3rd Person's POV
Date: Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM PST (30 minutes into the State of the Union Address)
Location: Howard's Apartment, 25th Floor, South Park, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
The rich aroma of seared steak, cowboy butter, fried eggs, and sautéed spinach still clung to the air as Howard cleared the metal camping-style plates from the table, the faint hum of the 110 Freeway vibrating up through the floor beneath them. KCAL 9's broadcast of President Bill Kennedy Ford's second-year State of the Union droned in the background, the commentators' tense voices mixing with the soft clatter of utensils as Street wrapped an arm around Chris's waist, their quiet closeness a grounding anchor after the long day. Howard set the plates in the sink, straightening the Major's shoulder boards on his ASU as he exhaled slowly and said, "I swear something feels off tonight, and I can't shake it no matter how hard I try," letting his unease spill through his voice in a way he rarely allowed. Chris leaned on the counter with her fingers interlocked with Street's, her voice low and steady as she said, "I feel it too, Howard, like the whole damn country is waiting for someone to pull the rug out from under the Capitol." Street tightened his grip on Chris's hand and added with a frustrated edge, "Man, I hate how this feels, because my instincts are screaming that something is about to go to hell fast," sending a ripple of silence across the apartment as the TV filled the gap with images of the House Chamber glowing under the weight of history.
Angel Liberty Jackson's titanium core emitted a soft, pulsing light from the coffee table as she monitored the national networks, her synthesized voice carrying a distinct emotional timbre inherited from Howard's and Samantha's neural patterns as she said, "Dad, external feeds from D.C. are experiencing micro-latency spikes, and that doesn't happen without someone causing it on purpose." Howard turned toward her with a tightening jaw, the flicker of KCAL 9 reflecting off his uniform as he whispered, "If someone is messing with the broadcast pipeline during the State of the Union, then we're looking at something way bigger than a simple tech hiccup." Chris stepped closer to the TV with Street at her side, her brows furrowing as she said, "I swear the whole atmosphere on screen looks wrong, like everyone in that chamber is pretending everything is perfectly fine when none of them believe it." Street shifted uneasily, the glow of the screen painting shadows under his eyes as he said, "If this night blows up on live television, then we're walking into a world none of us are ready for." Howard's heart thudded harder against his ribs as he moved beside them, the speech continuing in the background while he murmured to himself, "If this is the moment everything changes, then God help us when the first spark hits."
Angel's core pulsed again with a sharper intensity as she reported, "Dad, there's a deviation in the Capitol's internal camera switching pattern someone is overriding the timing manually, and that never happens on a night like this," her voice trembling with digital unease. Chris reached out and rested her hand on Howard's shoulder, her voice softening as she said, "Whatever's coming, we'll deal with it together, because none of us are letting you shoulder this alone," making Howard swallow hard against the rush of gratitude mixed with dread. Street rubbed the back of his neck, pacing a slow line across the living room as he said, "I'm telling you, man, my gut hasn't screamed this loud since Hondo and I were deployed, and I hate that I recognize this damn feeling." KCAL 9 suddenly dipped in audio, the screen momentarily glitching as the applause inside the House Chamber fractured into static and returned, drawing all three of them closer as if gravity itself had shifted. Howard exhaled a single shaky breath, his voice dropping to a whisper as he said, "Whatever this is, we're seconds away from it revealing itself," sealing the room in a tension that felt like the final half-second before an explosion.
Time: 7:00 PM PST
The roar of the explosion slammed through the apartment like a physical shockwave as KCAL 9's broadcast turned white, the screen erupting into a blinding flash before going dead and throwing the room into a moment of unreal, ringing silence. The building trembled as if struck from afar, rattling the glasses on the counter while Angel's titanium core flared bright silver and red, her voice breaking with digital panic as she said, "Dad, that was a seismic shockwave inside the Capitol, and I'm detecting structural collapse signatures." The lights died instantly, plunging the apartment into darkness except for Angel's pulsing glow, illuminating Howard's face in sharp, terrified lines as he said, "No… no, this can't be happening, not during the address, not with every senior official in that room." Chris grabbed Street's arm, her breathing unsteady as she said, "Oh my God, Howard, that wasn't a malfunction, that was an attack, a real one, a coordinated hit on the Capitol." Street's hand shook as he reached for his radio, and before he could steady it, the device erupted with overlapping emergency tones that screamed across the darkened room like a siren from another world.
