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The Summer of Discontent
Part 2: The War
WORLD JOURNAL MONTHLY
May 6, 2011
THE WAR!
The United States vs. South Vietnam!
Correspondent: Bill Blau
What Has Gone Before: There's a Plan to defeat the next great winter by moving the Earth back to its old orbit. One part of The Plan is to find the master ship of The Trillions. (www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/discontent1.txt )
On a U.S. Navy helicopter over the South China Sea, the superhuman agents Rad Man, Swordhand, and Rolling Thunder flew to mission. They'd worked together over twenty years. Almost twenty years for the U.S. Government, after it recruited them for its Counter-Ellipsis Force. They were all ready for their pensions. But they had to go on one more mission first.
Only the pilot and a squad of ten Marines were with them. Those were busy.
Rolling Thunder was a black woman almost fifty years old. She opened an envelope, read the message, and said, "Okay. Team private briefing."
Rad Man was Latino and young - only thirty-six. He said, "Vietnam really knows we're here?"
"Yes. They asked us here."
"They really fighting China?"
"North China, Red China, yes. South China, Greater Hong Kong, is on Vietnam's side. Our side."
"There really rebels where we're going? Against Vietnam?"
"Yeah. Really do call themselves Army of the Republic of Viet Nam. ARVN, just like Vietnam War."
"Vietnam War? You're not that old, are you?"
"Old enough to read the news back then. You try growing up with body counts in the news every day."
Swordhand was a forty-ish white male. He said, "You know I did."
"Bullshit, pup. You in college for first Iraq war. Till you drop out and work with us. Even Rad Man get more body count in news than you do."
"Whatever... What else?"
"Just what they tell us. Some kind of castle - alongside the Trillions starship in the Mekong Delta."
"And Vietnam rebels are really defending this castle?"
"Yeah."
"But bosses need us to go in. So what's the big deal? Who's really defending it?"
"Not just this new piss-ant Swamp Rat Army of the Republic of Viet Nam. They've got some serious superhuman power there."
"And we got just our chopper. Okay. No use throwing more helicopters at it yet. What kind of superhuman?"
"They said in the briefing it was just one Satanist in a magic contest. But now they say Subhumans are in it too."
Rad Man said, "Que!? We up against underwater invasion!?"
"Maybe. We get to find out. Just by being there."
Swordhand said, "So what else is new. Marines right here with us probably already know that. What else else?"
"If we can, we try to get in The Trillions ship with that specialist." She pointed to a Marine with a computer. "We got to find their command ship."
Rad Man said, "Huh? If we can?"
"Yeah. But those orders officially do not exist. We're officially on our own."
"Man, that sucks. Why can't they just send in Ellipsis? Or Corrigan? Man, I can't believe they on the same side as us now."
"Tell me about it. But when you're VP, then you can send Corrigan in the field. And Ellipsis is busy with the mad science part of The Plan." (www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/discontent1.txt ) "Besides, would you trust Ellipsis in the field? Even Corrigan doesn't."
Marines interrupted. "Drop Zone minus five."
Five minutes to landing. "Got it."
The helicopter landed away from the castle and the mile-tall spaceship. By the time rebels approached, Marines were out in a defensive perimeter. Only the pilot and one Marine specialist stayed with them.
Rad Man asked Rolling Thunder, "Why we still in the helicopter?"
"We're the reserves. You know that. Best place to wait for an opening for the real mission, too."
There was gunfire, but it died down. The Vietnamese were curious why a Marine assault force would just land there. Their colonel came out with a loudspeaker. "Americans! Why you here?"
The Marine sergeant in charge responded. "Diplomatic envoy. Bring us your leader, then we'll talk."
Inside the helicopter, Swordhand said, "Diplomatic envoy? Man, this is %^&#ed up."
Rolling Thunder said, "Yeah. But shut up."
The Vietnamese colonel continued... "Why not we take you to him, as our prisoners?"
The Marine sergeant responded, "No way in hell. You know that. You remember America."
The Vietnamese stopped talking then. The colonel went on a jeep to the castle.
An hour later, he came back. Slowly. With an elephant marching behind him.
Off the elephant, a man in ceremonial robes came. He had two swords, in scabbards. He said, "Visitors. I am the king of these people. Bow to me."
The Marine sergeant said, "We bow only to our own masters." Then he voiced on silent vox mike to the team, "You're up."
Rad Man and Swordhand jumped out the helicopter door. Rolling Thunder jumped out behind them. She said, "They're with me. Take us to your masters." She pointed at the starship.
The robed man said, "Dog! I rule here!"
