Soldier of the Past
Vyle’s Reign
By David Kean
UNDERGROUND AREA
356 UNKNOWN TIMEZONE_
The Major
had been gathering up as much undead as he could to
move their operations from
UNDERGROUND BUNKER
834
A few members of the Jolly Rogers were in a communications room as the rest of the platoon went out on patrol. Each radio operator was checking the positions of the patrols, and making sure the section of the city was clear of undead. The task of monitoring radio transmissions was a boring, daunting job, but they were dedicated to their job for the platoon. Suddenly, a distress signal was picked up.
“Home base! Home base! Do you copy? This is bravo team!” the voice said.
The operator looked at her friend and mouthed the group name. The other operator could only shrug her shoulders in confusion. The operator that picked up the signal answered as best as she could.
“Bravo team, give your current location,” she said.
“Home base,
we’re in downtown
“Bravo team, stay calm. Reinforcements are on the way.”
“Hey, Carrie. What’s that all about?” the other op said.
“Sounds like we got some undead in the south, Jenny. We’d better tell the Lieutenant about this,” Carrie said.
“All right. We’ll see what he’s got to say,” Jenny replied.
“Lieutenant, sir. We received a transmission from another group.”
“Where’d it come from, Corporal?” David asked.
“Well, it
came from
“
“Yes, sir.”
“Radio the rest of the platoon and have them meet me back at the bunker. Sounds to me we’re moving.”
Later that morning, the entire platoon sat in the debriefing room to hear what their commanding officer has to say. Some speculated that the call was about undead, while others thought it may have been from a training exercise. Everyone quieted down when David stood at the podium. David cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ladies and
gentlemen of the Jolly Rogers, it has come to my attention that we got a
distress call from an outside source originating from
The whole
platoon was in an uproar about the news and David immediately signaled them to
be silent. “As commanding officer of the
platoon, I have decided that we assist those in
In the garage, the platoon was putting whatever equipment they can get into the humvees and trucks. Weapons, ammunition, medical and radio equipment were being loaded for the travel. David was getting his armor ready, when Iris stopped by.
“Hey, David. How’s the armor?” Iris asked.
“Looking pretty good, Iris. Just giving it a last look over to make sure it got fixed,” David replied.
“Don’t take too long. We gotta get moving ASAP.”
“I
know. Who knows what kind of havoc is
going on in
David had
finished up getting his things together, and climbed into the lead
vehicle. The doors opened and the
platoon was off to
DOWNTOWN
945
The Major was overlooking the scene from his position and is finding satisfaction from his troops’ efforts. Then he looked at another position and sent more to assist. As the battle raged, a zombie scout came up to the Major.
“Sir, the city will be ours,” the scout said.
“Good. Once we’ve taken care of the military here, this city will belong to Hades,” the Major replied.
“What of the rest of the town?”
“Wipe it out. Every single one of the authorities.”
“Right away, sir.”
The Major
grinned evilly as he watched the chaos within the city. Meanwhile, the Jolly Rogers Platoon was still
driving down the road going as fast as the vehicles can go. They got to
“What the hell are undead doing here?! I thought we cleared them out!” David shouted over the radio.
“I don’t know. They must have been planning in case of escapees from the nearby towns,” Iris said on hers.
David told another soldier to take the wheel and he climbed onto the roof of the humvee. He then went to a knee and took aim at a vehicle. He could clearly see the undead driving up to his vehicle. He fired an energy ball at the undead and put it out of commission. The undead scattered as the vehicle flew into the air from the explosion. Five soul orbs flew to him and returned to the Underworld.
Then David
took aim at another vehicle of undead and fired. More and more vehicles driven by undead went
after the Jolly Rogers during their travel from
There was leg of lamb, steamed vegetables, fruits, rolls, and drinks. However, David made the platoon not consume any alcohol for the travel. He would not stand for casualties as they headed towards the south. When everyone had their fill of food, some of the soldiers took watch as the rest of the platoon rested. Even though time is of the essence, even soldiers need their rest. David sat against his humvee, and nodded off to sleep.
An hour or two later, they were back on the road. The gunners kept an eye out for any enemy vehicles as the convoy rolled down the road. David also kept an eye out as he drove his vehicle. Then he saw a road sign and announced it on the radio.
“Ladies and
gentlemen of the Jolly Rogers, welcome to
Another hour of driving, and they had arrived at their destination.
1456
The city was a bleak spot to be in. Buildings had taken damage from a battle and large potholes were seen in the streets from mortars. David instructed his troops to drive carefully in the streets and some of the platoon walked alongside the vehicles in case of trouble. Iris took out a pair of binoculars to scan for any survivors. Suddenly, she spotted two heads pop up and then down just as quickly.
“David, I spotted someone,” Iris said.
“Send a team to check it out,” David said.
