A Dragon's Tale-Chapter 1-In The Begining

Story by Tyro619 on SoFurry

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#1 of A Dragon's Tale

The year is 1999. Retried Marines John Alex Mason,friend Hudson James Weaver and brother Issac Tyler Mason,have stepped back into the Corps to rescue their fellow Marine and brother in arms Wyatt Nolan Clarke. The friends are overjoyed to get the team back together. Little do they know that this is 30 year old John's last mission.....as a human anyway....


Location: 5 miles north of Laos,Vietnam

Operator:John Alex Mason

Target:Wyatt Clarke

Mission:Rescue

Time:1220 hours

"The barge matches intel,Issac said,Wyatt's probably on broad." "BRING US ALONGSIDE HUDSON",I shouted over the helicoptors's engines. Gunfire rang out from the barge. "Wyatt's gotta be on broad,Issac yelled over the sound of our guns as we fired back. "HUDSON,I shouted,WE GOTTA GET CLOSE." The chopper shook violently as an RPG struck us. "Crap,Hudson yelled,EVERYBODY JUMP!" I slung my MK-48 over my shoulder and jumped,rolling into the side of a shipping container as I hit the deck. "John,Issac yelled,LOOK OUT!" I lifted my head and noticed a man with a machete charging me. I acted quickly,as he swung the blade,I grabbed his hand,punched him in the face,pryed it from is fingers and swung,landing a kill blow in his neck,I cloud feel the blade stick in the bone when I landed the hit. I shoved him aside and took my machine gun from my back as Hudson climbed abroad. I turned my glance towards the barge's tower. "I count twelve hostiles with shotguns and RPDs,I yelled,use grenades if youv'e got them." I pulled my last grenade from it's pouch,pulled the pin and counted.4.3.2. and chucked it. It burst above a group of six guys,killing them all instantly. "Somebody kill that man with the machine gun",an insurgent yelled. About half a dozen pipe bombs got chucked my way. The sight of them flying through the air all at the same time was scary. "Holy shit",I yelled rolling out of the way,nearly losing my weapon in the process (thank god I had my bungee strap). More gunfire rang out as Hudson and Issac fired back. Hudson was a 6'10,350 pound beast of a man with absolutely no room for taking shit from anyone,even fellow Marines. Hudson acts like an ass hole most of the time,but we all love him.Dude has brown hair,green eyes and his abs are hard enough to stop a baseball bat (I am not joking,I hit him with a metal baseball bat and it bent,he literally planted me in the ground after that,I got a nasty case of sun burn that still hasn't quite healed).He was my second in command and was the main reason our four man team was so damn effective. His weapons of choice are a semi automatic FNH FAL OSW with a 35 round clip,ACOG scope,front grip with a B32R automatic pistol in reserve. Issac,my older brother,was the team's rifleman,he stood 6'5 and cloud make a head shot at 1000 yards with an M16,free standing with iron sights. He could shoot the hairs off a fly with his M16 in hand,his hair had nearly turned white from the sun of Iraq. His tools include his M16 with A2 style upper receiver with a 18 inch barrel and 17 inch FF quad rail,with a 20 round clip,semi automatic with a B32R automatic in reserve,and C4.I was the team's leader and the light machine gunner. I stood at 5'10,weigh 120 pounds,with charcoal black hair and blue eyes. Like Hudson,I don't take shit from anyone,the two of us often fight and it always leads to getting buried,or in very rare cases,a live lobster in my bed (I will never forgive him for that,NEVER). My favorite toy was the Sacco Defense MK-48 GPMG in .30-06 with a sanded trigger,Trijjcon Hybrid Optic,front grip,extended clip and a muzzle brake, and painted in desert camouflage,like the rest of the team,I carry the B32R automatic pistol in reserve,except mine is always set for three round burst. Wyatt,my best friend,was the team scout sniper. He'd once hit a four inch target at 1200 yards with his scoped SCAR-H. In combat,he simply flipped it down and was a deadly accurate rifleman. Wyatt stood 6'2,weighed 220 pounds,and was about as intimidating as a cell phone,but damn could the man lay a hit,even with out his prized rifle. Now your'e probably wondering,what the hell is a team of Marines doing killing people on a barge in Vietnam,close to sixty years after the war ended? First off,technically,yes,were marines,more technically,were private contractors. Were the US army's first attempt at what is called a "Class 2 deniable asset". If we get caught,our existence gets denied,we bust our way out and head home. "John,Hudson called,we got multiple contacts coming out of the engine room!" "Put the bastards down",I yelled. Four shots