War: Brothers in Bloodby TheEighthDayofNightChaptersWar:BeginningWar Part 1: Brothers in Blood: Chapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3War:BeginningDate: May 28th, 2018 Location: Iraq, “Suicide Run” Time: 01300, Ten minutes from contact Mission objective: Contact and negotiate “Alright, Alright, this is a radio check before we hit the hot zone, all units check in.” The reply’s filtered through over the radio. “Apache’s 1 and 2 checkin’ in. This is Black Hawk two checking in.” Warrant Officer Daniel Higgs flipped a switch on the control panel. “This is BH one checking in, Our package is designate Bravo, our job is to keep his ass alive, so keep sharp and constantly check your six. They don’t call this Suicide Run for nothing.” He got a chorus of “yes sirs” as the other pilots tightened their seatbelts and checked their controls. Giving his copilot a thumbs up, he unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to address the soldiers waiting behind the cockpit of the Black Hawk. Higgs turned off his radio mic and shouted instructions to the soldiers. “Listen up! I’m only gonna say this once! We are on a diplomatic mission, meaning you do not fire unless fired upon! We have already sent a message ahead, so they know we are coming! If one of you trigger happy grunts shoots before you’re told, you will be landing the hard way! Do I make myself clear?” “SIR YES SIR!” With a nod from their squad leader, Higgs returned to the cockpit and buckled himself in. He grinned at his copilot, a young private with a last name of Stevens. “Ready for this Stevens?” he asked The private snorted. “Is anybody?” Higgs nodded and laughed, slapping Stevens on the shoulder. “I hear that! But don’t worry, we’ll probably take a little flak on the approach, but once we wave the white flag, it’ll be peaches and candy.” “Peaches and candy sir?” Higgs laughed again. “You’ve never heard that saying before? I use it around my boy all the time. He always says it makes me sound old.” The Black Hawk rocked, slamming Higgs face into the control panel. Clutching his head he asked, “What was that? Damage report Private!” Stevens flicked a switch before responding. “I think our tail fin was clipped. The damage isn’t serious, nothing more than a scratch really.” Higgs shook the stars away from his eyes before he switched back on his radio. “Everyone check in.” “Apache two, nothing on our end.” Higgs listened as the other black hawk and her Apache partner called in. He turned, yelling to the squad leader behind him. “We lose anybody?” “No sir! Just a little shaken up back here!” Higgs turned back to the controls and gave orders into the radio. “Alright, Apache’s I want you watching the ground. As far as we know they don’t have air, so we own the sky. Keep any anti air off of Bravo. BH one, pull in closer to Bravo, if we lose the Apaches you will pull out, understood?” “Yes sir, movin’ in.” A scream pierced through the radio. “RPG!” Higgs watched the rocket as it slammed into BH one’s rotor blades. The helicopter became engulfed in a fireball and it began to fall. The Apache pilots answered with several Hellfire missiles, detonating the rooftop the RPG had come from. Higgs turned on the secondary radio that linked him with Bravo. “Come in Bravo.” He said into the radio, keeping his eyes on the ground, scanning for any more hostiles. “This is Bravo, what are your orders sir?” “Alright, I’m pulling close to your 3 o’clock. If things get heavy, we’re pulling out.” As he clicked off his radio, Stevens tapped his arm. “Sir, we’ve got bogeys in the air. Their moving fast too.” Higgs divided his attention between the sky and the radar screen. Stevens pulled the image out until they could see the air convoy and the bogeys flying in. Higgs marked their location before turning to his radio. “Apache one watch your eleven, we’ve got bogeys coming in hot.” The radio fell silent as they waited until the bogeys came within range. The radio crackled to life as Apache one called back in. “Um, sir? We have a visual of the bogeys and… you’re not gonna believe this but I think their Equestrian’s sir. The actual ponies sir, their all in some bright armor and look like their just gonna ram us sir.” Stevens’s eyes widened. “Sir! Bogeys are coming from the ground!” “Apache one, pull clear! Pull clear!” What? I do-…” A fireball lit the sky as the Apache was destroyed. Higgs watched a shaded form peal away from the fireball and hover in mid air. The pilot had been right, the Equestrians themselves were attacking. Higgs spun around in his seat and shouted to the soldiers behind him. “Look lively ladies! Fingers on those triggers! If it isn’t ours, kill it!” Higgs then worked both radios, issuing orders to the remaining Apache and Bravo. “Apache two, break off! This is going to be a rough ride, we don’t need more loses! Bravo, get your door gunners going, everything is your new target! Pull around and we’ll cover you!” Higgs watched as the Equestrians pulled around and set their sights on the remaining two helicopters. The remaining Apache had outmaneuvered its opponents by ducking beneath them and abruptly pulling up, pushing free of the growing mass of bodies. Higgs pulled close to the 9 o’clock of Bravo and winced as the soldiers at his back opened up. Several of the Equestrians dropped from the sky, causing a few to break away. The two helicopters completed their turn around, flying as fast as they could away from the Equestrians. Higgs pulled back the Black Hawk and put it right behind Bravo. Shouts began issuing from the back. Higgs began to turn around when something slammed into the rotor blades of the Black Hawk. Higgs flipped switches and wrestled with the yoke as he struggled to stay in control. “This is Black Hawk two, we are going down. Bravo, keep your present course. Do not stop.” To the soldiers onboard he shouted, “Hold! Hold!” Higgs blacked out momentarily as the helicopter slammed into the ground. In a daze, he tasted blood in his mouth. Higgs unclipped his seatbelt and groaned as he pushed himself out of his seat. The right side of the cockpit was buried in dirt, the windshield smashed and bloody. He stumbled into the stomach of the helicopter; noticing vaguely that all of the soldiers were gone, save for one. Higgs grabbed the man and dragged him out of the Black Hawk and into the street where they had crashed. Looking back, he saw that the helicopter was totaled. The rotors were gone, blood smeared where they used to be. The tail rotor was on fire and the fuel tank was leaking into the sand. Higgs looked up in time to see the Chinook designated Bravo split in two, raining fire and bodies to the ground below. Higgs picked up the rifle of the man at his feet. He checked the soldiers pulse to find that he was indeed, dead. Higgs shook his head and got to his feet. Too many had died, too many for nothing. He looked into the sky for a moment, lost on what to do. His pulse raced when one of the Equestrians walked out from an alley a dozen yards to his left. He brought his rifle up and pointed it at the creature. It looked at him with an eerie calm and walked forward. Higgs aimed the rifle at the creature’s feet and pulled the trigger. The bullet stopped in the dust, also bringing a stop to the creature’s calm advance. Backing away slowly, Higgs shouted at the Equestrian. “Stay back! You only get one warning!” Higgs felt the bullet before he heard it. He dropped to one knee as fiery pain filled his right leg. The Equestrian began its advance again. Higgs put another bullet at its feet. “I s-said not a step further.” He stuttered. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Higgs pushed himself back to his feet. Higgs withheld the urge to fire from surprise when the Equestrian began speaking in perfect English. “Please, lay down your weapon. You’re injured and need medical attention, let us help.” “HELP?!? YOU WANT TO FUCKING HELP?!?” Higgs screamed. The Equestrian flinched back as Higgs shouted. “Why in the hell would I accept help from the things that just killed dozens of good, honest men and women? You should have thought about helping before you shot down three choppers full of people who wanted to be anywhere but here! There are going to be wives and husbands that NEVER see their spouses again. Children going to bed without a good night from their father or their mother. Don’t tell me you want to fucking help when you can watch that happen without blinking!” All the time he was shouting, Higgs had steadily limped forwards, pushing the Equestrian back against the wall. Higgs put the barrel of the gun against the Equestrians forehead, causing the creature to close its eyes. “Give me a reason I shouldn’t kill you. Just one. I already know I won’t walk away from this alive. My boy is going to go to bed tonight knowing his father is dead. So give me a reason why I shouldn’t pull the trigger.” The creature whimpered. “Please, I have a family too. I promised my son that I would play hoofball with him when I got back from my tour. Please don’t kill me.” Higgs shook his head and his grip on the gun tightened before he shook his head again and he dropped it. He turned around and began to limp back across the street. Over his shoulder he said, “The gun was empty; I couldn’t have killed you if I wanted to. Go home, see your son, and just leave the dead with the dead.” Halfway across the street, Higgs noticed numbly that his stomach was bleeding. It was then his hearing caught up and the gun shot rang clear through the buildings. He stumbled forward two more steps before he fell face first to the ground. Higgs coughed up a small stream of blood that created a crimson paste with the dust around him. He heard footsteps run rapidly to his side and felt himself being rolled over. He once again faced the Equestrian he had threatened. The golden clad soldier applied pressure to his stomach, yelling to the air, “Medic! We need a medic over here!” The Equestrian then looked at Higgs and smiled sadly. “Were going to get you back to your son, okay? Just hold in there for me big guy.” Higgs responded by coughing, splattering blood all over the Equestrian’s face. The soldier merely wiped it away from his eyes and kept smiling. Higgs closed his eyes, only to have his head roughly smacked around. His eyes flew back open. “Keep ‘em open for me. We’ll talk now, and then you can sleep later. Tell me your name.” Higgs recognized what the Equestrian was trying to do and tried his best to keep his eyelids from shutting. “Warrant Officer Daniel Higgs,” he garbled out, “and you?” “Private Swiftfoot. What’s your son’s name?” Higgs grunted. “Samuel Higgs. We named him after his grandfather. He’s graduating tomorrow. Graduating high school, my wife is so proud.” Higgs snorted before he continued. “He wants to be an Army grunt of all things. He never took to the sky as much as I did. Always liked his feet on the ground.” Higgs couldn’t feel any pain now, couldn’t feel much at all. “I took this shit mission to try and earn a little bonus to send him to college. I didn’t want him coming out here.” A thought occurred to Higgs as he spoke. He weakly pulled his final letter home from his pocket and wrote a few extra things down on it. He then shakily gave it to Swiftfoot. “C-can you get t-that to the nearest American outpost? I-it needs to g..et home.” Swiftfoot took the paper and nodded before putting his hooves back on Higgs stomach. A minute later a team of medics touched down a few feet away from Swiftfoot. A minute after that, Warrant Officers Daniel Higgs, Age 28 died from his wounds. War Part 1: Brothers in Blood: Chapter 1Date: June 15th, 2020 Location: Iraq, Qalat Sikar Air Base Time: 0500 PFC Samuel Higgs groaned and slapped at his alarm clock, groggily trying to switch off the loud beeping. His hand fumbled over the snooze button and he pressed down hard enough to stop the alarm. Sam rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to rub the grit out. The sand in Iraq got into everything. Housing, clothes, weapons, vehicle engines… the food. After eating enough sand as part of your diet, the taste of grit was just another thing you dealt with everyday. Cleaning was a constant, grueling task. Clean your gun, clean the magazine, and make sure it can still shoot straight. As soon as you finished, a sandstorm would roll through and the compound was put on watch. When you came back in from guard duty, it was back to cleaning. Sam shoved his military issue wool blankets off and put his bare feet on the gritty wood of the barracks floor. His bunk mate, Private Johnny Elliot, looked at his watch and groaned. “I thought we got today off.” Sam stood up and stretched, cracking his knuckles and his back. “I don’t know ‘bout you, but I need a morning run like most guys need coffee.” Johnny threw his hands in the air. “We both drink coffee! That’s how I stay awake during the day!” Sam grabbed a pair of socks and his tennis shoes. While he tied his shoes, Johnny hopped from his bunk over Sam and looked into the small mirror that hung on the door. As Sam finished lacing his shoes, Johnny grunted and said, “I think your running alone today Sammy boy. I’ve gotta shave.” Sam stood up and walked to the door. “Then you’d best get to it. Big things are happening tomorrow.” Johnny grabbed his shaving bag and followed Sam out. They walked down the hallway, Sam periodically knocking on doors to wake up his squad mates. He stopped at one door in particular. Johnny face-palmed. “I think you do it just to piss her off.” Sam shushed him and knocked on the door loudly. “Wake up beautiful, its time for breakfast!” he sung through the door. He heard a thud and then Sergeant Elizabeth Williams was shouting. “PFC! I swear to God if I open this door and I find you standing there the Tali’s won’t have anything left to pick at!” Sam grinned and took off down the hallway at a light sprint, Johnny running slightly behind him. Sam heard the Sergeants door slam open. “You sonofabitch!” she screamed Sam ducked as he heard the clang of a metal canteen being thrown down the hallyway. Johnny tried to pass him as Sgt. Williams threw more miscellaneous gear at the fleeing pair's backs. “Guess your going for the run now?” he joked to Johnny. “Hell, I’m not staying here with that lunatic!” The two slowed slightly as Sam pushed the barracks door open, blinding them briefly with sunlight. After sprinting for a minute, they slowed down to a brisk jog and began a run of the perimeter fence. As they ran they would wave at the pilots ere jets and helicopters for the upcoming mission. Some of the pilots looked up from their work to cheer on the two runners, driving them both to run faster. The impromptu race picked up speed as they pushed through the halfway mark of the perimeter. Sam slowly fell behind as Johnny pushed ahead. As they neared the barracks once again, Sam pushed his hardest and pulled ahead of Johnny, outdistancing him by several feet. As they thundered to a stop outside of the barracks, Sgt. Williams gave Sam a cup of coffee and a middle finger. Johnny came in behind him and spread his arms. “Where’s my coffee?” “What was that