Iris sent first team of Gamma Squad to check it out. They made their way over to the site carefully, checking every corner to make sure they don’t get ambushed. The team got to the site and radioed in their findings.
“Ma’am, we found survivors,” the team leader said.
“Good. Any of them wounded?” Iris asked.
“One is wounded. They’ve been separated from their unit.”
“Get them over here quickly. Perhaps we can help them.”
The team carried the wounded soldier as they made their way back to the platoon. The rest of the group joined the first team to safety. The medics took the wounded, and managed to stabilize him. Then David walked over to the group and looked at the soldier.
“Looks like he’ll make it,” David said.
“Sir, are you the reinforcements?” a private asked.
“Indeed we are. Lieutenant David O’Cain of the 13th platoon.”
“The 13th?! The Jolly Rogers Platoon?!”
“The one and only.”
The team then saluted David and he saluted back. The team was elated to see fellow soldiers helping out.
“Sir, it’s an honor to be in your presence,” the leader said.
“Take it easy, Corporal. Who are you?” David asked.
“Sir, I’m Corporal Mark Ulrich, team leader of Bravo team.”
“Ah, so you must be the ones making the distress call.”
“Yes sir. They came out of nowhere. They caught us by surprise.”
“Who?”
“Undead, sir.”
“No doubt from the Hades Regime.”
“Yes sir.”
“You’re in luck Corporal. We’re here to help. We came as fast as we could.”
“Couldn’t have come at a better time. The city’s in chaos since they came. We had to evacuate civilians ASAP.”
“Good move. I’d like to speak with your CO.”
“Yes sir. We’ll take you there now.”
The platoon took Bravo team with them as they made their way through the streets of Dallas, Texas. They arrived at an above ground military base, housing many soldiers. They arrived at the gate, and the platoon was allowed in. As the platoon drove into the base, some of the soldiers guarding the gate looked at them cautiously. Iris didn’t liking it.
“Cap’n, I don’t like the looks of this,” Iris said.
“Steady as she goes, Miss Gainsburough. They’re making sure that no undead make it through,” David replied.
“Aye, aye, cap’n.”
David and his platoon made it to the base’s headquarters and dropped off Bravo team. Then David stepped out of his humvee and entered the building. Corporal Ulrich told the secretary that a visitor was here and buzzed them inside. A short, red haired Caucasian woman standing about 5’4” sat in her chair when her intercom buzzed.
“Captain,” the secretary said.
“Yes, Private?” the Captain said.
“Corporal Ulrich and his men returned to base, ma’am.”
“Ah, excellent. I feared we had lost them.”
“They came back with a platoon, ma’am.”
“A platoon? Was it one of ours?”
“No, ma’am. They were from outside of the city.”
“I see. Send in their commanding officer.”
“I’ve already done that, ma’am.”
“Really? I guess whoever it is must have taken the liberty of coming in.”
Corporal Ulrich came in along with David and they saluted the Captain. The Captain nodded to them and they relaxed. The Captain looked at David sternly and started to talk with him.
“Are you the CO of the platoon that came onto my base?” the Captain asked.
“Yes, ma’am. I am Lieutenant David O’Cain of the 13th platoon,” David answered.
“The David O’Cain?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Take a seat, have a drink. Corporal, pour some brandy for our guest.”
“Of course, ma’am,” Corporal Ulrich said and poured some brandy into a glass.
“Tell me, what brings you here to Dallas, Texas, David?”
“One of my radio operators received a radio transmission from your Corporal requesting some reinforcements and I provided that with my Jolly Rogers.”
“Good. We can use all the help we need. Those blasted undead practically ransacked the entire city. We had to get the civilians out before any further damage was done.”
“You made the right call in that, Captain. Keeping civilian losses to a minimum was the best choice in a situation like this.”
“Forgive me for being rude. I’m Captain Louise Higgins, commanding officer of the 66th Company.”
“A pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
“Please, drop the formalities. You are our guest.”
“Very well. When did the undead attack?”
“This morning. Some of my soldiers reported that they came up from the ground and began their attack. They were being led by a man in dark violet armor.”
“I see. Any idea where he went?”
“Not exactly. All we know is that he’s positioned himself in the downtown area.”
“It’s a start. What groups do you have available?”
“Well, we’ve already sent out the 16th platoon, while having the 20th platoon on guard here at the base and placing the 17th on reserve.”
“I’d like your reserves to come with me. We’ll take care of the group holing themselves there.”
“Very well,” Louise said and buzzed her secretary, ”Private, get the 17th platoon to headquarters.”
“Yes, Captain.”
David left the office and returned to his platoon. The reserve platoon rolled up and both groups headed towards downtown Dallas. The undead that had stayed within the city took shots at the platoons, and the platoons took care of them. David kept his platoon in line with the 17th as they wound through the streets to the downtown area. Troops walked alongside the combat vehicles for added protection. They managed to find what remained of the 16th platoon, and observed the undead from there.