rang out from Hudson's FAL OSW,four bodies hit the floor with a thump."Clear left,Hudson called. "Clear right,I yelled adjusting my vest to keep from frying(As a deniable asset,we got a lot of perks our fellow Marines didn't get,like training with a Delta unit,being allowed to choose our own weapons and uniforms as well as what goes into our kits,I usually fried because I insisted on wearing all black all the time,except for my Shemagh,which was a light tan and the sunglasses that sat in my short hair,which were blue). "Engine room clear,Issac shouted,and look what I found. Issac dropped a bag at our feet which contained Wyatt's equipment,even his rifle was accounted for. I turned my attention to the crate,"I bet I know where those screws were keeping Wyatt. Open it Hudson." As Hudson crushed the padlock within his mighty grip,Issac leaned in and whispered,"Small wonder his weapon's grip is made of titanium." "Heh,no shit." Hudson and I pulled open the crate,the stench of rotting flesh poured out. The sight was unspeakable. Corpses were piled knee high and spilled out as Hudson and I opened the doors. "Aww god",Hudson gagged as we pulled the doors open. "Aww shit",Issac said seeing the bodies. "Wyatt,I called,noticing my voice was shifting back to my Texan accent,you in there brother?" "Bodies are badly decomposed,Hudson said checking one,these men have been dead for months." I noticed a man siting in the corner,wearing custom battle fatigues,and a marine tattoo on his arm,rank of Captain right below it. "Wyatt,I yelled running up to him and grabbing him by the shoulders."It's me,I said tears coming,It's John." Wyatt's eyes were bloodshot,his skin cracked,his blonde hair nearly black from oil. "What the hell did they do to you?" "Horrible things brother,he said as I helped him up,but I'll be fine." "Can you walk,I asked. "Barley,he said,but I'm ready to kick some ass,he can't run far enough after what he done to me." "Fill us in later I said,we got your gear,you good for combat?" "Hell yeah,Wyatt said. "Hate to break up the reunion,Issac shouted,but there's a Russian hind out here!" The Hind opened up on the barge,shredding the back end like paper. "WHAT THE HELL ARE THE RUSSIANS DOING HERE",Hudson shouted. "Trying to kill us,does it matter?" "John,Wyatt yelled,I saw the maggots move some TOW missiles into that crate." On Wyatt's order,Hudson smashed open the box and Valkyrie missiles spilled out. "Get Wyatt to cover",I shouted as I picked one up.I locked the Hind in the sight and let off the missile,striking it in the tail,sending into a spin. "Gotcha,I shouted,he's done." The barge jerked to a stop."Damnit,Hudson said,we ran aground. We all jumped over the side and swam to shore. For Vietnam,the water was quite clean and would have been pleasant to swim in if I wasn't in danger of getting shot. I made it to shore. Opening the dust cover of my MG,I drained the water from the mech. 'We just alerted every gun toting screw in the area,Hudson barked,we need to move our asses. Noticing Wyatt wasn't around,I quickly spun around,finding him washing his face in the water. "Ahh,he said,that's what I needed." "You okay man,I asked draining the water from my B32. "Yeah,he said,these bastards can't run far enough after what they done to me." As a team once agian,we moved into the jungle,calling on silencers(which we carried,no matter where we went) and our time training with Delta,we crept through the jungle until coming on a concentration of militia. "What the hell are Cuban's doing here?",I whispered to Hudson. "Hell if I know",he said. The Cuban soldier was instructing a few kids on weapons tactics,and beating them around. At that moment,I wanted to put an end to him,but at the same time,didn't want to kill anybody else today. An alarm rang,the Cuban took the kids and ran up hill. "Well,I thought,saved me a bullet." "Let's go,I said,stick to the grass,single file and stay low." Like mice trying to crawl trough a nest of snakes,we crouch walked through the waist high grass,giving us perfect cover.I raised my fist,giving the order to halt,"Their right on top of us,I whispered,no movement and stay LOW." It was quite amusing to watch the unorganized mercs scrambling around,dropping their ammo and gear as they tried to mobilize. "This is some You-Tube gold right here",Hudson laughed as he took his IPod and began to record the mercs. The other's did the same and I silently began to beat myself up for leaving my IPod back at base. We reached an area just outside a village that was clear of enemy activity. "John,Issac said,look,they got a radio tower." "I'm going to recon the area,I said,I'll radio for exfill when I find the radio,be ready,cause I got a bad