Private?” Johnny cleared his throat before saying, “Where’s my coffee sir?” Sgt. Williams smiled and took a sip from her cup. “Only the winners get coffee Private, now go get cleaned up before I announce a surprise uniform inspection or some other shit to get you in trouble.” Johnny grumbled, but went inside the barracks to shower and shave. Sgt. Williams took another sip of her coffee before speaking again. “I’m gonna have to apologize for my actions this morning Corporal, I shouldn’t have tried to shoot you.” “No prob Sarge, everybody has a stress reliever, you should see Johnny’s stack of… Ah, Sarge, I’m a PFC remember?” Sgt. Williams took another sip of her coffee. “Congratulations Higgs, you just got promoted.” Sam frowned. “Who died?” he asked. Sgt. Williams laughed. “Don’t be such a pessimist; Corp. Smith got shot in the foot on guard duty. Lucky bastard is getting shipped home today.” She pointed to the barracks door with her thumb. “I guess I’d better tell Elliot that he got a promotion too. Clean up and be ready for a briefing by 0900.” Sam snapped a salute, which she returned before walking inside. Sam turned away from the barracks and stared across the airfield. As the sun began to rise, he saw that more and more pilots were coming out of their barracks to perform maintenance checks on air and ground craft. His gaze shifted away from the airfield and moved to the horizon, where he could faintly see the dot that was actually a floating country. He sighed and took another drink from his coffee. It had been just over two years and the pain was still fresh. He had just “walked the line” when a soldier in dress uniform walked onto the stage and whispered in the principal’s ear. The principal had then called his mother to the stage and had told Sam to come to the podium. The soldier had given them an American flag and a letter that said his father was MIA. After the ceremony was over, the soldier had driven them to the military installation that Sam’s father had worked at. He remembered what happened next like it was yesterday. The private led them down a long white hallway and stopped them in front of a blank white door. In a low voice he said, “We captured this… pony in Iraq and he told us that he had a special message for you. He wouldn’t give it up, demanding instead that he deliver it in person. I will be in the room to prevent anything from happening; I do not want any violent moves made towards this soldier, am I clear?” Sam nodded grimly. His mother looked like she was going to tear the soldier apart already, and they hadn’t seen him yet. The private opened the door and motioned for them to enter. At a table with two chairs sat a white pony. The pony was looking down, his face a mask with a hint of depression leaking through. Sam felt his mom tense up beside him. Before she could leap forward, he grabbed hold of he arms and pulled her back. She yelled at him to let her go, to let her hurt the pony. He didn’t listen and instead pulled her into a tight hug. She stopped struggling and instead began to sob into his jacket. He rubbed her head and tried to soothe her. “It’s okay mom, I miss him too. I miss him too.” As she continued sobbing into his jacket, Sam said to the private. “Can you take her somewhere to calm down? I can handle talking to him.” He nodded at the pony who was still staring intently at its hooves. The private looked like he was going to protest for a second. Then, he simply nodded and led Sam’s mother from the room, saying over his shoulder, “Use the comm system if you want anything to drink or eat.” Sam nodded and shut the door. Taking a deep breath he turned around and sat down in the chair opposite the pony. Crossing his arms, Sam stared in silence at the pony, studying him more closely. The pony was battered and scruffy, his white coat covered in dirt and grit. Bags were visible under the pony’s green eyes, giving him a tired look. A pair of dirt, brown bags were slung over the chair. One had a long hole in it while the other looked slightly burned. Sam continued his study for about another minute before he stopped and got to his feet. He took of his coat and casually dropped it on the back of his chair. He turned to the comm. system and asked over his shoulder, “How do you like your coffee?” For the first time since Sam had entered the room, the pony looked up. “W-what? Why would you even… I don’t like coffee.” The pony withdrew again, going back to staring at his hooves. Sam shook his head and pressed the small red button on the comm’s. “I was told I could ask for drinks, so could I get two black coffees please?” Sam watched with surprise as a small panel slid back in the wall next to the panel and two coffee cups slid out, both filled with fresh, steaming coffee. He chuckled to himself. “Fancy machine you’ve got here.” he said to nobody in particular. He took the coffee cups and set them on table, one slightly closer to the pony. The pony looked nervous at the sight of the cup of black liquid and he seemed to inch back a little from the table. Sam looked from the pony to the cup and back to the pony. “What, are you allergic to coffee?” The pony shook its head. “N-no.” he stuttered. “W-what’s in it?” Sam stared at the pony with a bit of a slack jaw. “It’s coffee, the only thing in it is coffee bean.” The pony clamed a little bit but still didn’t touch the coffee. Instead, he reached into his bags and pulled out a bloody piece of paper and pushed it across the table towards Sam. As Sam reached out to take it, the pony pulled it back slightly. “You are Samuel Higgs, right? Your dad was Daniel?” the pony asked. Sam nodded. “Yes, but how do you know my name? And how could you tell I’m his son when you’ve never seen me before?” “You have Daniel’s face. For a second when you walked in it was like seeing a ghost.” The pony pushed the letter back to Sam who took it and put it in his shirt pocket. The pony stared at him expectantly. “Well aren’t you going to read it?” he asked? Sam took a drink from his coffee. “No, I’ll let my mother read it first. She has a right to know first hand.” The pony nodded slowly. Seeing Sam drinking the coffee, he seemed to deem it safe and reached for his. They both sat quite for a moment while they simply sat there and drank their coffee. “What’s your name?” Sam asked. “Swiftfoot. Former private.” Sam cocked an eyebrow. “Former?” Swiftfoot nodded. “I was thrown out of the guard when I “abandoned my post” to deliver that letter.” Sam nodded silently and leaned back in his chair. He really could think of only one question in his mind. “Why?” he asked. Swiftfoot looked confused. “Why to what?” “Why did you shoot down the convoy? Why did you ally with the Taliban? Why is my father dead? Why would risk yourself to deliver the letter? Why? Why? WHY?!?” Sam slammed his fists into the table, his rage built to its maximum. As quickly as it had blown, his rage faded, like a candle blown out in the wind. Sam’s head fell into his hands and for the first time since they had received the news that his father was gone, he cried. He sobbed into his hands, asking over and over in his head, why? After a while he felt a hoof on his back. Before he knew what he was doing, he had Swiftfoot wrapped in a tight hug and was sobbing uncontrollably into his fur. A small part of his mind told him to stop, but the vast majority was swimming in confused circles, lost on what to do. Swiftfoot just sat quietly and let it happen, trying his best to grasp at what Sam was feeling. Quietly he said, “I can’t say things are going to be alright, but