HAVIN FUN ON MY SPACE THANKS FOR STOPPING BY I MIGHT KID AROUND IN THE PHOTOS BUT THE VIDEOS ARE REAL AND SO IS THE BOOK. IF YOU DIDN'T SEE IT THE TWO CRAPS VIDEOS ARE LINKED . CLICK THE NUMBERS THEY SHOULD BE TO THE RIGHT HERE, AFTER THE BLUE TEXT. HEY I EVEN MAKE A BRIEF APPEARANCE.
WOW LOVE TO READ,LOVE TO LEARN (UNFORTUNATELY THIS DESIRE DIDN'T START UNTIL I WAS OUT OF SCHOOL) (SOMETHING FUNNY ABOUT THAT HUH?) OF COURSE VIDEO, AND TO THE EXTENT THAT IT COULD BE DONE IN HIDEF, FILM. I HAVE HAD SO MANY LAUGHS HERE!!!!!
Books:
REDADAIR// HAS TO DUE WITH MY SECOND NOVEL I'M WORKING ON.
CLIVE CUSSLER/DIRK PITT
JAMES ROLLINS THe prologue from Amra follows formats different than book.
Copyright ã 2006 by Bill HashAll rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, photographic including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.ISBN 0-7414-3733-3Published by:INFINITY PUBLISHING
1094 New DeHaven Street, Suite 100
West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2713
[email protected]
www.buybooksontheweb.com
Toll-free (877) BUY BOOK
Local Phone (610) 941-9999
Fax (610) 941-9959Printed in the United States of America
Printed on Recycled Paper
Published January 2007
Acknowledgments
Thank you, for buying this novel. Any author has many people to thank for the completion of his novel. I would like to thank the ladies of the Mays Landing branch of the Atlantic County library system for their assistance in supplying me with arcane and obscure reference materials.
My brother Jack and his wife Linda spent some time at Deception Island and were able to give me significant descriptions of both the fauna and geology there. The ‘hot foot’ area does exist. Weapons technology constantly changes. I had the good fortune to visit the helicopter- museum near Philadelphia where an Osprey is located.
Any author is only as good as his editor and I have one of the best in Cece Whitaker.
Again my thanks goes to you the reader as well. Be sure to read the afterword for descriptions on the technology in AMRA.Please check out the website
www.amraworld.com AMRA
FOREWORD—THE TIME BEFORE
CIRCA 10,000 B.C.
It was the time when the land of man ruled over the Earth.
From Amra, the land in the middle of the world ocean, the golden race of men sprang.
The Amrans, blessed with a mild and temperate climate, advanced themselves in knowledge and wealth. Blessed by the gods, they sailed forth upon the great ocean and discovered the other lands of man. Nowhere except in the land of Rama did they meet their equals in knowledge, power or wealth. The humans of Amra faced no great danger in their homeland except from the Chevii who, living exclusively on the northern island fought among themselves.
Amra’s captains sailed forth, trading across the seas and lands. Amra’s wealth grew great. As always when wealth and comfort become chief in the pursuits of man, such desire lowers the morals of mortals. Thus was it so with Amra.
As time went on the traders became soldiers. The merchant ships became Man-O-Wars. Spears and arrows and greater weapons became the exported goods.
After several wars, the Amrans had conquered the Libyans and all the rest of Africa with Egypt and the land of Osiris in the great valley, falling last under the feet of the comqueror.
The Chevii seeing the power of their enemies, formed an alliance with them. Now the finest light cavalry in the world attacked with the superb serpent infantry. Across the valley of Osiris the forces marched to the foothills of Pelloponesia.
On the other side of the world, another army carried by the Amran navy attacked the Ramans. The Ramans, with their Vimana airships held the Amrans at bay. Both sides prepared greater weapons of destruction. Each antagonist prepared missiles. One would destroy all electrical devices within a large radius, while the other device would explode with tremendous force, light, and heat.