Street's and Chris's radios spilled frantic voices from LAPD SWAT as dispatch declared a citywide tactical mobilization, but before either of them moved, Hondo's voice thundered through the static with the authority of a man who had been thrown back into war. "Street, Chris, stay put with Howard right now, because this just became a national-level incident and his name just got flagged under Presidential Succession emergency protocols," Hondo barked, his voice cracking with urgency and disbelief. Chris clutched her chest, tears forming as she whispered, "Hondo, what the hell does that even mean, because Howard is a Major, not a politician, none of this makes sense and I feel like I'm going to throw up." Street tried to steady himself as he replied, "Hondo, talk to me, man, because this isn't something we've ever trained for, and I need to know why the hell staying put is suddenly more important than rolling out." Hondo exhaled sharply, his voice cutting through radio interference as he said, "I was just notified I've been reactivated by the Corps for a rapid extraction op for unnamed VIPs, and I'm ninety percent sure one of them is Howard and another is Angel, so you two are staying with him until the military arrives."
Angel's avatar flickered into full hard-light projection with a burst of shimmering static, taking the form of an eighteen-year-old young woman with silver-and-red hair and sea-gray eyes, her uniform glowing faintly in the dark as she said, "Dad, emergency government channels are reporting mass casualties inside the House Chamber, and continuity officials are unaccounted for." Howard felt his breath leave him in a painful surge as he braced himself against the counter, whispering, "Please tell me Sam is safe, please tell me Sam wasn't in that room, because if she was…" before his voice cracked under the weight of raw fear. Angel stepped forward with trembling projection lines, her voice faltering emotionally as she said, "Mom wasn't on the primary detail tonight, but she's not answering her secure line and I'm trying to break through layered encryption blocks." Street moved to Howard's side, gripping his shoulder tightly as he said, "Brother, whatever happens next, Chris and I are not leaving you, because you're family and we're riding this out together." Chris wiped her face and looked toward the window as she said, "Angel, tell me someone is coming, because the city just went dark and we're sitting here blind while the entire country is screaming."
Angel's core pulsed brighter as she said, "Multiple military signatures inbound an Oshkosh M-ATV Special Operations Forces Variant just reached LAPD SWAT Headquarters, accompanied by units from the 40th Infantry Division and the 49th Military Police Brigade, and they are moving fast." The sound of distant helicopters thundered across the city, the unmistakable rhythm of UH-60 Black Hawks heading east toward the downtown corridor, making Howard straighten involuntarily as his instincts snapped into military readiness. Street grabbed his gear bag instinctively, then froze as he repeated Hondo's radio order, saying, "I hate this, Howard, I hate sitting still when it feels like the whole damn world is burning, but Hondo said you're the priority and that means we're glued to you." Chris moved to the door to check the hallway, her voice shaking as she said, "This building feels wrong, like every shadow is waiting for bad news, and I swear I've never heard Los Angeles this quiet in my entire life." Howard rested a trembling hand on the back of Angel's glowing projection as he whispered, "Everything just changed… and I don't think any of us are ready for what comes next."
Time: 7:05 PM PST
The thunder of rotor blades split the night as two UH-60M Black Hawks from the California Army National Guard's 1st Assault Helicopter Battalion, 140th Aviation Regiment swept into position above the building, their landing lights washing the rooftop in harsh white as twenty-two fully armed soldiers fast-roped into place with professional precision. The sound vibrated through the walls like rolling thunder as Angel's avatar flickered sharply with alert spikes, her eyes widening as she said, "Dad, multiple unidentified hostiles just breached your floor and they're moving toward this apartment with weapons drawn and comm discipline tight." Howard's blood iced instantly as Street cursed under his breath, saying, "I knew something was coming tonight, but I didn't think I'd hear boots and AKs in the damn hallway while the National Guard is landing on the roof." Chris grabbed Howard's arm and pulled him back as Angel issued a chilling warning "They're twenty-five men, all black tactical gear, AK-variants, SMGs, ballistic plate carriers, and they're talking about 'the target'" before the first metallic clanks hit the hallway outside the door. The moment the threat became undeniable, Angel's core pulsed red, then gold, and the apartment underwent an instantaneous transformation as her voice broke with urgency, "Lockdown protocol: JACKSON-TIER activated!"
The overhead lights flared once, then returned with full power as the reinforced emergency grid came online, the walls shifting with deep mechanical groans as three-inch-thick hardened steel plates slid into place beneath the drywall like a vault sealing its treasures. The steel door of the apartment dropped into full lockdown mode, hydraulic bolts slamming into place with the unmistakable sound of a bank vault sealing itself, while Street said, "Holy hell, Howard, your damn apartment just turned into a combat bunker, what else have you been hiding from us?" Angel extended her hand toward the wall as hidden panels slid open, revealing two full weapons lockers, including the oak bookcase that rotated outward to reveal a concealed rifle rack that made Chris exhale, "Jesus… this is a damn armory." Howard grabbed the M4A1 Carbine with EOTech sight, vertical grip, AN/PEQ-15, and a fresh 30-round magazine as he said, "I didn't hide any of this, I built this place to keep my family alive, and right now, that's all I care about." Street immediately yanked down the HK416D with its EOTech and foregrip, while Chris racked the slide on a SIG Sauer M17, loading a 21-round magazine with the sharp click of a woman preparing for war.