feeling I'm really about to kick the hornets nest." Quiet as I cloud be,I crept up the path,setting proximity claymores as I went. As I neared the top of the hill,I noticed a giant hole in the back of the house. Scanning,I spotted three guys to my left and a single carrying an RPD to my right.I cloud hear a man talking in Spanish on a radio. I quietly pulled my B32 from it's holster and scanned the room before I entered. Finding it clear of everyone but the man,I entered,pistol ready. I placed it to the back of his head as he said "Do not concern yourself with local politics." I spoke slowly and clearly. "You are a dead man unless you do exactly as I say. Tune the radio to... he punched it,it sparked and gave out. I placed my other hand on the pistol,ready to rip his insides out if he tried anything. He said something in Spanish and then said,"You will not kill me American,you are too much of a coward." The door opened,the same Cuban that had been abusing those kids walked in humming a tune. He saw us and I quickly took the radio operator hostage. "Move and he gets it." He said something and I thrust my weapon into the radio guy's throat. "I will spill his brains allover the floor,lay down your weapons,NOW!" The radio operator pulled the pin off a grenade,and then tried to drive a knife into my gut. With a swipe,I disarmed him and put a three round burst from my modified B32 into his forehead,killing him instantly. I ducked out the hole in the back as the grenade exploded,raising the alarm. I ran down the path,back to Hudson and the others. "Did you secure evac,Hudson asked. "Negative,I shouted,were on our own!" Hudson and the others followed as fast as they cloud. I felt my heart stop as we met the banks of the river,and a Hind was moving in. "Crap,Hudson said,no way out." Much to our surprise,the Hind opened up on the Cuban's chasing us."Hah,ha,Frank's voice came from the chopper,you thought I'd forget about you?" We boarded the chopper,first Issac,then Wyatt,then Hudson,followed by me. "Well John,Hudson said putting on his sunglasses,we got him". The Hind lurched,as our M22 had on the way in and we were in a tail spin. "Were going down I shouted,brace for... I was cut short by a rocket exploding in the cabin. I don't know how long I was out,but when I woke,I could feel bandages covering my body and could tell I was missing limbs. My left eye was covered in gauze,so I assumed I had lost it. Tubes and wires disappeared into my chest. An IV was tapped to my arm and,even with the ringing I my ears,I could just hear Hudson screaming at a guy he had pinned in a corner,his B32R to his throat,"YOU DIDN'T SAY A DAMN THING ABOUT MAK...HI..GON! The ringing was so loud I couldn't make it all out,but I could hear my brother calmly say back,"Hudson,we all agreed to go through with it,but leave the final decision to John." "You know it's the only way he's going to live" Hudson settled down a bit after seeing I had woken up. "Oh my god,he's awake" Issac,Hudson and Wyatt looked at me,all had tears in their eyes. I tried to smile,but my jaw was broken. The doctor stood over me with a small syringe filled with blue liquid. "It's bonding agent,it will allow us to fuse your mind with your new body,Marine,he said,you are at the center of possibly the biggest advancement of genetics in history." "I'm going to ask you a few things the doctor said,I want you to squeeze your brother's hand for yes,and blink for no." "Would you like pictures and files on what takes place during the procedure?" "He says yes,Issac said. "Your new body must me grown,squeeze for natural,blink for artificial." I squeezed Issac's hand. "Natural",Issac said. Do you want us to find you once the procedure is complete? "He says yes,Issac said". "Last one Marine,the doctor said,do you want your memory wiped,or implanted? Blink for wiped,squeeze for implanted. If you choose wipe,we will integrate triggers in your DNA to restore it." Even with a broken jaw,I managed to rasp,"Wipe it". "How bad is it,I rasped. "It's bad buddy",Hudson said,your missing both legs,a good sized chunk of your left arm,your left eye is gone,your spinal cord is severed in six places,heavy heart damage,and your right lung got crushed." "Taylor's going to kill me",I rasped. "Ready"The doctor asked. "Do it,I rasped. I felt the needle enter my neck. The liquid filled my throat and I began to slip out. Issac started to cry. "Look at me soldier,I rasped,look at me." Issac turned to me,"Your in charge,keep the team together,when I come back,I expect to find a combat ready team,you got me?" "You make sure you come back little brother,Issac cried,don't die on me!" "Marines don't die." It was the last thing I said before slipping out.