The Hellenes residing in the mountains north of Osiris held the passes against the Amrans and their Chevii allies. Time and again the Amrans marched upward against the Hellenes. The Serpent Infantry and Chevii cavalry, repelled again and again, grew disheartened.
After the third fruitless day of assaults, Glonjosk, the Amran General, sent the bulk of the Chevii to find a pass not guarded by the Hellenes to the East and North in Thessallia.
That night after the Chevii had left, the Hellenes struck the Amrans in their sleep.
As the Amran horns sounded of the attack the Hellenes drove the invaders back into the valley of Osiris.
Meanwhile the struggle with the Ramans across the world reached a climax. The missles were launched. Amran nuclear missles landed across Raman territory. The largest landed on the volcano later to be called Krakatoa, causing a massive eruption. The Ramans loosed their EMP thunderbolts. The lights of Amra faded in the darkness.
Knowing that one Amran army was in the valley of Osiris, the Ramans fired another missle at the gate of Osiris. The narrow isthmus crumbled and the waters from the cold dark ocean poured in. The next day the Amrans fell back toward their base in Egypt and the Hellenes strung out in a line miles long were engulfed by the raging waters. Across the world the great mountain blew forth in an explosion so great it circled the Earth. After its eruption only natives of Rama living on the northern frontier in the highest mountains escaped the destruction of their homeland. The explosion of the mountain and the flooding of Osiris fractured the Earth. Screaming in pain the outer crust of the planet slid on its mantle. Hundreds of volcanoes exploded. The greater land, buried in ice slid south as did Amra. The freezing began immediately as Posiedonis, Amra’s capital city was thrust into a South Polar winter. The metropolis, without heat or light due to the Ramans EMP bombs froze. Scant hundreds escaped in ships only to be met by the surging oceans reeling from the turmoil rushing thru their basins.
The snow began to fall on Amra. It piled higher as days passed after the cataclysmic destruction. Survivors waited in the ruins hoping for the end of the ice and snow. Some went underground to the great caverns below.
Eventually the summer did come--but there was no one left to notice its coming. Ramapolis sank beneath the ash ejected from the great mountain. The great glaciers, melting drowned the flat land of Rama in the south. Of the Chevii in Thessallia, some escaped the waters and were marooned there along with a few females. They survived until Hercules, making war on them, slew them years later. In Amra the snow fell until it touched the stars.
“Now I am become Death [Shiva], the destroyer of worlds...â€
Physicist Robert Oppenheimer,
quoting from the Bhagavad Gita upon
witnessing the first atomic detonation by mankind.
PART 1
WHITE LAND
BEIJING WEEKEND
Beijing, China – Sunday March 15, 9:30 A.M.
Marine 1st Lieutenant Lee Hannon brushed the red lock of hair from his face. It kept falling into his eyes. Blowing a puff at the annoying strand Lt.Hannon watched it arc away like a phosphorescent artillery round. Two dewy orbs were glistening between the cascades of fiery strands.
“Good Morning 1st Lieutenant Lee Hannon,†the owner of the red hair said with mock formality and a saucy smile. “Did you sleep well last night?â€
“Oh I didn’t know we slept last night, Ensign Lucy Johnstone,†Hannon answered, mirroring her tone with a sly smile.
“Liar, I heard you snoring at 5:30 A.M., the guard was changing at Tiannamen Square.â€
“You were dreaming,†he put up in defense.
“I was not dreaming that you were snoring again.†The female British naval officer said.
“It’s this mattress,†he said, pushing up and down on it. “You would think the damn Beijing Sheraton would have a decent one.â€
“Typical American, always complaining,†she said shaking a finger at him.
“Oh, you’re an expert on Americans,†he said.
“No, just on one I hope,†she dipped her head and looked at him one eye, hidden by a bang of red hair, a smile bursting forth from the twenty-two-year-old face.