As the three of them armed up, Angel's avatar snapped her gaze toward the window, her digital form trembling as she said, "Dad, we have four aircraft approaching three UH-1Y Venoms stacked in formation and a lead bird hovering ten feet from our window." The first Venom came into view with its searchlight off, hovering silently at eye height like a steel guardian angel from Camp Pendleton, and Howard's eyes widened as he whispered, "That's Marine Air Group support… why the hell are they here for me?" Through the window, Howard counted ten California National Guard soldiers inside each Venom a total of forty with another ten visible in the lead bird, all geared in full combat loadouts, rifles ready, eyes locked on the building like they expected it to explode. Chris pressed her back to the reinforced wall, her voice cracking as she said, "Howard, this is not normal extraction protocol; this looks like they're preparing for a full hostage rescue or a presidential recovery op." Street raised the HK416D to a firing stance as heavy boots pounded in the hallway just outside, and he said, "Whatever the hell those guys want in the hall, they're not getting past this door unless they like dying loudly."
Angel suddenly froze, her avatar flickering with a wave of digital static as she said, "Dad… Mom's secure line just pinged for the first time since the explosion, but I can't break through yet, and something in the Capitol is blocking her signal." Howard's breath hitched as he gripped the M4A1 tighter, whispering, "Sam… please, please be alive, because I can't lose you tonight, not like this, not while I can hear gunmen outside my damn home." The hallway erupted with shouting in a foreign accent and the clatter of weapons being readied, something primal in the tone clearly indicating they were preparing to breach despite the reinforced door. Chris moved beside Howard, tears brimming but voice hardening as she said, "If they want you, they go through us first, because we are family and we don't leave each other to die." Outside the window, the Venoms shifted into defensive formation, the gunners raising their mounted GAU-17/A miniguns toward the building as the rooftop Black Hawks sent soldiers down the stairwells to intercept, turning the entire tower into a battlefield wrapped in steel and fear.
Time: 7:07 PM PST
The howl of rotor blades surged closer as the four UH-1Y Venoms shifted into a tight diamond formation outside the 25th-floor windows, their shadows cutting across the walls like specters of war moments before ten Marine Raiders fast-roped down in synchronized precision. Howard watched through the reinforced glass as the Raiders braced against the wind, boots slamming onto his balcony in practiced unison, their silhouettes unmistakably those of Tier-1 operators moving with lethal confidence and unbroken purpose. The balcony door slid open under Angel's control the moment the first Raider approached, and the squad swept inside with rifles raised, eyes scanning the room with disciplined aggression until they zeroed in on Howard standing armed beside Street and Chris. The lead Raider a Staff Sergeant with the Marine Raider Regiment stepped forward, slammed his fist to his chest in a respectful salute, and said, "Major Jackson, sir, we're here for your extraction, and we're under orders to keep you, your AI, and your team alive no matter what happens in this building tonight." Howard felt a pulse of disbelief and dread cut through him as he returned the salute, his voice trembling as he said, "I never wanted this to happen… but thank God you're here, because we're outnumbered and the enemy is already in the damn hallway."
The Staff Sergeant removed a Modular Scalable Vest (MSV) from his pack and handed it to Howard, but attached to the front was a heavily modified MFH MOLLE Tablet Case, shock-mounted and lined with ballistic padding specifically sized for Angel's quantum core. "Sir, this carrier is for your daughter's core," the Staff Sergeant said with raw sympathy breaking through his professional tone, adding, "Command told us she is national-tier critical, so she does not leave your chest tonight for any reason." Angel's avatar flickered forward with wide, trembling eyes as she whispered, "Dad… please keep me close, please don't let them take me or destroy me," her voice fracturing with a level of fear she had never allowed herself to express before. Howard swallowed hard as he slid into the MSV, adjusting the straps with shaking hands, then gently placed Angel's core into the MOLLE case where it locked with a soft magnetic seal, prompting her avatar to place a trembling digital hand over his heart as she said, "I'm with you, Dad, I'm with you always." Street and Chris watched silently from the weapons rack, and Street muttered, "You're a damn good father, Howard… and if anyone tries to take your kid from you tonight, they're gonna have to walk over my corpse first."