"Prove it. Overthrow them. We've come to help."
"Viper! They are my loyal allies! You have declared yourselves my enemies! But I give you one chance to redeem yourselves. Bow to me!"
Rad Man and Swordhand looked at Rolling Thunder. She said, "Get him."
Swordhand ran toward him. Rad Man blasted him with radiation, Rolling Thunder with lightning. And the Marines opened fire on him. But he drew his swords - and parried it all!
Swordhand said, "Oh, goody. Sword fight!" Energy blades sprouted from his hands!
The robed man said, "Oh, please." He whirred his swords with inhuman speed. Swordhand had to parry to save his own life.
Even so, the robed man got angry. "You still defy me! The earth itself will rise against you!" The ground rumbled. "The sky will fall to smash you!" Black clouds gathered. "The beasts of the water will come to devour you!" Crocodiles crawled from the river.
Swordhand said, "Oh, shut up." He went back on the offensive. The robed man had to parry.
Rad Man blasted crocodiles, and said to Rolling Thunder, "Who is this guy?"
"Gotta be the enemy." She floated over the ground, moving right to flank him. Her body crackled with energy. She released it as lightning.
The robed man said, "No! The lightning is mine to command!" He deflected the blast off his swords - into Swordhand! The American warrior fell.
Then the sky turned white behind the Marines - with a deafening crash of thunder. Lightning from the sky had hit the helicopter! The pilot at least looked okay, but the rotors weren't turning.
Then, against all reality, more lightning struck all around them! One by one, Marines started falling.
Rolling Thunder said, "That's it! This guy has to go down!" She charged him.
He sheathed his swords. With his bare hands he struck her down. Her energy field had no effect on him.
She said silently into her vox mike, "We don't win this one... Pilot! Get that chopper moving!"
"No can do, ma'am. Not without replacing fuses at least."
"Then wipe that specialist's computer!"
"Will do, ma'am." The Plan hadn't worked, but at least the enemy wouldn't find it out.
Rolling Thunder spoke. "Men. Stand down." The Marines surrendered.
As the prisoners were taken away, Swordhand asked, "Who the hell is that?"
Their guard said, "That is Lac Long Quan, the ancestral Dragon-King of Vietnam! All the Viet people are descended from him! Silly Americans, you spent all that time in Vietnam and you haven't heard of Lac Long Quan? He's building his new castle here, alongside The Trillions! You are now his prisoners!"
See Our Next Stories:
THE DEAL! The Summer of Discontent, Continued! www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/discontent3.txt
THE MYTH! RACC High Concept Challenge, Continued! www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/discontent4.txt
Author's Notes:
... Shit. This story now gets the coveted "Shit" Award from Superhuman World 2011. I shall now award "Shit" and "Waah" as needed.
Thank you, Rec.Arts.Comics.Creative. You've often provided concepts at critical times to move my story forward, and you've done it again. I'll be describing in more detail in the next story.
This story is Part One of Two for the current High Concept Challenge. The next story will tell how the myth works in the modern world. The mythical character appears in both episodes, so I've labeled them both HCC.
The original Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN) was the South Vietnam Army. "Swamp Rats" are Americans who defended the Mekong Delta.
I considered putting Navy SEALs in this story alongside Our Heroes. SEALs aren't busy in SW10 Central Asia, because Osama bin Laden was disposed of years ago - by Wyatt Ferguson! Really. But not the way you think. (www.eilertech.com/stories/2007/raleigh.htm ) ... Anyway, Marines are good enough for most any job. Besides, there's a Real Crusher Joe, and he's ex-Marine.
Our Heroes in this story have history with both Ellipsis and Crusher Joe. The first interaction of Rad Man and Swordhand with Ellipsis was indeed 1991. (www.eilertech.com/stories/1988/balance9.rtf ) The following year, Crusher Joe was working for Ellipsis - and Rolling Thunder successfully arrested him in the name of Dan Quayle, thereby starting the Superhuman World tradition of Vice-Presidents with actual bad-ass job duties. George Bush and Dan Quayle won re-election that year. The episode is unwritten, but it made great superhero campaign play. There's a lot I could say about Crusher Joe's transition from Enemy of the State to Vice-Badass in Chief, via the Governorship of California. Relevant stories are at www.eilertech.com/stories/jehovah.htm and www.eilertech.com/stories/duopol3.htm .
Crusher Joe Corrigan is a character created by Joe Fucile. All other characters in this fiction are copyright 2011, Eiler Technical Enterprises. All this year's stories are online at www.eilertech.com/stories/2011/.
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