Lee pulled her to him and their lips found each other in a passionate kiss.
Abruptly, pulling away Lucy said, wringing her hands, “Oh Lee, what are we going to do? Your tour at your embassy is almost over and mine doesn’t end for three months.â€
“Will you marry me, Darling?†he said quietly.
“Hey I’m serious,“she said, angry at this frequent trick of his.
“So am I,†his eyes meeting hers.
Something in his tone was different this time.
“Yes,â€she quietly surrendered falling into him again.
“We can get married next month just before my tour is up. You resign your commission and we will be back in the States for our honeymoon.â€
“Lee, I thought you were going to resign. You can’t expect me to!â€
“Sure it happens all the time. Woman cleaves on to her husband, leaves Mother England behind all that sort of thing,†he said in a mocking Yorkshire accent.
“None of us may be going anywhere if this food crisis in China does not go away,†she said.
Pushing his hand thru her thick hair he said, “This is supposed to be secret but our intelligence suspects the rebels have one small nuke.â€
“Well we have confirmation from two sources that they have two.â€
“Oh your James Bond is better than ours,†he said.
“Well, we are the original,†she snipped.
“Will you resign so we can get married?†he asked.
Before she could answer, the patio window rattled furiously. Scant seconds later the boom echoed off the outer wall of the hotel.
“What in bloody blazes is that!†she said sitting up.
Without an answer, a second explosion sounded. This time the lovers heard glass tinkling away in the distance. Leaping from the bed they started throwing on their civilian clothes.
“To answer your question, that is Chinese 120 MM artillery,†he said.
A tempo of explosions began. Westward out the window, smoke columns were starting to rise in the sky. Buttoning his shirt Lee heard, a buzz sounding on the dresser, his phone flashing in sequence with the blasting drone.
“Hannon here,†he said snatching up the Nokia.
The gravelly voice of Gunnery Sargeant Walter Grissom issued from the grille. “Sir, you gotta haul ass in here double quick.â€
As Lee spoke, Lucy’s phone rang. “Gunny what’s with the fireworks?â€
“The shit has hit the fan, Lieutenant. The Rebels have broken through and are assaulting the city now. We cannot locate the captain. He went out last night with his wife and they did not return. He is not answering his page or his phone. You are in command, Sir. What are your orders?â€
“Is the embassy in any immediate danger?â€
“No Sir.The rebels are outside the city but the federal forces have been taken by surprise.â€
“Issue ammunition and escort all foreign nationals off embassy property except where we have National Courtesy agreements. Beyond that, Gunny, use your best judgement until I arrive.â€
“Done Sir, we are issuing ammunition now and Sergeant Branson is in charge of escorting the nationals off embassy property.
“Good job Gunny I’ll be in as soon as I can-- about half an hour I think, Gunny?â€
“Sir?â€
“Is that incoming near the embassy?â€
“No Sir, not yetâ€
“Carry on then.â€
“Aye, Aye, Sir.â€
Lucy closed her phone as Lee did.
A grim look on her face she said, “Two rounds fell within a block of my embassy. I have to get back quick.â€
“You cannot go back to the British Embassy, it’s too dangerous.â€
“Lee,†she answered, her eyes sad, “It’s my profession as it is yours. Just because I am a woman you cannot keep me from doing my duty.â€
“I, uh, Darling, alright will you let me get you a taxi?â€
“Of course and we’d better hurry.â€
The sounds of the artillery shook the hotel; an approaching storm destroying the city.
The two lovers eventually reached the Avenue of the Emperors. Around them, people on bicycles, foot, and vehicle streamed by and around them as leaves, blown by a November Wind. A fire engine red taxi crawled through hordes scurrying to their destinations.
Lee jumped in front of the automobile. The driver leaned his head out cursing Lee in Mandarin.
Lee said, “ Ni hao.â€
The driver said in poor English, “What do you want, you filthy American?â€
“Get her to the British Embassy,†the American said, pointing to Lucy.