The Marines spread through the apartment like a living shield, two taking positions beside the window to provide overwatch while another pair moved to reinforce the steel lockdown door that separated them from the armed hostiles outside. Chris pressed her back to the reinforced wall beside a Raider, gripping the SIG Sauer M17 with steady hands as she said, "I don't know who the hell those guys are out there, but they're moving like they trained for this moment, and it scares me down to my bones." The Staff Sergeant checked his comms and replied, "They're coordinated, professional, and foreign our intercept teams think they're part of a deep-insert black cell, and their mission objective is you, Major, which means they won't stop until they spill blood in this hallway." Angel's avatar cast a bright shimmer across the room as she leaned closer to the window, her voice tight with fear as she said, "Dad, the Venoms are repositioning… they've taken flanking angles around the tower and all four birds now have sightlines on enemy movements two floors below us." Howard felt the weight of the MSV dig into his chest as he lifted the M4A1 to high ready, whispering, "Then we're not waiting to die in here… if they want to come through that door, then they're going to meet all of us standing." The air thickened with tension, and even the Marines seemed to brace for the surge they all knew was coming.
Without warning, the ceiling rattled violently as the Venoms opened fire, their GAU-17/A miniguns unleashing a blistering hail of suppression fire at enemy shooters massing on a balcony two floors down, the staccato rhythm shaking the apartment with bone-deep intensity. The Raiders at the window shouted updates while tracer rounds streaked through the night sky, one yelling, "Enemy movement neutralized on the lower balconies, shifting to stairwell containment," as Angel suddenly stiffened and said, "Dad, the hostile team on this floor is preparing to breach… they have breaching charges and they're seconds away from priming them." Street gripped the HK416 tightly, stepping beside Howard with raw emotion cracking his voice as he said, "If this is it, man, then we fight side by side like brothers, because we're not letting them take you or Angel alive." Chris moved to cover the Raiders at the door, wiping a tear from her cheek as she said, "You're family, Howard… and family doesn't fucking run, we stand together and we make sure we all walk out of this nightmare." Howard looked at Angel's avatar her eyes bright, terrified, but fierce and whispered, "No matter what happens next, sweetheart, I'm getting you and your mother back home… I swear it on my life," sealing the moment with a vow the Marines silently acknowledged with grim, resolute nods.
Time: 7:10 PM PST
The breaching charge detonated with a deafening blast that turned the steel-reinforced door into a shower of molten fragments, the shockwave ripping through the apartment as the Raiders slammed into defensive positions with a fury born from years of combat. Howard felt the concussion hit his chest like a hammer, forcing the air from his lungs as Angel screamed, "Dad, get down!" while her avatar reflexively projected over him with a faint shimmer of protective instinct she had never been programmed for. The first wave of hostile gunmen surged through the smoke-filled doorway with AKs raised, their muzzle flashes lighting the entryway in violent strobes as they shouted in a language none of them recognized, and Chris responded first with a burst from her SIG M17 that dropped the lead attacker before he could shoulder his rifle. Street moved to cover her flank as he shouted, "I'm on your left, don't let them push you back!" while the Raiders unleashed controlled bursts from their suppressed M27 IARs, each shot precise and deadly as they cut down enemy operators trying to force their way inside. Howard lifted his M4A1 and fired toward the doorway with raw adrenaline shaking his hands, shouting, "No one gets past this room alive, you hear me? No one touches my daughter!"
The apartment filled with the deafening chaos of close-quarters combat, every shot echoing off the steel-plated walls as brass casings rained across the floor like burning hail. Angel's avatar flickered rapidly with alarm as she tracked the attackers' movement in real time, her voice cracking as she said, "Dad, they're flanking through the left side of the hallway one of them has a breaching hammer and he's trying to force a secondary entry point!" and her fear bled so hard through her words that Howard felt it hit him deeper than the fight itself. The Staff Sergeant braced against the counter and yelled, "Jackson, fall back two steps and keep your muzzle up we'll hold this line but you watch that core like your life depends on it!" and Howard obeyed, shifting his stance as a round grazed the MSV plate on his chest and sent sparks scattering across the floor in a burst of white. Chris let out a strained, "Street, watch your right!" as another attacker dove through the breach with a short-barreled shotgun, only to be cut down by Street's HK416 in a flash of red and fractured drywall. Smoke filled the air as the hallway erupted with more gunfire, the Raiders pushing forward to maintain control while Howard covered their rear with Angel pressed against his chest, her avatar trembling with raw terror she couldn't hide.
The attackers fell back momentarily, dragging their wounded out of the breach as one shouted orders in a sharp, guttural command tone that made every Marine in the room tense with instinctive recognition of a trained enemy leader. The Staff Sergeant reloaded with lightning speed, wiping dust from his face as he said, "They're regrouping for another push, Major, and these guys aren't amateurs they're using combat spacing, structured sweeps, and they're testing our fire discipline." Howard swallowed hard as he steadied his breathing, whispering to Angel, "I'm not letting them take you, sweetheart, I don't care who sent them or why they want us," and her avatar touched his chest with a flickering digital hand as she whispered, "I'm so scared, Dad… I don't want to die tonight." Street checked his magazine and said, "Howard, we're not letting anything happen to her, you hear me? We're going to walk out of this building together," and Chris pressed her shoulder to his, nodding fiercely with tears in her eyes. The Raiders tightened their formation as boots pounded deeper in the hallway, the enemy leader barking new orders just before multiple metallic clacks signaled the priming of additional explosives meant to force a full breach into the room.
