The Last Stand

Chapter 2: To Close to Home

When I finally got that leave time. I was so happy and I raced home and planned on spending it all with my family. Or that's what I thought I would. Sargent thought it would be funny to called my cell while my wife and I were finally getting some alone time. Answering it with aggravation in my voice I get one of Sargent s old jokes "What are you doing cricket legs? Hope your ass back to base asap.".

Sarge loves to call me cricket legs because I have such long legs and leaped through the courses like nothing sometimes. My response is the same as always "Yes Sargent, I'll be there right away.". Getting up, my wife gives me that look no one wants to see. The "You have to be fucking kidding me" look. I just get up, kiss her and say I promise I'll be back.".

Getting into my uniform, my wife wipes up a dozen cookies for me to snack on the subway while I wait for the train. I give her and our daughter a kiss on the cheek, and start walking towards the subway station. When a police cruiser pulls up in front of me and tells me to get in. I stare at him confused and wondering why the hell he wants me to go with him. From inside the cruiser I hear the reason why. Even from the distance I'm standing away from him and the window up I can the Sargent s voice screaming "Get his ass to base now!". Getting in I take the mic and ask "What the hell is the matter Sarge?"

From the pissed off tone in his voice, something must have happened. That's when he says "Look up you blind ass fool!". As I look up and see something I didn't want to see ever this close. A damn Clicker battleship breaking through the clouds. As soon as I saw them, the air raid sirens started to blaze through the whole cite. The first thing that came to my mind were my wife and daughter. I bolted into our house and went to were I knew they would be. Pulling my wife's massive book shelve to the side and opening the bomb door to see my wife's scared face and my crying little daughter. Yanking them out, I rush them to the cruiser that stopped me. When they get in I close the door and tell the officer to go to the base and don't stop, no matter my wife says.

As he spins out and guns it to the base, I pull up my sleeve and flip up my wrist watch. Sargent s face appears and he doesn't look happy at all. All I can do is press in the call and start running towards the Clickers battleship. As thousands a pawn thousands of drop pods land on everything. Streets, tops of buildings and even on top of cars. crushing them and anyone inside. Opening up, shooting a Clicker into the air and landing fully ready for a war. Without mercy they shoot anything that moves. So I dive into the cafe shop that I spend my mornings waking up and reading the paper. Hiding behind the wall facing the street outside. I pull out pistol from my holster and turn taking aim at this massive Clicker that's trying to get into a bus full of screaming people.

As I steady my aim, I remember what a scientist told the team after examining a dead Clicker. Their suits have a weak spot on the back of the neck that if hit. Kills them instantly. But if you can't hit it, there's a blue glow in the middle of the suit on the torso that must hold the suit together, Because if you hit it. Their suit falls apart right in front of you. Slowing my breathing and slowly adding pressure to trigger. I shoot off a perfect shot in back of the head. Almost like slow motion, the Clicker falls to its knees and the onto the ground.

Staying in the coffee shop. I find the 3 waitresses, the cook and some of the normal's hiding behind the counter. After I tell them to stay put, I go outside and look up to see the team has arrived. All dropping out of a chopper and landing around me. Now the fun has began and my suit drops down in front of my and opens up once I hit a button on my watch. Climbing in and all powered up. I can hear the team yelling at each other through our coms. "Guys!" I scream into the coms and they all stop and turn to me. "It's time to get some payback and kill those fucker." We all turn and sprint full on towards the armada in front of us.

As we ran, walls of plasma round fly past us as Clicker transport ships bring more and more support to the fight. Within 10 minutes they cleared an area the size of Gillette Stadium for landing craft to bring anything and everything they got. Taking nearly full air control in even less time. Our fighter plans just can't push them back and they anti-air gun peck us off like fish in a barrel. I order the team to fall back into the subway station. Our wrist maps leading us deep into the subway in full stealth operation. 24 hours into the invasion and they have taken all of Manhattan Island and 75% of New York. Vermont and half of New Hampshire has been taken as well. Continuous artillery and high latitude bombing is the only thing keeping them from going any farther. But our team all has doubts that's going to last long. Our mission, is to retake New York with any means necessary.