Lee pulled a wad of bills from his pocket he gave half of them to the driver whose eyes widened and gave the other half to Lucy.
“She will give the rest to you, when she arrives.â€
Turning to her he took her arm and in the midst of the turmoil blowing around them as dust in a storm the two kissed, crushing each other in their arms.
The taxi driver honked his horn.
Breaking away from Lee Lucy said, “Have to be going, Dear, be careful.â€
Again Lee tried, “Come back with me,†he said.
She gazed into his eyes, searching for something. Than she smiled and gave him a quick kiss and lips next to his ear said, “Love you†and she pulled away from him, eyes moist, around and into the taxi. Through the swirling exhaust, Lee saw tears glistening on her face as the taxi pulled away. An American Embassy car pulled up in front of Lee.
The Charge D’Affairs Charlie Jones yelled, “Get in Lieutenant we have to get back to the embassy now.â€
As Lee slid into the seat of the limousine, a shell burst on the Sheraton above.
Lee felt the car rattle. As the driver pulled away a brick crashed onto the hood denting the polished metal. The car sped away dust marking its exit from the hotel property.
THE LOSS
American Embassy, Beijing, China 10:55 A.M.
Lee slipped a magazine into his 9 MM pistol, and shoved it into his belt. The utility uniform felt scratchy.
The embassy armory was cool, belying the tension floating thru the compound.
The ride back, had been an alternating succession of acceleration and horn blowing; Jones, swerving to avoid crowds of residents scurrying on foot, breezing around and through, always the ubiquitous bicycles streaming by, as debris does in a spring flood.
Gunnery Sgt. Grissom said to Lee, “Are you alright, Lieutenant?†He was a crusty, barrel-chested man of 47, whose only visible hair above the collarbone was located at his eyes. Oddly, it gave him the appearance of a woodpecker. He had gone to the Olympic Trials in 1980, missing the team by one spot. He could bench press over 400 lbs.
“Fine Gunny, it was a rough ride though. What’s the status situation? I thought I heard mortar fire a minute ago.â€
“Yes Sir, the Rebels are within the city. The federal forces are holding them in the west although the Rebels are attacking from the south, too.â€
With the mention of in the west, a shadow clouded Lee’s face.
“I’m sure your girl’s fine, Sir,†responded the older man. “The British Embassy has good guards. Say, when are you two going to get married?â€
Pushing his helmet back an inch and grinning Lee said, “Proposed this morning.â€
Grissom grabbing Lee’s hand said, “Congratulations
Lieutenant.â€
A large shell landed blocks away. The cloud drifted above the two men, passing the stone rooftops showing gray and white.
Ignoring the explosion Lee asked, “How is the family, Gunny?â€
“Great Sir I just wanted to say Mary and I have been married for over 25 years and I wouldn’t trade my life for anything. Jill is going to Penn State on a basketball scholarship.â€
“Fantastic, I hope I have as fine a family someday.â€
“Thanks Lieutenant, I am a blessed man.â€
An explosion rocked the building as the two Marines walked from the armory to the foyer of the embassy. They continued to the lawn and the front gate. Ambassador Swenson came waddling toward them. Pasty-faced from an indoor existence, he seemed a man consumed by worry.
“What are we going to do?†he blurted out.
“Sir, my men will protect the embassy. It’s best you return inside for now.â€
“I have called Washington and asked that the embassy be evacuated.â€
“That is a wise precaution Sir, I am sure the Chinese can handle the trouble.â€
Reaching the courtyard the three men glanced at the population-filled street. A black wrought iron fence separated the grounds from the city. People continued to stream by the gates. Gunfire continued to erupt from the west and south, the din punctuated from time to time by the loud Kruuump! of artillery landing in the city.
A familiar whistle began low in the distance increasing in intensity as it drew closer.