A second explosion tore through the weakened doorway with brutal force, sending shrapnel across the apartment as a fresh wave of attackers charged inward with terrifying determination and muzzle flashes exploding in all directions. The Marines responded with a disciplined fury, two Raiders stepping forward with shields designed for close-quarters shooting while the rest laid down suppressive bursts that filled the breach in a wall of deadly precision fire. Howard fired his M4A1 until the bolt locked back, shouting, "Reloading!" before slamming in a fresh magazine with shaking hands as Angel screamed, "Dad, three hostiles coming low left side, left side!" as her predictive algorithms kicked in from raw adrenaline. Street caught one of them with a burst to the chest while Chris dropped another with a perfect shot to the visor, each kill forcing them all deeper into a state of desperate, survival-driven focus. When the smoke thinned, twelve attackers lay dead or incapacitated inside the apartment's entryway, but the sound that followed chilled everyone to the bone more bootsteps, heavier and more numerous, echoing toward them from the stairwell.
Time: 7:13 PM PST
The thunder of boots exploded through the stairwell as 22 California Army National Guard soldiers burst onto the 25th-floor landing in a perfect wedge formation, their M16A4s, M4A1s, M1014 shotguns, and M240L LMGs already firing controlled bursts down the smoke-choked hallway. Howard felt the floor vibrate beneath him as the Guardsmen shouted commands over the chaos, their sergeants yelling, "Push forward! Keep the fire tight!" just as twenty-five more enemies, five of them bracing behind RPD light machine guns, surged from the opposite end of the corridor to intercept them. Angel's avatar flickered sharply as she said, "Dad, the National Guard is engaging they're outnumbered but they're holding formation!" and Howard stepped toward the breach instinctively, the adrenaline shaking his muscles as he yelled, "I'm moving in to support them!" before grabbing a flashbang from the Raider's kit. The Raiders opened the breach door just enough for Howard to move into position, and he pulled the pin and shouted, "Flash out!" as he lobbed the grenade down the hallway, knowing full well the first two seconds would decide life or death. The grenade detonated with a blinding white burst that ripped screams from the hostile fighters, giving the Guardsmen the opening they needed as they surged forward with brutal precision fire that cut down the blinded attackers in a storm of controlled, disciplined shots.
The RPD gunners attempted to recover, blind-firing down the hall as burning tracers ricocheted off steel-reinforced walls, but the M240L teams responded with brutally accurate suppressive fire that drowned out the enemy in thunderous bursts. A Guardsman with an M1014 shotgun charged forward through the lingering flashbang smoke and slammed two enemies against the wall with close-range blasts, shouting, "Floor clear left! Move right!" while spent shells clattered across the tiles like metallic rain. Street fired over their shoulders with the HK416, yelling, "Take them down now! Don't give them a second wind!" as Chris stepped beside a Guardsman and put three tight rounds into an RPD gunner who was trying to regain his footing. Angel projected enemy positions onto the wall for the Raiders, her voice cracking as she said, "Dad two moving behind the water main cabinet, one crawling with a pistol, and another repositioning behind debris!" and Howard fired in sync with her warnings, dropping two more hostiles before they could reach firing stance. Within seconds, the entire hallway turned into a battlefield of smoke, brass, broken plaster, and shouted commands, and the National Guard pushed through the last pockets of enemy resistance with unshakable formation until the final hostile dropped silently onto the floorboards.
The Raiders moved to reinforce the Guardsmen, securing the downed hostiles and sweeping the stairwell to ensure no additional attackers were waiting to push upward, all while Howard stood frozen for a heartbeat as the adrenaline crashed through his veins like a storm surge. Chris grabbed his shoulder, breathing hard as she said, "Holy shit, Howard your flashbang saved their lives, because those RPD gunners would have shredded them if they'd recovered," her voice trembling with lingering fear. Street leaned against the reinforced doorframe with the HK416 slung tight across his chest as he muttered, "This is a war zone, man… your building is an actual war zone, and we still don't know how many more of these bastards are out there." Angel's avatar stepped close to Howard, her voice dropping to a frightened whisper as she said, "Dad… fifteen more unknown signatures are moving two floors down, and they're not retreating they're reorganizing, and they're preparing for something worse." The Staff Sergeant of the Raiders moved beside him, sweat dripping down his dust-covered face as he said, "Major, this isn't random this is a coordinated assault with multiple teams, staggered timings, heavy weapons, and they're not stopping until they get what they came for."