David took out a pair of binoculars as Iris took to the roof and looked through her .50 caliber rifle’s scope. Both soldiers kept watch of the enemy position and tried to formulate a plan. David gathered the other CO’s for a meeting.
“Okay, from what we’ve gathered we’re dealing with a substantial guarding unit. They’re well armed,” the 16th’s Lieutenant said.
“I saw that. This ain’t gonna be easy. As they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way,” David said.
“But how will we get in? They’ll sound the alarm when they see us,” the 17th’s Lieutenant said.
“You guys are in luck. You’ve got the 13th on your side.”
“You mean the Jolly Rogers? What good will you do?”
“Simple. We’ll distract the guards while you guys plow through. We’ll have the 16th and 17th go together while I send in Alpha Squad as a distraction. Once the guard force is smaller in number, we’ll overpower them with enough firepower and then make a heavy strike on the base.”
“Forgive me for saying this Lieutenant O’Cain, but that’s got to be the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard,” the 16th’s CO said.
“Just wait and see. Sometimes you got to think like these boneheads,” David said with a smile.
“I hope you know what you are doing.”
David set up his platoon within the other two platoons and immediately sent Alpha Squad as the distraction. The squad made a drive-by, and drove off with some of the undead behind them. The 16th platoon’s leader was astonished to see the plan is working. Then David gave the command to charge the gates. The entire force drove up to the undead, firing as they go. The Bradley fighting vehicles and humvees fired their guns at the undead as the foot soldiers charged forward. Alpha Squad joined in after having eliminated their targets. The three platoons fought as best they could against the undead troops.
As the battle went on, the Major stood on a small building, watching the fight as he wore his dark violet armor. He smirked and then joined in the fight. David yelled out orders along with the other Lieutenants to various positions on the battlefield, when a Bradley exploded. David looked at the vehicle and saw pieces of metal strewn about and the troops around it were calling for medics. David looked to see where the shot came from when another blast narrowly missed him and it hit a building. Then he recognized who the soldier was.
“Major Jonathan Winters. How dare you show your face?!” David said.
“I was in the neighborhood. You should leave while you still can,” Major Winters said.
“You dare turn your back on the queen you swore to protect and you return to this place? You are a disgrace to the army.”
“And you aren’t? I figured it was boring having to protect the queen day and night. So, why not have a little fun?” Major Winters said as he smirked.
“I’LL HAVE YOUR HEAD, TRAITOR!!!!”
David drew his swords and charged at Major Winters. Winters dodged each swing and then punched David hard in the gut. David fell to the ground, holding his stomach and coughing for air. Then Winters kicked him in the face. David flew onto his back and continued to cough.
“You weren’t made for the army. Give up now, and I may spare your life,” Major Winters taunted.
“Never,” David said as he coughed,” I’ll never surrender to the enemy. I’ll see to it that you pay for your crimes.”
“Too bad. You leave me no choice but to kill you. With you out of the way, Sailor Hades shall rule this godforsaken planet and then the entire galaxy!”
Both soldiers clashed head-on in a battle between good and evil. Both soldiers gave it their best as the large-scale battle went on all around them. David threw both swords at Winters and then fired a blast. Winters dodged the swords but got hit in the shoulder with the blast. He groaned in pain and then fired his shoulder-mounted laser cannon at David. David dashed away from the laser and telekinetically retrieved his swords. Winters then rushed at David and made a swipe at him.
David ducked in time and stabbed at Winters with his right sword. Winters backhanded David away as the blade went into his side. David was surprised that Winters didn’t go down from the kidney shot. Winters grinned at David and then fired the cannon. David flew backwards and landed hard onto his back. Then he was grabbed by the neck and was lifted off of the ground. David felt the hand squeeze his neck as he struggled to get air into his lungs.
“You see. I’m stronger than Miranda. I’m better than her. I shall kill you right now,” Major Winters said as he choked David with one hand.
David gasped for air and responded by shooting a ball of energy at Winters’ face at point blank range. Winters immediately let David go and covered his face in pain. David then saw Winters’ face was burned from the blast and then fired again. Winters staggered back from the shot and then fired another laser. David tried to block it, but flew back. Winters then took out a helmet and put it over his head. Then he slid it on, and had the appearance of Vile from Mega Man X 3. Major Winters looked at David through the dark visor.
“You pathetic fool. You will not survive this battle. The Jonathan Winters you knew long ago no longer existed,” Major Winters said.
“If you aren’t Major Winters, then who are you?” David asked as he struggled to get up.
“I…am…Vyle!”