The experienced Sergeant, veteran of Tora Bora and the later Iraqi War, reacted first.
“GET DOWN!†Grissom screamed at the top of his voice. Together the two Marines pushed the ambassador down. The shell landed in the avenue. The shock wave of exploding ordinance was first felt, then heard. To Lee, artillery exploding reminded him of a tympani drum being struck. The effect in the roadway was devastating; shattered bodies, chunks of roadway, even subsurface rocks were catapulted into the air. A red misty drape hung momentarily above the impact.
Muscles uncoiling from imagined injuries, the three men started to rise.
“PLOPF!†A gray and crimson-colored remnant smacked the grass wetly in front of the arising Americans. The ambassador began to heave at the sight. On top of the lawn, a haunch of leg lay. Lee saw with distinct clarity a shard of bone projecting from the flesh, glistening in the morning light. A tattered tube of cloth announced that its owner was wearing khaki pants. A cheap sneaker with laces untied covered a foot whose ankle was topped by a triangle tattoo, dangled loosely. Lee’s stomach, rearing like an unbroken horse settled after a moment of uncertainty.
Swenson blurted out, “We have to get out of hereâ€
“Gunny, escort the ambassador inside.â€
Shifting his gaze he looked down on the portly diplomat. “Ambassador, the safest place for you and your family is in the vault.â€
“I’ll put my family in there Lieutenant,†he said, his chin stiffening, “but I still have work to do!â€
The two Marines glanced at each other, and smiled.
Cupping the ambassador’s elbow with his hand, Grissom said, â€Okay Sir, let’s make your family safe. You can do your job better then.â€
The two glided away.
“Sir, it’s Captain Lauter on the phone,†Corporal Dearbourne yelled from the nearby guardhouse holding out the headpiece to the Lieutenant.
Lee grabbed the phone from the guard.
ACROSS TOWN NEAR THE BRITISH EMBASSY 12:15
This one was going to be very close. A banshee roar filled the interior of the taxi, as a shell exploded less than a block away on the narrow side street. The sounds of combat were much closer there. Lucy regretted not going with Lee, but the young signal officer knew she would be needed for decoding incoming traffic at her embassy. The taxi was barely by then. The driver, quite agitated, was mumbling to himself.
“I am not go-wing any father,†he said the pigeon English disintegrating as nearby buildings did also.
“Please†she said, “my embassy is less than a kilometer away.â€
The whine of another incoming round screamed in. Sensing the danger, the little man threw his door open, running away from the sound. The shell impacted behind the taxi, set it rocking on its springs. Lucy jumped from the cab colliding with crowds of civilians hurrying to their destinations. Stores lining the street stood empty. A meat shop was beckoning, dog and pig carcasses rocking on strings in the breeze.
Lucy broke through the crowd into the shop. The dark interior muffled the sounds from the outside. A walk-in freezer at the back of the store stood, its door open and an ice-cold fog wafting outward. Lucy called her embassy again, hoping a vehicle could retrieve her. She reached the main number this time as Carol Grosvenor, receptionist said, “British Embassy, may I help you?†as if the world was not ending outside.
“Carol, Thank God! I thought I would never get through.â€
“Lucy where are you? We’ve been worried. Are you alright?â€
“Carol can the embassy send a vehicle for me? A taxi stranded me at 459 Godang Street.â€
“I’ll ask,†said the receptionist, “but Lucy, the fighting is outside, bullets are hitting the building now.†A male voice sounded in the background.
“Ensign Johnstone, Lucy?†Commander Theodore Hendricks said, dropping military decorum now knowing her status.
“Yes Sir.â€
“You stay where you are, as soon as things stabilize, we shall pick you up.â€
A loud, sharp, piercing sound penetrated her ear through the phone. The street outside grew very bright, Lucy dropping her phone jumped into the freezer pulling the lead and steel door after her. The shock wave pushed her to the floor. Before losing consciousness, she saw the light penetrating between the cracks of the door.