they can get better. You just have to make things better instead of just waiting.” Sam sighed with nostalgia. That had been a long day. The two had talked for hours after that. Sam asking questions about Swiftfoot and Swiftfoot asking questions about what life was really like in America. When the base commander, followed by several scientists, told Sam to leave, Sam had demanded that Swiftfoot be released. Originally the base commander said no, and then Sam tore into him, calling him some particularly nasty things. Then, when Sam turned on the scientists, the base commander relented. He placed a strict guard on Sam’s house and said that if Swiftfoot left, he died. Sam looked at his watch to find that it was fast coming on 6 o’clock. Cursing, he finished his coffee and began to makes his way to the barracks washroom. Chapter 2Date: June 15th, 2020 Location: Iraq, Qalat Sikar Air Base Time: 0900 OPM Sam looked about nervously as other officers and their second’s filed into the conference room. Sgt. Williams smirked at Sam’s nervousness. “Calm down Corporal, it’s just another plan meeting. We’ve been going over the same plans everyday for weeks. Pretend to pay attention and don’t ask too many questions, got it? Ask me when were back at the bunks. I can read you the plan backwards. Sam took a drink of his coffee and said nothing. The last squad leader to file in slammed the door behind him, giving a queue to the 0-3 who was presenting the briefing to start. The 0-3 was tall and looked like he had just been rolled from bed to present the battle plans. A corporal tapped him on the shoulder as the 0-3 opened his mouth to start and handed him a cup of coffee. The man grumbled a dull ‘thanks’ and turned to his power point. “Alright, I know we’ve been through this before, but we getting to crunch time, so we need to make sure we have this down to the letter.” The 0-3 clicked the power point to the first slide, showing a large map that was half covered with a large black zone. “Okay, as you all know, the Equestrian military has managed to build a defensive dome over their country, extending that barrier over much of Iraq. We don’t know how, but the towel heads in there can come and go freely. When we tried to put a squad through the barrier, they were ambushed. We have not found any survivors yet and have assumed the worst.” The 0-3 flipped to the next slide. “Due to our presence in the area, the barrier does not extend over the entire country of Iraq, but some parts of the barrier extend into Saudi and Iran. The Tali’s have mounted a heavy defense of the barrier in our sector, so we’ll need to mount a “quite” raid to crack the barrier. You all will be split into two squad teams. Your designations are as follows. Sgt. Williams and Sgt. Golden, you will be designate Foxtrot. Sgt. Patterson and Sgt. Cox you will be…” Sam zoned out as the 0-3 listed off each team’s designation. In total there were seven teams. Each would be dropped off by Black Hawks four miles from the dome. From there they would hike to specific “weak points” in the barrier and try to break it by detonating bricks of C-4. Each team was assigned one explosive expert and each squad was to be given twenty-four bricks of C-4. If they were successful in breaking the barrier, the orders were to move in and meet at a designated rally point three miles in. If the barrier held up, they were to report back to the OP. Sam caught only a brief glimpse of the other squad leader they were with. Sgt. Golden was a short and bulky man with a bald head and bushy mustache. When the Sgt. looked towards Sam, Sam quickly turned his head back to the presentation; which was coming to a close. The 0-3 presenter coughed once before clicking off the power point. He cleared his throat and coughed again loudly before continuing. “Your teams will be geared up and at their assigned positions at 0400 tomorrow morning. Command is hoping to do this without being noticed, so we need as much time as we can get. Brief your squads and meet back here when this op is over for doughnuts and coffee.” This brought a chuckle from the assembled officers. The 0-3 snapped a salute, which everyone returned, before turning and walking out of the conference room. Before Sam made any move to leave, a short, burly man plopped down next to him and started talking to Sgt. Williams. The conversation was held in a low whisper, and every once in a while the man would look over his shoulder at Sam. Sam did his best to sit there and wait while the two Sergeants talked, but he couldn’t help listen in. As he began to peek into the conversation, Sgt. Williams shouted a loud, “YES!” drawing the attention of the entire room. She scowled at the other officers and got up from her chair. She dragged Sam to his feet and pushed him towards the door. Finding his feet, Sam opened the door for her and they both left the silent conference room. Sgt. Williams stomped towards the company barracks with Sam in tow. As they reached the door, Sam’s head finally caught up with him. “What was that about sir?” Sgt. Williams took a deep breath before replying. “That was Sgt. Golden. The SOB pisses me off every time. He usually brags to command how great he his, always trying to beg for a promotion. He’d be better suited to a desk than the field.” Sam thought for a second before it clicked in his head. The whispers, the looks. “He was talking about me, wasn’t he?” Sgt. Williams snorted. “Yeah, he was yapping about how his squad hasn’t had an injury for weeks. Probably ‘cause they haven’t been sent into hell on earth lately.” “Well, if it makes you feel any better, if he’s like you say, he’ll be shot the first firefight and you won’t have to see him again.” Sgt. Williams gazed at the clear blue sky thoughtfully for a minute before grinning evilly. She laughed and clapped Sam on the shoulder. “That is a damn good thought Corporal. You’re already better than Smith by a long shot! He didn’t have a sense of humor. C’mon, let’s go brief the goon squad for the “big strike”.” Date: June 15th, 2020 Location: Iraq, Qalat Sikar Air Base Time: 1300 The sun was now beating down, making the barracks unbearably hot, driving everyone outside. Sam ran a rag through the chamber of his rifle, wiping out the accumulated grime from the day. Most of the squad was either sleeping or prepping gear. Sam was camped out under one of the overhangs near the airfield. He watched as a pair of Chinooks touched down and began offloading tired and wounded soldiers. Johnny sat up from his nap and stared across the airfield at the wounded filing out of the helicopters. He shook his head and laid back down. “Do you think we’ll do it Sam? Do you think we can break it?” Johnny asked. Sam shrugged his shoulders and focused back on cleaning his gun. He pulled a snake wet with oil through the chamber of the rifle and out the end of the barrel. “I don’t know. The plan seems like it could work, but we also haven’t been able to break through before so I can’t be sure.” Johnny sat up again. “What I don’t understand is, why haven’t we tried any artillery? Like, tanks and stuff, enough of that should break it right?” The explosives expert, a man named David Yates, laughed sourly. Johnny scowled at him. “What’s so funny?” Yates shook his head and turned back to fiddling with a piece of wire. Johnny asked his question again, this time more forcefully. “I asked, what’s so funny?” Yates looked at Johnny and sneered. “It’s funny that you think we could just walk in their and start killing. It’s not that simple.” Yates coiled his wire and turned his body