began to break up and dissolve. From out of the mist, hundreds of ships began to appear. There were so many they couldn’t be counted. Using the binoculars Beth tried to zoom in on them, searching for any type of marking that might clarify their country of origin.
She continued to scan the ocean for a moment before turning her attention to the beachhead. Beth was so startled by what she saw that she almost dropped the binoculars. Located on the sandy beach were thousands of American soldiers. They frantically dug foxholes and bunkers, preparing the beach for an assault. Hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles dotted the shoreline, as soldiers scurried about taking up defensive positions.
“Oh my God!” cried out Beth, horrified by what was happening only a few miles from her house.
The sky above was suddenly filled with the roar of aircraft, as a squadron of F-35 fighter jets flew by. They were headed out to sea in combat formation. Beth quickly focused the binoculars on the fighters and was pleased to see an American flag painted to the side of each jet. While she watched from the safety of her kitchen the fighter jets immediately dove and engaged the enemy, targeting the transport ships approaching the coast.
It didn’t take long before the Americans were joined in the sky by Russian and Chinese fighters, launched from nearby aircraft carriers. The sky became illuminated with bursts of fire as one jet after another exploded and fell into the sea below. While some of the American fighters continued to attack the incoming troop transports, others broke off and went after the larger ships. The dog fighting in the sky above was so intense it blotted out part of the sun.
“Go get ‘em boys!” shouted Beth from her kitchen window. “This is better than television,” she added, as she watched the battle unfold before her eyes.
Beth’s attention was drawn away from the spectacle above by the blaring sound of a man’s voice speaking through a loud speaker in front of her house. She set the binoculars down on the kitchen table and hurried through her living room to the front door. Opening the door, Beth peered out and saw an armored Humvee with a loud speaker attached to its roof. Following behind the Humvee was a convoy of a dozen or so large military trucks and several city buses.
With the exception of the city buses the vehicles were all of a military make and model. However instead of green or camouflage, each of them was painted black. The American flag was also missing and in its place was the black footprint of a bear. The footprint of the bear had a red circle around it with two horizontal lines on either side. Underneath the emblem were the words, Blackwater Security Consulting.
“Mercenaries,” mumbled Beth, as goose bumps appeared all over her body.
Men dressed in body armor and carrying machine guns walked alongside the vehicles. The mercenaries wore black and tan uniforms, each with a patch sewn into the sleeve matching the bear print emblem on the armored vehicles. Unlike the typical American soldier, these men were not clean cut or shaven. Many of them had facial hair and appeared unruly and disheveled.
“Attention all citizens,” announced a man riding in the passenger seat of the Humvee, “the city of San Diego is being evacuated. Please grab only what you can carry and climb on board one of the trucks or buses. It’s not safe to stay in your homes. I repeat, it is not safe to stay here. We will take you to food and shelter,” promised the man, before repeating the message.
“What is the meaning of this?” demanded Beth as one of the mercenaries approached her, walking across her front lawn and stomping through her bed of roses. Without a word of explanation or warning, the man forcibly began to push Beth towards one of the buses.
“Stop pushing me!” exclaimed Beth. “What would your mother think about the way you’re treating an old woman?”
Beth glanced up and down the street as
She continued to scan the ocean for a moment before turning her attention to the beachhead. Beth was so startled by what she saw that she almost dropped the binoculars. Located on the sandy beach were thousands of American soldiers. They frantically dug foxholes and bunkers, preparing the beach for an assault. Hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles dotted the shoreline, as soldiers scurried about taking up defensive positions.
“Oh my God!” cried out Beth, horrified by what was happening only a few miles from her house.
The sky above was suddenly filled with the roar of aircraft, as a squadron of F-35 fighter jets flew by. They were headed out to sea in combat formation. Beth quickly focused the binoculars on the fighters and was pleased to see an American flag painted to the side of each jet. While she watched from the safety of her kitchen the fighter jets immediately dove and engaged the enemy, targeting the transport ships approaching the coast.
It didn’t take long before the Americans were joined in the sky by Russian and Chinese fighters, launched from nearby aircraft carriers. The sky became illuminated with bursts of fire as one jet after another exploded and fell into the sea below. While some of the American fighters continued to attack the incoming troop transports, others broke off and went after the larger ships. The dog fighting in the sky above was so intense it blotted out part of the sun.
“Go get ‘em boys!” shouted Beth from her kitchen window. “This is better than television,” she added, as she watched the battle unfold before her eyes.
Beth’s attention was drawn away from the spectacle above by the blaring sound of a man’s voice speaking through a loud speaker in front of her house. She set the binoculars down on the kitchen table and hurried through her living room to the front door. Opening the door, Beth peered out and saw an armored Humvee with a loud speaker attached to its roof. Following behind the Humvee was a convoy of a dozen or so large military trucks and several city buses.
With the exception of the city buses the vehicles were all of a military make and model. However instead of green or camouflage, each of them was painted black. The American flag was also missing and in its place was the black footprint of a bear. The footprint of the bear had a red circle around it with two horizontal lines on either side. Underneath the emblem were the words, Blackwater Security Consulting.
“Mercenaries,” mumbled Beth, as goose bumps appeared all over her body.
Men dressed in body armor and carrying machine guns walked alongside the vehicles. The mercenaries wore black and tan uniforms, each with a patch sewn into the sleeve matching the bear print emblem on the armored vehicles. Unlike the typical American soldier, these men were not clean cut or shaven. Many of them had facial hair and appeared unruly and disheveled.
“Attention all citizens,” announced a man riding in the passenger seat of the Humvee, “the city of San Diego is being evacuated. Please grab only what you can carry and climb on board one of the trucks or buses. It’s not safe to stay in your homes. I repeat, it is not safe to stay here. We will take you to food and shelter,” promised the man, before repeating the message.
“What is the meaning of this?” demanded Beth as one of the mercenaries approached her, walking across her front lawn and stomping through her bed of roses. Without a word of explanation or warning, the man forcibly began to push Beth towards one of the buses.
“Stop pushing me!” exclaimed Beth. “What would your mother think about the way you’re treating an old woman?”
Beth glanced up and down the street as
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