AMERICAN EMBASSY BEIJING 12:26 P.M.
“JESUS H. CHRIST,†said Lee throwing himself down at the front gate. “What a morning! Ask a girl to marry you and the world goes to Hell!†Talking with Captain Lauter, Lee was in command of embassy security. The Rebels had advanced to a position between the Embassy and the Captain and his wife, who had spent an evening at an IBM vice president’s home as guests. That had been a small nuke no doubt about that. Lee realized there was no immediate danger except from possible fallout, although the forming cloud was moving to the north and west back to the rebels who must have fired it.
“Lieutenant,†said Gunny, hurrying to his side, “Are you okay?â€
“That was a nuke,†Lee said dusting himself off as he rose.
“Yes Sir, what are your orders?†Gunny was nonplussed.
“Gunny what I want is your advice,†Lee said. “We may have to defend the grounds. Would it be better to keep men here at the gate or use the lawn for advantage of better fields of fire by staying in the embassy building?â€
The Sergeant cast an experienced eye about him. He appreciated this young officer asking him. In his career, he had served under officers who were too arrogant or were too goddamn shy to ask his advice. He knew the good leaders were the ones who knew they didn’t have all the answers and knowing their limitations at least used their resources of which he, Walter Everett Grissom, was definitely one.
“Sir in my opinion, I would not abandon the gate.â€
“Why?â€
“The Chinks could fire heavy weapons at us Sir. We would be trapped in the building. They could demolish it at their leisure.â€
“Yes Gunny I agree, but if they make an infantry attack we could take them as they scale the fence. I’ve made up my mind. Everybody inside, Gunny.â€
“Yes Sir, I hope we won’t have to find out who is right, … Sir.â€
Lee, lifting an eyebrow, looked at the older man, “That’s a comfort.â€
The Gunnery Sergeant, back arched walked stiffly away calling out to the Marine enlisted men scattered around the embassy fence to move inside.
Damn it! Lee thought to himself. What if Grissom was right? The sergeant had a lot more experience than Lee; that was for sure. Anybody here on the gate or fence would be cut off though. Anybody wounded at the fence, could not be brought inside.
He remembered his training at Quantico: Don’t split your forces. Lee looked to the west.
Seeing the cloud, he could only hope that Lucy had made it back to her embassy.
The explosion must have been very close to her, he thought moving inside.
THE CRUCIBLE
American Embassy 6:00 P.M.
The distinctive clak-clak of AK-47s chattered in the distance. Airplanes were flying, dropping gravity bombs again. By the sounds, the federal Chinese forces were losing the battle. On the avenue beyond, troops had been trickling backward to the west. Some weeks ago, the Ambassador had given a briefing on the Chinese. The situation was 1905 again he said. The Rebels called themselves “the honorable sons of boxers.†Grissom had muttered quietly at the time, “honorable sons of bitches he means†This time, not only the legations were foreign devils. It was the big multinational corporations, too. Several military districts had rebelled to the west of Beijing and fighting had broken out. What was not known to most of the world was that each district was semiautonomous, independent, and self-supporting. The commanding generals had become virtual warlords. The respective armies and divisions actually engaged in commerce. The foreign corporations with their marketing and manufacturing skills were competing with the Peoples’s Liberation Army plants by setting up factories on Chinese soil.
Of course the goods and services were better from the foreigners. The generals, seeing their income base erode, began seizing property. Officials from Beijing traveling to the army bases to fire the generals, found themselves stripped and beaten; one, having his privates cut off and sewn into his mouth. War broke out shortly thereafter. One of the rebelling generals seized an arms depot containing atomic shells capable of being fired from artillery.
Incoming message traffic from Washington had confirmed the firing of one. With Lao-Me, the Premiere, refusing to allow overflights to evacuate foreign nationals, Lee found himself in charge of guarding some three hundred Americans with no certainty of relief in the near future.