until he faced Johnny. “We haven’t been attacking with our big guns because our government still wants to try and “make peace” Technically; the Equestrians haven’t killed anyone yet. Our casualties have all been from Taliban soldiers defending the barrier.” Sam breathed out heavily and shoved the cleaning rod down the barrel of his gun. Johnny shook his head and face palmed. “So no one has died from the Equestrians, right Yates?” Sam asked The explosives expert nodded. “Yeah, we haven’t seen any of them at all. There’s no way they could be killing soldiers or anybody for that matter.” Sam grimaced. “What about Seattle?” Yates shrugged. “We don’t know that those people are dead. The first responders there didn’t find anything. No weird readings, no ashes. Even if they had nuked the place a hundred times, there would have been something.” Sam snapped close his rifle and leaned it against the wall. He packed his cleaning supplies into a small black bag and set it down next to the rifle. He sat back down facing the airfield. “What about Suicide Run?” Johnny groaned and flopped on his back, his hands still covering his face. Yates shrugged again. “I heard that it was the Taliban there too. Took out all of the helicopters and then killed any survivors. Some loon called in over the radio saying it was Equestrians, but command can’t say anything for certain” Sam heard Johnny mumble something like “you dumb sonofa…” Sam looked at his hands and spit into the dirt before he looked over at Yates. “Let me tell you something Yates, that “loon” ended up dead, everybody did. I don’t care what the reports say, because I had a witness travel to my house to tell me what happened.” Sam sniffed and turned to stare back at the airfield. “This is what I want you to do Yates. Go get your gun and cleaning kit and you’re going to clean your weapon in front of me, so that I know it works. I don't want anyone dying on my watch because of a little dirt” Yates didn’t move, so Johnny got up and yelled at him. “Well don’t just sit there private! Get your ass in gear!” Yates scrambled to his feet and made a sprint for the barracks. Johnny shook his head and sat down. He looked at Sam who was still staring at the airfield. “You alright?” Sam nodded. “Yeah, he’s right though. We haven’t hit ‘em hard cause we want to be friends with such a powerful ally and it’s costing us hell and high water to try and win like this.” The pair sat quite for a minute until Sam chuckled under his breath and looked at Johnny. “Well what are you waiting for PFC? I need to inspect your rifle too.” Johnny smirked slightly and got up. “You’ve got it sir.” Sam watched his friend sprint towards the barracks, only to notice how much dust he was kicking up. Sam looked back at his rifle and saw that it was covered in sand and grit, the oil making a perfect coat for the particles of dust to stick in. “Oh for the love of-…” Chapter 3Date: June 16th, 2020 Location: Iraq, Qalat Sikar Time: 0400 Operation Destabilize Mission Objective: Break and Infiltrate enemy barrier without being discovered Sam fiddled with his headset, trying his best to make it sit comfortably. “2 minutes from the drop-off point.” The pilot was so quite that Sam almost missed him over the sound of the engines and propellers. Sgt. Williams stood up and grabbed onto one of the handles that dangled from the ceiling. She tapped her ear, turning on her microphone. “Mic check,” she said in a low voice. “Sound off.” The squad sounded off, including Yates who had gotten stuck in their chopper. The man was constantly looking between Sgt. Williams and Sam, who just glared back anytime he caught Yates’ eyes. Sgt. Williams spoke loudly into her mic to be heard. “Alright, let’s go over this again. When these fly boys set us down, we’ll advance through the city ruins to the objective. When we get there, our resident specialist will try to break the wall. If it works, we go in. If it doesn’t we report back to base. Simple and easy plan people, don’t screw it up.” The helicopter jerked as it touched down. The door slammed open and the squad hopped the short distance to the ground. They spread out, covering all angles of vision. Sgt. Williams gave the pilot a thumbs up and stood back as he pulled the helicopter up and out. The squad waited silently while Sgt. Golden’s helicopter touched down and his squad disembarked. Sgt. Golden waited for the Black Hawk to take off again before nodding and motioning forward. “PFC, you’re on point, Corporal take the rear. Maintain your intervals and keep Yates alive at any costs. This mission is nothing if he’s dead. Yates stay on me, I don’t want you out of my sight.” Sam grinned as Yates gulped nervously and moved towards Sgt. Williams. Sam took his place at the back and waited while the squad started its march through the city. On most maps, the city didn’t exist. It had been built by the Equestrians a month after first contact for unknown purposes. It had soon turned into a battle ground that caused most soldiers to cringe upon mention. The buildings were riddled with bullet holes and most looked like they could barely stand on their own anymore. Sgt. Golden’s squad advanced up the left side of the road while Sgt. Williams’ were on the right. The sky was clear and the moon gave a bare illumination to the deserted streets. Sam kept a constant eye at his back as the squads moved. The shadows seemed to move in the corner of his eye, causing him to keep a constant state of wariness. As the first mile passed, the condition of the buildings grew better. There were fewer craters and bullet holes in the buildings and streets. Then, as the buildings got better, they took a sudden drop in quality. The burnt out husks of cars and hum-vees were scattered about in the street, giving the scene the look of a graveyard. As Sam moved between a pair of buildings something caught his foot, causing him to trip. He backpedaled and got to his feet. It was then the smell hit him and he threw up. A decaying corpse was strewn against the side of the building; bullets lodged a foot above it. Sgt. Williams talked to him over the radio. “Get moving Corporal, standing there won’t do you any good. It’s not going to smell better tomorrow.” Sam shook his head and tapped his mic two times, signaling Williams that he was ready to move again. The squads moved forward again, leaving the corpse behind. The two squads didn’t find any problems past the corpse. The buildings remained silent and empty and the streets held no hidden traps. It took only an hour of brisk marching to get within range of the barrier. The edge of the light purple was in the center of a large square, providing zero cover for the soldiers to hide in while Yates worked. The two Sergeants stopped their respective squads at the edge of the square and held a short conversation before Sgt. Williams turned her microphone back on. “Alright, this is the plan ladies and gents. PFC, you and Private Johnson will escort Yates to the barrier to do his thing. Corporal, you and I will be their back-up support. The rest of you will aid Sgt. Golden’s squad in fire support. Keep your heads low and watch your battle buddies flank. I will not lose anyone today because you were too stupid to check behind you, am I understood?” Everyone nodded and spread out to take their assigned positions. Johnny peaked around the corner of the building and nodded to Johnson and Yates. The trio sprinted towards the barrier and Sam watched as Yates set to work. After a minute Sgt. Williams motioned to Sam to move out into the square. The two jogged