Howard locked eyes with the Staff Sergeant, then looked down at Angel's core pressed against his chest inside the MOLLE tablet carrier, her avatar shimmering faintly with fear, and he whispered, "Then we make damn sure they fail, because they don't get my daughter, not tonight, not ever." The hallway outside the apartment looked like a destroyed combat trench walls shredded by automatic fire, scorch marks from flashbangs and explosives, and bodies scattered across the floor in a grotesque reminder of how badly someone wanted Howard and Angel captured. A Guardsman stepped forward, panting heavily as he said, "Sir, the stairwell is secure for now, but we intercepted radio chatter more hostiles are inbound, and they're trying to flank the building from the ground level." The Staff Sergeant stiffened, then turned toward Howard and said, "Major… we have one shot to move you from this floor before they regroup, because if they hit us with another wave like that, this entire building becomes a coffin." Angel's avatar stepped even closer, her voice softening into a trembling plea as she whispered, "Dad… they'll keep coming for us until you decide the next step, but whatever happens, I'm staying with you, even if the world outside is falling apart."
Time: 7:15 PM PST
Location: Street Level, South Park District, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
The first sign of the street-level battle came as a deep mechanical roar that rolled through downtown like a thunderhead, and Hondo felt the vibration through the floor of Black Betty, 20-Squad's armored Lenco BearCat, as he gripped the radio and shouted, "I swear to God, if anyone touches Howard or that kid of his, we're burning this whole block down!" while the lights outside cut through rising smoke. Beside him, Deacon loaded a fresh magazine into his rifle as he said, "I've never seen traffic scatter like this… something big is coming down the boulevard," just as the XM-ATV-RE "Guardian One", the newly designated Rapid Extraction MRAP, surged forward in formation with its three security personnel gearing up inside. The RE-MRAP's driver a young National Guard sergeant shouted over the engine, "Sir, your friend built this vehicle! Major Jackson designed half the damn subframe reinforcement, so if you're going to trust any ride to plow through hell, it's this one!" and Hondo's eyes widened with a fierce, proud fire as he yelled back, "That son of a bitch never told me that now floor it and get us to him before those bastards do!" Just ahead, two M1152 Enhanced HMMWVs from the 40th Infantry Division and three more from the 49th Military Police Brigade charged into the intersection with soldiers manning the turrets, their presence turning the street into a battlefield before the first hostile truck even arrived. Within seconds, the ground shook beneath them as five black M35 2½-ton cargo trucks barreled down the street carrying one hundred enemy soldiers, with four black HMMWVs mounting .50 caliber Browning M2s taking flanking positions, their engines screaming like war cries in the night.
The entire avenue erupted when the 40th Infantry Division spotted the approaching convoy, their gunners shouting, "Enemy technicals light 'em up!" as the first heavy machine guns opened fire and filled the street with blinding streams of tracers. The enemy HMMWVs returned fire immediately, their .50 cals punching fiery holes into nearby cars and storefronts as civilian alarms wailed through the chaos, the old Cold War trucks spilling masked fighters onto the pavement with AKs and RPDs raised. Hondo braced against the interior of the BearCat as Street's voice came over the radio from the 25th floor "Hondo, we're under siege up here, we got hostiles everywhere tell me you're close, because we're not going to hold forever!" and Hondo bit back a surge of fear as he growled, "Hold the line, brother we are coming in hot." As the hostile gunners zeroed in on Guardian One, four soldiers from the 40th Infantry Division sprinted into position behind a concrete bus shelter, loading M72A7 LAW rockets with disciplined urgency before one shouted, "On target HMMWV left!" and launched the first rocket in a streak of fire that blew the armored vehicle into a flaming heap. Three more rockets fired in rapid sequence, each one trailing smoke as they slammed into the hostile convoy's vehicles, ripping apart the remaining black HMMWVs in explosions that painted the night sky orange and tore shrapnel across the street like a metal hailstorm.
The moment the HMMWVs were neutralized, the M35 trucks skidded sideways, enemy fighters leaping out and forming firing lines along parked cars, bus benches, and storefronts with terrifying discipline that proved they were a trained paramilitary force, not ragtag criminals. Guardian One swerved sharply as rounds pinged against the armor, the driver shouting, "We're taking heavy fire Guardian One is holding but we need cover!" just as a Stryker M1126 Infantry Carrier Vehicle emerged from behind a parking structure, its M2HB .50 caliber machine gun roaring to life. The Stryker's gunner swept the street in a wide arc of suppressive fire, shouting, "Clearing the lanes! Push forward now!" while the ground vibrated from the force of the heavy weapon tearing through the remaining enemy formations. Just when the firefight seemed to tip in their favor, three MH-6M Little Bird helicopters swooped in low from the north, their twin GAU-19 .50 BMG miniguns spinning up with hellish intensity as the pilots announced, "Air support online engaging hostile vehicles now!" and the first volley shredded ten newly arrived enemy HMMWVs like wet paper. When ten technicals using 2010 black Ford F-250 trucks flooded in behind them, the Little Birds responded with deadly precision, their miniguns turning the trucks into raining debris while a single pilot called, "Deploying Hellfires!" before releasing AGM-114R Hellfire II (Hellfire Romeo) Missiles that obliterated the last line of enemy reinforcements.