Vyle then fired a laser as David tried to get up. Grim immediately swatted the blast away and it hit an undead soldier. Vyle glared at Grim. Grim stood ready with his scythe, waiting for Vyle to attack. Vyle then backed away angrily.
“You may have won this round, Lieutenant. I shall return to finish this,” Vyle said and disappeared.
“We’ll be waiting for ya,” Grim said.
David used a sword to help himself up. The remaining undead ran away when they realized their leader was gone and not many undead were left. Grim threw his scythe at the runners and the souls returned to the Underworld. The 16th and 17th platoons looked at Grim in fear. Grim looked at the groups and shook his head.
“Don’t worry folks. I ain’t after your souls…not yet at least. Right now I’ve got my own problems to deal with,” Grim said.
“Lieutenant, how is it that you are in league with the Grim Reaper?” the 16th’s CO said.
“He’s a family friend long ago. Don’t worry about it. He’ll be okay,” David said.
“Let’s hope so.”
David hobbled back to his vehicle and a medic took a look at his condition. Minutes later, they returned to the 66th’s base to recover. The soldiers on base celebrated their victory over the undead, but deep underground a senshi wasn’t too happy.
UNDERGROUND AREA
AUGUST 6, 2002
1649 CHICAGO TIME_
Sailor Hades kicked Vyle into a wall for his failure. Vyle slid down onto the floor. The armor softened the blow but he was still in pain. Hades’ aura was flaring around her. The city was in her grasp, but the Lieutenant forced a retreat.
“You had the city in our possession! How could you have failed me?” Sailor Hades said angrily.
“That blasted Lieutenant came, as well as the Grim Reaper himself,” Vyle answered.
“I think the Grim Reaper was more of a factor than the Lieutenant. You had the chance to get rid of that O’Cain, and you blew it!”
“How was I supposed to know he’d come? Victory would have been achieved if the Reaper hadn’t come.”
“Enough of your excuses! Get out of my sight!”
Vyle bowed to her and left the room. Hades sat on her throne and angrily crossed her legs at the knee. Then she folded her arms over her chest as she looked at the replay of the battle. With a wave of her hand, the video window disappeared. Then she smirked as she thought out loud.
“Well, Vyle, you have done well. Injuring the Lieutenant like that brought joy to me. I think I’ve found someone who may take my place should I fall. But, when the time comes, you’ll just be my second in command,” Hades mused and chuckled. “I will rule this system. My undead will be at the top, and the rest of this galaxy will be my subjects. The Hades Regime shall rule!”
Then she went into a maniacal laugh. Joe and Larry stood guard as usual, hearing her laugh all the while.
“You know what, Joe?” Larry said.
“What, Larry?” Joe said.
“This job ain’t so bad.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. I mean we’re bad to the bone but she’s really bad. In an evil sort of way.”
“Oh no doubt about it. She’s the best. I wouldn’t mind her being my leader instead of a blonde bimbo or a teal haired witch.”
“You mean to say the dumb bunny and the sea witch!”
Both guards laughed at their joke as Hades continued to laugh. Meanwhile, David was lying on a bed in the base’s hospital with bandages on his neck, legs, arms, and stomach. He was looking worse for wear. Iris watched over him as he slept. Iris shook her head in disbelief that someone was capable of such destruction. She looked at her friend’s injuries and they were pretty bad. If David hadn’t done some quick thinking to get out of the strangle hold, he would have died on the spot. Louise knocked on the door and looked at David.
“How is he, Iris?” Louise said.
“He didn’t look too well when he was brought in. Moderate neck wound from Vyle’s hand, deep cuts on his arms and legs, and having been hit in the stomach from that kick, he was not moving around all that well,” Iris replied.
“I heard that a former Moon Kingdom soldier was leading the surprise attack.”
“You heard correctly. Major Jonathan Winters was one of the top military officers. But he got fed up with protecting the queen, and he snapped. The soldiers tried to restrain him from going mad, but he fled. Now we know what happened.”
“Indeed. I hope David can recover from this. He’s one of our finest within the army.”
“I know. Certainly takes after his father, doesn’t he?”
Louise nodded, “He does. We’re lucky to have as fine of a soldier family as the O’Cains. Served for generations.”
“Yep. Who knows? David may even take the lead of his father’s old group.”
“That would be an awesome sight for an O’Cain taking his rightful place in the military. For now, we’ll have to wait.”
Iris and Louise sat in the room, watching over David’s battered body. His healing factor slowly made its repairs to the injuries suffered during the fight. All the soldiers within the base can do is hope that David can be back to fight once again.
Next time on “Soldier of the Past.” Vyle has made his presence known. Hades has brought a new undead soldier to life to fight David. Dallas will be the battleground again in “Large and in Charge.” (R. Lee Ermey voice) Listen up, maggot! You weren’t ordered to leave just yet. Stick around for more or I’ll make you do some running!