. We have a division to beat! Forward!"
Mira keyed her radio. "1st platoon acknowledges." She signaled the driver to start moving forward. Looking through the vision slits the T-72s began rolling forward, quickly picking up speed.
Mira kept her driver close on the heels of the tankers. If she fell behind and some other platoon took her place she'd be relegated to mop up duty and not the heavy, brutal sweep through the park. Soon the blasted hellscape came into view, T-72s roared across the large sprawling parking lots, firing into groups of raiders stumbling around, shocked from the deception wrought around them.
Ahead was a row of trees and shrubs against a wall. The tanks solved these issues by either firing an HE round or simply ramming their way through. Mira watched as the first tank blasted its way through the wall. Her blood, already boiling, seemed to race even more.
"Alright 1st platoon! Let's kill some raiders!" She roared into the platoon net.
Donald found himself groggily trying to understand what had happened. His entire world had simply turned upside down as he crawled out from shattered, burning remains of the castle. Behind him followed several others of the gang's leadership.
A petite woman called Minnie, and heavyset moron of an enforcer called Pluto, then came Goofy and Daisy, a Hispanic pair that didn't speak a word of English but put Minnie's bloody displays to shame. Finally Mikey himself crawled out of the wreckage.
He pushed himself to his feet and rattled off something in Spanish, Goofy and Daisy replied before running off, rifle and dagger flashing in the fire light.
I heard a noise I hadn't heard in a while and looked up. A massive helicopter, looking like some ancient devil, slowly roared over the battlefield, vomiting rockets and cannon fire into the defeated base.
Mickey growled. "It's those fukin soveits! Minnie! You said they weren't a threat! Wannabe commies!"
"How was I supposed to know they had helicopters?" She protested hotly.
"You scooped out their base? How'd you not even notice?" Mickey roared as he slapped Minnie across the face, sending her sprawling to the ground.
"Stupid bitch! Donald, let's go. Leave this trash for the commies. We can rebuild the gang with whoever gets away!"
Donald opened his mouth to agree when he was cut off by an explosion and the roar of several engines as a fucking tank came rolling into the main square from the direction of jungle cruise!
Donald stood there flabbergasted as the tank slowly drove into the square, swinging its turret towards Main Street and blasting one of the shops that had some of the gang inside to pieces. He started sprinting, he had to get out of here. The gang was done for. The damn wannabes had a fucking.!. Another tank?!?
Donald felt a pair of hands shove him towards the soviets and he sprawled across the ground. He glanced back to see Mickey and Minnie giving him sinister smiles as they disappeared into tomorrow land. Donald scrambled to get up when he froze, soldiers…
Actual uniformed soldiers began spilling into the square behind the tanks. Suddenly another tank rolled over the bridge from Frontierland… Donald simply slumped back onto the ground. Sitting like an awestruck child as another massive helicopter roared overhead.
The soldiers had already spotted him… there wasn't anything he could do… a trio of them rushed over, rifles pointed at him. They shouted at him in some language… were the talking in Russian? Did we attack the Russians? Oh god we were so fucked…
Donald's eyes flicked between the three soldiers as he slowly let the pistol in his hands fall to the ground, then slowly shove it away with his boot. He leaned back against the fence behind him. He chuckled, mostly to himself, but then he doubled over with laughter as the Soviets wrestled and restrained him. More soviets continued to pour into the base. A burning ruined husk of itself…
There had been twelve hundred of us a short time ago… how many were left now? Donald wondered as more of the gang were brought to the middle of Main Street. Several of the gang gathered around him, asking what to do but Donald only shook his head, watching their captors…
His fellow comrades had discarded him, left him for dead, cowards… though he probably would have done the same if he'd had the chance… he watched as someone with some sort of rank insignia came up to the prisoners, a woman with a uniform blackened with grease and smoke, a single red medal pinned to her chest. Her eyes met his and he saw that cold calculation.
She wasn't here for negotiation. But to wipe the gang off the map. A few more soldiers dragged another group of gang members over, tightening zip ties around their wrists.
"What do we do now boss?" One of the Lieutenants asked Donald.
Donald didn't answer immediately, his eyes flicking over to Soviet troops storming various buildings. The professional, disciplined manner they carried themselves, so unlike the chaotic mess the gang was… Donald chuckled, "We should have learned Russian."
The younger guy frowned, not understanding the little joke. Donald didn't explain… what was the point? They were done. This little empire of theirs, built on death and fear had come tumbling down within a single morning. They'd never even stood a chance.
The zip ties cut into Donald's wrist. The gang was being gathered like cattle, heads bowed and spirits broken… for the first time in a long time Donald felt something akin to peace… there was nothing left to fight for, nothing to win or lose…
So he laughed. What else could he do?
Andrew stepped off the hind, the rotor wash throwing up small debris and fanning fires as a news crew exited the hind behind him. It had been some time since the all clear was given. There were some shooting further east, mostly keeping the undead in check.
I had never been to Disneyland before, but the sorry state it was in now could only be described as tragic. Destroyed attractions and burning buildings, the streets red with blood.
A large group of prisoners were sitting or kneeling along Main Street. As I walked over a staff sergeant Mira greeted me.
"General, we've been holding onto the prisoners. Do you have guidance on how to deal with them?" She asked.
"I want to talk with them, afterwards we will see." I replied as Mira began following me…
"These are some of the leaders we rounded up sir." Mira said as I stopped before a well muscled man, face blacked by soot.
"So… what should I call you?" I asked the man.
"Donald…" he chuckled.
"Though with the gang destroyed, what does it matter now?" He added with a lazy smile.
A petite woman, covered in blood and scratches scooted closer to me. "I don't want to die! Please spare me… I'll do anything. Please."
"Shut up Minnie. He's more likely to shoot himself than take your psychotic self." Donald spat.
The woman, Minnie ignored Donald, continuing to beg and plead, even kissing my boots. I kicked her away. Her face, covered in snot and tears and faking scary disgusted me.
"Restrain her" I called a few soldier over and they manhandled her to a light pole, securing her to it.
"Alright Donald…" I said turning my attention back to the man I suspected was in charge.
"Were you the leader of the gang?" I asked him pointedly…
He snorted. "That would have been Mickey himself… you'll have to ask that bitch though. Last I saw him they were running towards tomorrow land…"
"I'd rather not…" I replied.
"Can't blame ya… she's a handful on a good day." He chuckled.
"So, what's our fate to be?" He asked.
"I'm curious to hear what you think your fate should be?" I asked in response.
"Slavery if we're lucky. Firing squads if we're realistic…" he replied after a moment.
"You aren't far off…" I replied with a grin.
"You're people will have a choice, work for us, or be buried. I'm not going to waste good labor when I'm short staffed as it is…" I turned to Mira.
"Begin processing the prisoners, standard operation procedure. If they resist put them down. When you're done give them to the sappers." I said calmly, walking back to the hind as a notification appeared.
'Quest complete, eliminate the Mikey Gang, destroy the gang and send a message to others that may threaten the USSR what it means to stand in its way. Reward, 12,000 credits, 1 Spetsnaz battalion.'
'Look for allies within the seas.'
The hell was this second notification? Some cryptic message? Allies in the seas?
The only thing in the pacific was a stupid number of giant monsters and leviathans. The damn things are hostile at best. Ain't no allies coming from them… I dismissed the notifications as the helicopter lifted off.
A couple weeks from now was Election Day, if TF south found anything when it hailed San Diego Bay… It would make for an interesting time.