The Halls of Montezuma

Chapter One - MIA
"So this is how it ends?" Asked David to himself as he continued to struggle with his parachute."Elite commander of a marine recon team dies stuck in a tree in a VC swamp?" David was angry now as he pulled on his chute struggling to try to rip the threads which were stuck in the branches of a large tree, effectively dangling David four feet above the cold murky water.

David kept his standard combat knife in his boot which had been dislodged during the fall into the jungle canopy. It was only a matter of time before a VC squad found him, and then he would be easy prey. David groaned in annoyance before his heart froze as he heard splashing in the water from around thirty yards away.

"Charlie." David whispered before hurriedly reaching for his 9mm FN Browning pistol. Using one arm David grasped the handgun firmly before a vietcong fighter emerged from the water.

David screamed as the VC fired eight rounds from his AK-47 towards him before three hollow point bullets pierced the guerilla's chest sending splatters of blood into the air, painting the trees and staining the water red as blood from his wounds oozed out into the brown swampy water.

David moaned and dropped his pistol as he looked towards his shoulder and saw a bloody hole in his body. He pressed down on his wound in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding before he saw three more VC in camoflauged gear run towards him.

The tallest of the group, a man who appeared to be chinese in his mid thirties wearing standard khaki pants with a white torn shirt. Over it was a flight jacket with what David noticed to have a 1st Cavalry Division logo on it with what appeared to be multiple holes from what appeared to be a shotgun blast and blood stains adorning the jacket's left sleeve.

David eyed the fighter who reached for a knife which was kept fastened to his head under his red bandana with a yellow USSR star in the center. David froze as the fighter approached him with the blood stained blade and grabbed his arm, cutting the threads which attached him to his stuck parachute.

David fell into the water, smacking his bruised face on a log before being pulled by his hair from the swamp, being brought face to face with the VC leader who was kneeling and smiling as one of his lackeys lit a cigarette inside his mouth.

"Your dead American." The fighter said in terrible english before David felt a pain in the back of his head and his world faded to black.