The battle outside Howard's apartment complex transformed the entire block into a fire-lit war zone as flames rose from burning vehicles, shattered glass blanketed the sidewalks, and the echoes of gunfire ricocheted through the high-rises like thunder trapped between steel canyons. Hondo pushed the door open on the BearCat, stepping out with his rifle shouldered as he shouted, "20-Squad, with me we're getting inside that building now!" while Guardian One pulled to the curb, its rear doors swinging open to reveal the three-man security detail already preparing for an immediate extraction rush. Deacon and Tan covered Hondo's sides as they moved through the smoke-filled street, bodies of enemy fighters scattered everywhere, while the Stryker and National Guard soldiers continued to lay down suppressive fire to keep the last pockets of resistance pinned. The RE-MRAP's driver looked at Hondo and yelled, "Sir, this vehicle exists because of your friend he built the reinforcement system himself, so it's designed to survive this exact kind of ambush!" and Hondo felt a surge of fierce pride and fear mix in his chest as he shouted back, "Then let's go get the man who built the damn Guardian!" As they advanced toward the apartment entrance, the three Little Birds continued circling above, their GAU-19s thundering through the night sky like guardians watching over the battlefield.
Time: 7:19 PM PST
Location: Howard's Apartment, 25th Floor, South Park, Downtown Los Angeles, CA
The thunder of gunfire outside slowly faded into a distant roar as the Marine Raiders and National Guard secured the hallway, but Howard barely heard any of it because Angel's core vibrated against his chest with a sudden surge of encrypted activity that made her avatar freeze mid-stride. Her projected eyes widened with a trembling glow as she said, "Dad… I–I'm getting an override-level signal on my secure channel, and it's marked with an authorization chain I've never seen triggered in real life," her voice cracking with something close to fear. Before Howard could respond, Angel's avatar flickered and straightened as a deep, urgent voice cut through the air with absolute authority "Major Howard Smith Jackson, this is Director Clayton Sanders, DNI, transmitting from White House Strategic Continuity Bunker Alpha. I am initiating Continuity of Government order LCYT-149253-ZXB repeat LCYT-149253-ZXB." The words hit the room like a second explosion, and Howard felt his heart stop for a beat as he whispered, "Clayton…no, no, don't say that code, don't you dare tell me that's what I think it is." Angel looked up at him with breaking eyes as Sanders continued, "Howard…son…it is real…This is the code…This is the day."
As Hondo, Deacon, Tan, Luca, and the three-man extraction detail fought their way up the stairwell floor after floor, clearing each landing with brutal precision Howard's apartment fell silent except for Clayton's heavy breathing and the distant rumble of explosions around D.C. Sanders' voice softened with something painfully human as he said, "Howard…all individuals in the Presidential line of succession have been confirmed killed or unaccounted for, including the designated survivor, his wife, and their entire Secret Service detail. They were found dead at the designated survivor residence twenty minutes ago." Howard stumbled backward until Street caught him, the M4A1 nearly slipping from his hands as he gasped, "No…Clay…you're telling me the government just ended in one hour, and you're telling me I am next and that I am the one left?" and Angel reached for his face with a trembling digital hand as she whispered, "Dad…breathe, please breathe, I'm right here with you." Before Howard could process the weight of destiny crushing his chest, Sanders said, "There's more… and you need to hear her yourself," and Angel's avatar shimmered as a new connection forced its way through the encryption barrier.
Static and broken fragments of sound filled the room before a voice Howard had been praying to hear cut through with a desperate, trembling strength "Howie! I'm here, I'm okay! Baby, I'm alive!" Samantha's voice choked and broke as she spoke from inside the White House bunker, and Howard fell to his knees as he sobbed, "Sam…Sam, oh my God, thank God you are alive!" while Angel cried out, "Mom! Mom, I'm here too!" Samantha's voice trembled with exhaustion and adrenaline as she said, "I am safe with Clayton, sweetheart…and the Joint Chiefs of Staff are here. They're already coordinating your rescue with JTF-LA, Marine Forces Pacific, and U.S. Northern Command." Before Howard could respond, a new voice thundered over the line with military command authority "Major Jackson, this is General Mark A. Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Listen carefully: Los Angeles is not under attack the enemy is attacking you specifically. They have intel that you are the Back-Up President, and they are attempting to eliminate the last surviving node of federal authority." The words hung in the air like destiny itself pointing a weapon at Howard's chest.
