January 23, 2015

Worth Fighting For - Entry IV: A Bridge to Nowhere

http://freedomfighters.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_at_the_Old_Hotel
Worth Fighting For
Entry IV: A Bridge to Nowhere
Location: Brooklyn Hotel
Date: Thursday, September 4th, 2003

The eight of us regrouped at the sewer entrance near the Brooklyn Hotel. Chris, Manny, Steven, and I had just finished blowing up the SAF ammunition and explosives warehouse. Phil, Miguel, and Billy had been waiting for us at the rendezvous point after they had destroyed the helicopter fueling station near the harbor. We were surprised to find Tony waiting as well. He reported that he got Charlie back safely and she was being treated at the base. He had returned, hoping to find us and help out in any way he could. This is what amazed me about these people. Phil and Miguel had freed Charlie from a POW camp minutes before she helped us infiltrate the harbor. Steven, Manny, and Tony were similar stories; joining the fight immediately after being rescued from a grim fate as a prisoner of the SAF.

We surveyed the Brooklyn Hotel nearby but realized that even with the helicopters gone; it was still too heavily guarded. Tony made a suggestion, pointing out that the Brooklyn Fire Station was used as a central communications base. Soviet troops were coordinated and dispatched from this location. The station was also located near the Brooklyn Bridge. Phil’s eyes lit up when he heard this. We had enough C4 left over from the diner that we could blow the bridge up, severing Brooklyn from Manhattan. Chris agreed, we would assault the fire station first, blow up the bridge, and then wipe out the remaining enemy forces back at the Brooklyn Hotel.

Location: Brooklyn Fire Station
Date: Thursday, September 4th, 2003

We took turns scouting the area while the rest of us caught up on much needed sleep. Tony was the one to bring us news that the Reds had deployed troops to the outlying areas, leaving the fire station depleted of forces. This was our time to mobilize. Chris split us into two teams. He would lead myself, Manny, and Steven on an attack while Phil, Miguel, Billy, and Tony would plant the C4 on the Brooklyn Bridge. With our plan in place, we split up to strike what we hoped would be a crippling blow to the Soviet Armed Forces.

We moved out quickly and quietly towards the Brooklyn Fire Station. It was still quite early and the dark skies were just turning gray. As we approached the fire station, everything was quiet, there weren’t even any guards patrolling the perimeter of the building. We cautiously approached the front of the building when we started to hear shouting. Spotlights from the once vacant watchtowers shown down on us and Reds began appearing around the building. They were prepared for us and had remained hidden to lure us closer to the building. A rapid succession of “booms” broke out. As we all dove for cover, I wasn’t sure what was creating the sound until I realized the SAF had placed two large machine guns on the roof of the fire station. Chris’ sniper rifle was abandoned after he exhausted all the ammunition, how I wish he had it now.

Steven signaled to me that we needed to take out the spotlights, that way we could at least try to maneuver into a better position to take out the machine guns. I nodded and began firing sporadic sprays of bullets, attracting the attention of many Red weapons. Steven took this opportunity to place two precision shots, disabling both spotlights. With the cover of darkness once more, Chris and Manny began to move closer to the building, staying behind cover the whole time. While the machine guns could reach us, are weapons were still out of range.

The two machine guns began to focus their fire on the cement block that Steven and I were using for cover. The constant barrage of bullets was chipping away at our only defense. Chris and Manny quickly reacted, jumping up and killing one of the machine gun operators. As they fired on the second machine gun, I heard Manny cry out and fall backwards. Soldiers had appeared from inside the fire station garage and shot Manny. While Chris eliminated the last machine gun, Steven and I killed the Reds in the garage. With the small reprieve from the fighting, we all ran to Manny’s side to only find that we were too late. Manny Perez was the first of many Manhattan Resistance members I knew to fall in battle.

We couldn’t give him a proper burial for we still had a mission to complete. We silently said our goodbyes, I grabbed his gear, and we entered the fire station’s garage. As we swept the station, we realized why the Reds’ had fought with so much desperation; it was clearly undermanned. We found only a few soldiers inside the building and were able to easily overpower them. We made our way onto the roof and lowered the Soviet flag. Chris told us that this victory was because of Manny and we all thanked him as we raised the U.S.A. flag over the Brooklyn Fire Station.

Location: Brooklyn Bridge
Date: Wednesday, September 4th, 2003

We made our way back to the rendezvous point where Phil and his team were waiting. Chris told them of Manny’s fate and how we were able to retake the fire station. Phil stated that his team had laid all the C4 and were just waiting for us to arrive before they set the final charges. We all went to work, planting the last of the C4 when two armored trucks pulled up to the bridge. They must have been the SAF that had been dispatched from the fire station before we arrived.

A couple dozen soldiers poured out of the trucks while two roof-mounted turrets began to fire on us. We dove behind the struts of the bridge for cover while returning fire. Phil was yelling at me over the din of gunfire. I was the closest to him; Chris was a few struts behind us and the others were scattered around. It took me a moment to realize what Phil was saying; the turrets had armor plating protecting the soldiers. There was no way we could kill them unless we jumped onto the roof of the truck. That was very unlikely since we would not only have to dodge the turret fire but also the twenty some Reds around the trucks.

That’s when an idea struck me. I dropped my gun and pulled out Manny’s pack. Phil motioned to Tony to keep suppressing fire on the Reds to stop them from taking me out. I was more concerned with trying to find what I was looking for. I remembered that we had divided up the C4 so that each of us had a block. I, like the rest of the fighters, had already placed mine on the bridge but Manny’s was still securely in his pack. I grabbed it and held it up to Phil. His eyes went wide when he realized what I was planning to do. I needed to get close enough to the armored trucks so that I could throw the C4 and blow them up.

Chris had moved a few struts closer to us by now and saw what I was devising. The others all coordinated their attacks, firing covering shots while we painstakingly inched our way towards the Red vehicles. We picked off the foot soldiers, one by one, until less than a dozen remained. I felt like I was in range and steeled myself to what I had to do. I only had one chance at this and hoped that my one year in little league would help my chances of success. I gripped the C4, wound my arm back as far as I could, and hurled the block towards the armored trucks. Time seemed to stand still as I watched the C4 spin forward in the air to its destination. Then with a light ‘thunk,’ it landed on the hood of the Red truck.

We all fell to the ground, resistance fighters and SAF soldiers alike, as I pushed the detonator. The blast threw the trucks a few feet in the air until they landed on their roofs. As the ringing in my ears subsided, I could hear the screams from the soldiers in and near the vehicles that had been set ablaze. As I regained my senses, I found that my plan had worked and all our enemies had been killed. Phil slapped me on the back and Chris congratulated me on my successful plan. Now, there was only one thing left to do. We reached safety a few minutes later; high on a rooftop of a nearby building. There was no way Phil would miss this moment. As Chris pushed the detonator, we watched the Brooklyn Bridge fall into the water; destroying the Soviet Armed Forces only connection to Manhattan. As we patted ourselves on the back, Chris warned us that are mission wasn’t finished yet. We had one last stop on our little adventure, the Brooklyn Hotel.