Lee finished slipping a magazine into an acquired OC rifle. Gazing out through the front portico of the Embassy building, he heard the dim murmur of civilians sitting on their bags and suitcases behind him.
Swenson the Ambassador, hurried up to him, “They are coming aren’t they?â€
“Who Sir,†responded Lee.
“Your Marines, the Seventh Fleet, I dunno!†he screamed.
People nearby grew silent at the outburst.
Leaning into the diplomat, Lee said “I would suggest lowering your voice, Sir. We have citizens here including children. We must keep them calm. Guiding the ambassador to a quiet corner, the Lieutenant said, “Sir, that decision is up to Washington. I understand China will not allow an overflight at this time. If our relief does not come it is because it would be shot down. Evidently the Federal forces assets i.e. their air force, is still functioning.â€
“But We¾†Lee gripped Swenson’s arm hard, staring down into his eyes. The diplomat quieted. “But we have to get out of here. The Rebels are killing all foreigners.â€
“Sir the safest place for us is here. This is United States property and whomever attacks us if in fact they do, will have to fight their way in.â€
“No we have to surrender ourselves,†said the wheezing diplomat.
“Sir, Captain Lauter’s, my orders, are to defend the mission. It is expected until some order is restored there will be atrocities committed by the Rebels if they gain control of the city. This is the safest place in the city for us now.â€
At that moment, the building shook, rocking from an explosion, dust settled over everyone. The sound delay of a small cannon firing came a moment later. Masonry fell chiming into the pavement outside. Lee, looking up within the interior, saw dust blowing thru a second floor office. The Ambassador dropped to the floor.
“Lieutenant there’s a T34 tank down the avenue,†yelled Grissom across the floor.
Pandemonium arose among the civilians voices. Men cursed, women screamed and babies were crying. Lee hurried over to the sergeant. With a quick glance he saw at one corner of the property an old tank facing them. The barrel slightly raised, pointed at the Embassy building. Lee saw the flash of another round firing and almost instantaneously felt the impact above him.
Looking around Lee saw what he needed. Stacked one on top of another lay three LAAW rockets. Grabbing one, he said to Gunny, “Take one, if I miss, you fire.†Lee swiftly removed the end caps, slid the interior tube out, while the sight popped up automatically. Checking his rear so no one would be caught in the back blast he leaned thru the open window. The tank barrel was lowering. Lee saw the black hole of the barrel lining up on him. He fired, a long lance of smoke trailing the rocket. It looked good! And than the iron bar of the fence exploded as the warhead detonated short of the tank.
Vignetted in a circle of twisted metal bars the tank crawled forward its barrel a portait of death pushing thru the open circle lining up on him again. Lee saw Death coming. Everything grew quiet, his thoughts turning to Lucy. The tank flashed white, Lee closing his eyes and than the sound next to him shook his lids open. The T34 was exploding, turret somersaulting in the air to land on the lawn inside the gate.
Next to Lee, Grissom stood, lowering his smoking tube tucking his thumb onto his tongue and dabbing an imaginary front sight on the expended weapon saying, “Afraid I win the Turkey, Sir,†he grinned.
“Gunny you can have the whole dinner,†said Lee, pushing back his helmet.
“In all fairness Sir, your shot opened up the fence for me to hit the target.â€
“Whatever, the first drink is still on me.â€
A rifle round caromed off the sill outside. As Lee took cover he saw infantry approaching. If he ever got out of this he told himself, he and Lucy were going to go someplace quiet and peaceful; far, far away from here.
“Marines†he yelled to the enlisted men. “They are not to come onto the Grounds. The signs posted in Chinese say this is United States Property. Trespassers will be shot. You may do so.†Lee chambered a round in his 9MM settling back to wait. endof chapter 1 What has happened to Lucy? Can Lee defend the embassy until help arrives? AMRA available from Infinity Publishing 1-800-buy-book