lightly until they came upon the barrier. Sgt. Williams yelled quietly at Yates. “What is taking so long?” “I’m doing the best I can under pressure! It takes time to arm these things ya know!” While Sgt. Williams took to silently “motivating” Yates, Sam scanned the rooftops, looking for trouble. Private Johnson shook his head. “This doesn’t feel right. All of that damage on the way in, but we get nothing? I don’t even hear any birds, nothin’ at all! Does nobody else feel like this isn’t right?” “Shut it Johnson, you’re going to jinx us. I don’t need your bad vibes ruining the mission.” Johnny whispered loudly. “Too late for that, left side, rooftop.” Sam whispered. The silhouette of a short man was illuminated against the dark sky. Not waiting for anything, Johnny lined up his sights and took the shot. The gun shot echoed loudly in the still night, drawing a wince from Sam. If they hadn’t been noticed before, they certainly were going to be discovered now. Sgt. Williams continued silently yelling at Yates while the rest of the soldiers waited in anticipation. They didn’t have to wait long. Dark shapes pulled away from buildings and from the tops of buildings. Sam traced a figure running towards the cover of an alley and pulled the trigger. The man fell and Sam trained his sights on a different target. Quickly the skirmish fire developed into a full fledged fire-fight. Sgt. Williams left Yates and joined Sam, Johnny and Johnson in firing on the insurgents. The foursome laid covering fire while the other two members of their squad raced across the square. Privates’ Nicholas Mack and George Ryan slid in next to Sam and grinned. “Nothin like a good fire-fight to pick you up, eh Sammy?” “Shut up and shoot!” The pair lost their grins and began opening up at the figures across the square. Sam put another man down with a squeeze of the trigger and as he looked for another target he saw a figure stand on the rooftop opposite of Sgt. Golden’s squad. He put a bullet through the man’s head a second too late. The RPG tore through Sgt. Golden and two other men in his squad. The rest scattered, disoriented from the bright explosion. Sgt. Williams cursed. “Johnson! On me! We’ve got to go save their sorry asses! Corporal, you three provide fire support! Yates, if you are not done by the time I get back, we are all dead!” Sam dropped his mag and switched it with a full one. Another man fell in a hail of bullets as Sam and Johnny picked the same target. Johnson fell and for a second Sam thought he had been shot. Johnson scrambled to his feet and took off at a dead sprint towards where Sgt. Williams was now hiding behind a corner. Sam turned his head slightly as he heard Yates shout. “I’m done! We’ve got thirty seconds until it blows!” “You idiot! I thought you had a remote detonator!” Johnny yelled. Sam shook his head. “It doesn’t matter! We’ve got to move!” Private Ryan shouted as a bullet tore through his calf. He dropped his rifle and clutched at the bloody hole. Sam cursed and crouched next to him. “On your feet George, we’ve got to get out of here.” “The fuckers shot me Sammy. They put one right through my leg. They.. They shot me Sammy.” “Mack, grab his arm, Yates take his rifle. Johnny keep us covered. We’re running the square.” Sam yanked Private Ryan to his feet and started dragging him forward. Mack grabbed his other arm and the group broke into a run. Private Ryan screamed as another bullet tore through his stomach. Mack dropped his arm and opened up at the rooftops, leaving Sam alone to carry the wounded man. “Damn it Mack! Pick him the hell up!” Before Mack could move, a third bullet entered Private Ryan’s head, silencing him. Sam dropped the corpse and brought his rifle up. “Who the hell targets wounded in a firefight?!?” Johnny yelled. No one answered him as they left the body behind and ran for the buildings. As Sam slid in next to Sgt. Williams, the C-4 detonated across the square. The sound of gunfire momentarily stopped as the bright explosion blinded the combatants. Sam squeezed his eyes shut. Blinking rapidly, he looked to the explosion area. As his flash blindness faded he noticed the purple color of the barrier was missing from a small area the size of a car.[1] An area that was slowly shrinking. Sam dragged Sgt. Williams to her feet. “C’mon, our exit is going to be gone by the time we’re ready!” The rest of the squad shook their eyes clear and followed Sam. Sgt. Williams pushed Sam off and ran on her own. Gunfire poured towards them as they ran, sending chips of dirt and stone into their faces. Sam heard more than saw one of the survivors of Sgt. Golden’s squad fall. When Mack slowed to help the man, Sam grabbed him by the arm and yanked him forward. He pointed to the hole in the barrier. “Go! He’s already dead!” Sam shouted “We don’t know that!” Mack yelled back. “Yes we do! You fall you die, so get moving!” Sam pushed Mack forward and squeezed off a few shots behind them. By the time that Mack and Sam reached it, the hole had shrunk to the size refrigerator. Sgt. Williams waved them both through and then stepped through herself. The squad ran all the way to the buildings at the opposite end of the square, even though the enemy fire didn’t pass through. Johnny broke down a door and the squad flooded in. Sam took a window facing the barrier and watched as the hole sealed itself. He trained his sights on a pair of insurgents that approached the barrier. Mack crept up beside him and peered out the window. They watched as one of the insurgents tapped on the barrier before he shook his head at the other one. The insurgents stared into the buildings for a minute before turning and walking away.[2] Sam let out a sigh of relief. He turned around and slumped against the wall. “Sergeant, I think we have a few minutes of breathing room.” Sgt. Williams shook her head and flopped to the floor. Sam got to his feet. Sgt. Williams shook her head again. She looked at Sam with sad eyes. “We-.. we joked about this happening. We-.. w-.. We made it seem like a joke. He was an ass but he didn’t deserve that. He-.. just…” Johnny spoke first. “Sarge, what happened wasn’t your fault. It doesn’t matter what you said before we came out here. Old Stan out there killed him. Not you, not some stupid joke. It was Stan the suicide man.” Sgt. Williams nodded. The steely light came back to her eyes and she stood up. “Patch up your wounds and eat something quick, we move in ten.” Sam nodded and grinned. Sgt. Williams turned to one of Golden’s soldiers. “Who is your Corporal?” “Dead.” Alright then, fall in with us. Check yourselves over and check your battle buddy.” Sam took up his spot back at the window. In the distance he saw flashes and he listened to the echoes of gunfire. Snores soon reached his ears and he turned to find Johnny passed out in a rickety chair. Chuckling to himself, Sam turned back to the window and watched.