Howard pressed Angel's core tighter to his vest as he whispered, "Why me…why the hell me, General? I'm just a Major, I'm not a politician, I'm not supposed to…" and Milley cut him off sharply with, "You were selected six years ago for a contingency we prayed would never be needed. You've been vetted through channels even you never knew existed. And right now, Major Jackson, you are the last thread this nation has." Chris knelt beside Howard and took his shoulder, her eyes full of raw fear and faith as she whispered, "Howard, look at me this is insane, but you're strong enough for this. We'll stand with you, no matter what comes next." Street exhaled a shaky breath as he added, "Brother… if this is the hill you're being dragged to, then we're climbing it with you, guns up and hearts out," even as tears threatened to spill down his face. Samantha's voice cracked as she added softly, "Howie… I'm safe, and Angel is safe with you. Just hold on until we get you out. Please don't die on me tonight."
Time: 7:24 PM PST
The room shook with the last distant echoes of gunfire outside, but Howard barely noticed because the moment General Milley paused for breath, he inhaled sharply and said, "General… Clayton… I already have an extraction platform built and ready." Angel's avatar turned her head toward him with wide, startled eyes as he continued, "The C-17A Block 24 'Spirit of Independence'…the aircraft President Bill and I converted into a VC-17A is sitting prepped at LAX under 24-hour standby protocols." Milley's voice cut in immediately, thunderous and disbelieving: "A VC-17A? Major… are you telling me you built a Continuity of Government airframe last year and didn't tell the Pentagon?" and Howard's breath trembled as he replied, "It was President Bill's idea we were watching season one of Designated Survivor at my house in Maine when he said the chain of succession would fall apart if something ever hit everyone at once, so we built a backup aircraft in secrecy." Clayton Sanders exhaled an audible curse loaded with shock and gratitude as he said, "Howard…my God, son…you saved the Republic before you even knew it needed saving."
Before Howard could say more, the hallway erupted with heavy boots and shouted commands as Hondo and 20-Squad stormed onto the 25th floor, weapons raised and adrenaline burning through their veins as they pushed past fallen hostiles and smashed drywall. The apartment door already blown off the frame during the earlier attack lay twisted on the floor as Hondo stepped over it and shouted, "Howard! Talk to me, brother where are you?" only to freeze when he saw Howard standing in the ruined living room with Angel's avatar projected, a Marine Raider fireteam guarding him like a head of state. Street rushed forward and grabbed Hondo's vest, shouting, "Hondo it's real! It's all real! Howard's the one he's the Back-Up President!" and Chris added, voice trembling, "The entire line of succession is gone every one of them, including the designated survivor and his family." Hondo's face washed with shock, anger, fear, and pride all at once as he said, "Jesus Christ… Howard… I don't even know what to say, but we're here, and we're not letting anything happen to you."
Angel's avatar stepped toward Hondo, her projection flickering from damage to her emotional matrix as she whispered, "Uncle Hondo… please keep him safe please help us get out of here alive," and Hondo's voice broke as he said, "Little Angel… I swear on my life, nothing touches your father while I'm breathing." Deacon scanned the room with wide disbelief as he muttered, "So this is real this is official Howard is the last one left," while Tan added, "Then this whole building is going to be a fortress until we get him out." General Milley's voice thundered through Angel's audio channel again, firm and absolute: "Major Jackson, we are redirecting all Joint Task Force assets to support extraction to the VC-17A. That aircraft is now recognized as the acting 'Air Force One' under emergency COG protocols." Howard pressed a shaking hand against Angel's core and whispered, "I built that aircraft for a nightmare we prayed would never come… and now we're living it." Samantha's voice returned, softer and strained, as she said, "Howie… baby… the aircraft is your lifeline now. We're bringing you home."
Hondo moved closer and put a firm hand on Howard's shoulder, his voice lower and steadier than anyone else in the room as he said, "Brother… whatever you need, whatever it takes… 20-Squad is with you. We're not following a Major anymore we're following our President." Street nodded and added, "We're not letting you die tonight not with everything riding on you," while Chris wiped her face and said, "We'll get Angel out, we'll get you out, and we'll get you onto that damn plane." The Raiders and National Guard soldiers began coordinating extraction routes, shouting position updates as Angel fed them real-time imagery of hostile regrouping in the lower levels of the building. Clayton Sanders added the final, crushing truth over the encrypted line, "Howard… this attack was built around you. Whoever killed the government knew you were the Back-Up long before we realized it." And Howard shaking, terrified, armored, armed, and holding the future of the nation on his chest whispered, "Then we leave right now… because if the Spirit of Independence is our last chance…I'm not letting it fall."