War:BeginningDate: May 28th, 2018 Location: Iraq, “Suicide Run” Time: 01300, Ten minutes from contact Mission objective: Contact and negotiate “Alright, Alright, this is a radio check before we hit the hot zone, all units check in.” The reply’s filtered through over the radio. “Apache’s 1 and 2 checkin’ in. This is Black Hawk two checking in.” Warrant Officer Daniel Higgs flipped a switch on the control panel. “This is BH one checking in, Our package is designate Bravo, our job is to keep his ass alive, so keep sharp and constantly check your six. They don’t call this Suicide Run for nothing.” He got a chorus of “yes sirs” as the other pilots tightened their seatbelts and checked their controls. Giving his copilot a thumbs up, he unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to address the soldiers waiting behind the cockpit of the Black Hawk. Higgs turned off his radio mic and shouted instructions to the soldiers. “Listen up! I’m only gonna say this once! We are on a diplomatic mission, meaning you do not fire unless fired upon! We have already sent a message ahead, so they know we are coming! If one of you trigger happy grunts shoots before you’re told, you will be landing the hard way! Do I make myself clear?” “SIR YES SIR!” With a nod from their squad leader, Higgs returned to the cockpit and buckled himself in. He grinned at his copilot, a young private with a last name of Stevens. “Ready for this Stevens?” he asked The private snorted. “Is anybody?” Higgs nodded and laughed, slapping Stevens on the shoulder. “I hear that! But don’t worry, we’ll probably take a little flak on the approach, but once we wave the white flag, it’ll be peaches and candy.” “Peaches and candy sir?” Higgs laughed again. “You’ve never heard that saying before? I use it around my boy all the time. He always says it makes me sound old.” The Black Hawk rocked, slamming Higgs face into the control panel. Clutching his head he asked, “What was that? Damage report Private!” Stevens flicked a switch before responding. “I think our tail fin was clipped. The damage isn’t serious, nothing more than a scratch really.” Higgs shook the stars away from his eyes before he switched back on his radio. “Everyone check in.” “Apache two, nothing on our end.” Higgs listened as the other black hawk and her Apache partner called in. He turned, yelling to the squad leader behind him. “We lose anybody?” “No sir! Just a little shaken up back here!” Higgs turned back to the controls and gave orders into the radio. “Alright, Apache’s I want you watching the ground. As far as we know they don’t have air, so we own the sky. Keep any anti air off of Bravo. BH one, pull in closer to Bravo, if we lose the Apaches you will pull out, understood?” “Yes sir, movin’ in.” A scream pierced through the radio. “RPG!” Higgs watched the rocket as it slammed into BH one’s rotor blades. The helicopter became engulfed in a fireball and it began to fall. The Apache pilots answered with several Hellfire missiles, detonating the rooftop the RPG had come from. Higgs turned on the secondary radio that linked him with Bravo. “Come in Bravo.” He said into the radio, keeping his eyes on the ground, scanning for any more hostiles. “This is Bravo, what are your orders sir?” “Alright, I’m pulling close to your 3 o’clock. If things get heavy, we’re pulling out.” As he clicked off his radio, Stevens tapped his arm. “Sir, we’ve got bogeys in the air. Their moving fast too.” Higgs divided his attention between the sky and the radar screen. Stevens pulled the image out until they could see the air convoy and the bogeys flying in. Higgs marked their location before turning to his radio. “Apache one watch your eleven, we’ve got bogeys coming in hot.” The radio fell silent as they waited until the bogeys came within range. The radio crackled to life as Apache one called back in. “Um, sir? We have a visual of the bogeys and… you’re not gonna believe this but I think their Equestrian’s sir. The actual ponies sir, their all in some bright armor and look like their just gonna ram us sir.” Stevens’s eyes widened. “Sir! Bogeys are coming from the ground!” “Apache one, pull clear! Pull clear!” What? I do-…” A fireball lit the sky as the Apache was destroyed. Higgs watched a shaded form peal away from the fireball and hover in mid air. The pilot had been right, the Equestrians themselves were attacking. Higgs spun around in his seat and shouted to the soldiers behind him. “Look lively ladies! Fingers on those triggers! If it isn’t ours, kill it!” Higgs then worked both radios, issuing orders to the remaining Apache and Bravo. “Apache two, break off! This is going to be a rough ride, we don’t need more loses! Bravo, get your door gunners going, everything is your new target! Pull around and we’ll cover you!” Higgs watched as the Equestrians pulled around and set their sights on the remaining two helicopters. The remaining Apache had outmaneuvered its opponents by ducking beneath them and abruptly pulling up, pushing free of the growing mass of bodies. Higgs pulled close to the 9 o’clock of Bravo and winced as the soldiers at his back opened up. Several of the Equestrians dropped from the sky, causing a few to break away. The two helicopters completed their turn around, flying as fast as they could away from the Equestrians. Higgs pulled back the Black Hawk and put it right behind Bravo. Shouts began issuing from the back. Higgs began to turn around when something slammed into the rotor blades of the Black Hawk. Higgs flipped switches and wrestled with the yoke as he struggled to stay in control. “This is Black Hawk two, we are going down. Bravo, keep your present course. Do not stop.” To the soldiers onboard he shouted, “Hold! Hold!” Higgs blacked out momentarily as the helicopter slammed into the ground. In a daze, he tasted blood in his mouth. Higgs unclipped his seatbelt and groaned as he pushed himself out of his seat. The right side of the cockpit was buried in dirt, the windshield smashed and bloody. He stumbled into the stomach of the helicopter; noticing vaguely that all of the soldiers were gone, save for one. Higgs grabbed the man and dragged him out of the Black Hawk and into the street where they had crashed. Looking back, he saw that the helicopter was totaled. The rotors were gone, blood smeared where they used to be. The tail rotor was on fire and the fuel tank was leaking into the sand. Higgs looked up in time to see the Chinook designated Bravo split in two, raining fire and bodies to the ground below. Higgs picked up the rifle of the man at his feet. He checked the soldiers pulse to find that he was indeed, dead. Higgs shook his head and got to his feet. Too many had died, too many for nothing. He looked into the sky for a moment, lost on what to do. His pulse raced when one of the Equestrians walked out from an alley a dozen yards to his left. He brought his rifle up and pointed it at the creature. It looked at him with an eerie calm and walked forward. Higgs aimed the rifle at the creature’s feet and pulled the trigger. The bullet stopped in the dust, also bringing a stop to the creature’s calm advance. Backing away slowly, Higgs shouted at the Equestrian. “Stay back! You only get one warning!” Higgs felt the bullet before he heard it. He dropped to one knee as fiery pain filled his right leg. The Equestrian began its advance again. Higgs put another bullet at its feet. “I s-said not a step further.” He stuttered. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Higgs pushed himself back to his feet. Higgs withheld the urge to fire from surprise when the Equestrian began speaking in perfect English. “Please, lay down your weapon. You’re injured and need medical attention, let us help.” “HELP?!? YOU WANT TO FUCKING HELP?!?” Higgs screamed. The Equestrian flinched back as Higgs shouted. “Why in the hell would I accept help from the things that just killed dozens of good, honest men and women? You should have thought about helping before you shot down three choppers full of people who wanted to be anywhere but here! There are going to be wives and husbands that NEVER see their spouses again. Children going to bed without a good night from their father or their mother. Don’t tell me you want to fucking help when you can watch that happen without blinking!” All the time he was shouting, Higgs had steadily limped forwards, pushing the Equestrian back against the wall. Higgs put the barrel of the gun against the Equestrians forehead, causing the creature to close its eyes. “Give me a reason I shouldn’t kill you. Just one. I already know I won’t walk away from this alive. My boy is going to go to bed tonight knowing his father is dead. So give me a reason why I shouldn’t pull the trigger.” The creature whimpered. “Please, I have a family too. I promised my son that I would play hoofball with him when I got back from my tour. Please don’t kill me.” Higgs shook his head and his grip on the gun tightened before he shook his head again and he dropped it. He turned around and began to limp back across the street. Over his shoulder he said, “The gun was empty; I couldn’t have killed you if I wanted to. Go home, see your son, and just leave the dead with the dead.” Halfway across the street, Higgs noticed numbly that his stomach was bleeding. It was then his hearing caught up and the gun shot rang clear through the buildings. He stumbled forward two more steps before he fell face first to the ground. Higgs coughed up a small stream of blood that created a crimson paste with the dust around him. He heard footsteps run rapidly to his side and felt himself being rolled over. He once again faced the Equestrian he had threatened. The golden clad soldier applied pressure to his stomach, yelling to the air, “Medic! We need a medic over here!” The Equestrian then looked at Higgs and smiled sadly. “Were going to get you back to your son, okay? Just hold in there for me big guy.” Higgs responded by coughing, splattering blood all over the Equestrian’s face. The soldier merely wiped it away from his eyes and kept smiling. Higgs closed his eyes, only to have his head roughly smacked around. His eyes flew back open. “Keep ‘em open for me. We’ll talk now, and then you can sleep later. Tell me your name.” Higgs recognized what the Equestrian was trying to do and tried his best to keep his eyelids from shutting. “Warrant Officer Daniel Higgs,” he garbled out, “and you?” “Private Swiftfoot. What’s your son’s name?” Higgs grunted. “Samuel Higgs. We named him after his grandfather. He’s graduating tomorrow. Graduating high school, my wife is so proud.” Higgs snorted before he continued. “He wants to be an Army grunt of all things. He never took to the sky as much as I did. Always liked his feet on the ground.” Higgs couldn’t feel any pain now, couldn’t feel much at all. “I took this shit mission to try and earn a little bonus to send him to college. I didn’t want him coming out here.” A thought occurred to Higgs as he spoke. He weakly pulled his final letter home from his pocket and wrote a few extra things down on it. He then shakily gave it to Swiftfoot. “C-can you get t-that to the nearest American outpost? I-it needs to g..et home.” Swiftfoot took the paper and nodded before putting his hooves back on Higgs stomach. A minute later a team of medics touched down a few feet away from Swiftfoot. A minute after that, Warrant Officers Daniel Higgs, Age 28 died from his wounds.
War Part 1: Brothers in Blood: Chapter 1Date: June 15th, 2020 Location: Iraq, Qalat Sikar Air Base Time: 0500 PFC Samuel Higgs groaned and slapped at his alarm clock, groggily trying to switch off the loud beeping. His hand fumbled over the snooze button and he pressed down hard enough to stop the alarm. Sam rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to rub the grit out. The sand in Iraq got into everything. Housing, clothes, weapons, vehicle engines… the food. After eating enough sand as part of your diet, the taste of grit was just another thing you dealt with everyday. Cleaning was a constant, grueling task. Clean your gun, clean the magazine, and make sure it can still shoot straight. As soon as you finished, a sandstorm would roll through and the compound was put on watch. When you came back in from guard duty, it was back to cleaning. Sam shoved his military issue wool blankets off and put his bare feet on the gritty wood of the barracks floor. His bunk mate, Private Johnny Elliot, looked at his watch and groaned. “I thought we got today off.” Sam stood up and stretched, cracking his knuckles and his back. “I don’t know ‘bout you, but I need a morning run like most guys need coffee.” Johnny threw his hands in the air. “We both drink coffee! That’s how I stay awake during the day!” Sam grabbed a pair of socks and his tennis shoes. While he tied his shoes, Johnny hopped from his bunk over Sam and looked into the small mirror that hung on the door. As Sam finished lacing his shoes, Johnny grunted and said, “I think your running alone today Sammy boy. I’ve gotta shave.” Sam stood up and walked to the door. “Then you’d best get to it. Big things are happening tomorrow.” Johnny grabbed his shaving bag and followed Sam out. They walked down the hallway, Sam periodically knocking on doors to wake up his squad mates. He stopped at one door in particular. Johnny face-palmed. “I think you do it just to piss her off.” Sam shushed him and knocked on the door loudly. “Wake up beautiful, its time for breakfast!” he sung through the door. He heard a thud and then Sergeant Elizabeth Williams was shouting. “PFC! I swear to God if I open this door and I find you standing there the Tali’s won’t have anything left to pick at!” Sam grinned and took off down the hallway at a light sprint, Johnny running slightly behind him. Sam heard the Sergeants door slam open. “You sonofabitch!” she screamed Sam ducked as he heard the clang of a metal canteen being thrown down the hallyway. Johnny tried to pass him as Sgt. Williams threw more miscellaneous gear at the fleeing pair's backs. “Guess your going for the run now?” he joked to Johnny. “Hell, I’m not staying here with that lunatic!” The two slowed slightly as Sam pushed the barracks door open, blinding them briefly with sunlight. After sprinting for a minute, they slowed down to a brisk jog and began a run of the perimeter fence. As they ran they would wave at the pilots ere jets and helicopters for the upcoming mission. Some of the pilots looked up from their work to cheer on the two runners, driving them both to run faster. The impromptu race picked up speed as they pushed through the halfway mark of the perimeter. Sam slowly fell behind as Johnny pushed ahead. As they neared the barracks once again, Sam pushed his hardest and pulled ahead of Johnny, outdistancing him by several feet. As they thundered to a stop outside of the barracks, Sgt. Williams gave Sam a cup of coffee and a middle finger. Johnny came in behind him and spread his arms. “Where’s my coffee?” “What was that Private?” Johnny cleared his throat before saying, “Where’s my coffee sir?” Sgt. Williams smiled and took a sip from her cup. “Only the winners get coffee Private, now go get cleaned up before I announce a surprise uniform inspection or some other shit to get you in trouble.” Johnny grumbled, but went inside the barracks to shower and shave. Sgt. Williams took another sip of her coffee before speaking again. “I’m gonna have to apologize for my actions this morning Corporal, I shouldn’t have tried to shoot you.” “No prob Sarge, everybody has a stress reliever, you should see Johnny’s stack of… Ah, Sarge, I’m a PFC remember?” Sgt. Williams took another sip of her coffee. “Congratulations Higgs, you just got promoted.” Sam frowned. “Who died?” he asked. Sgt. Williams laughed. “Don’t be such a pessimist; Corp. Smith got shot in the foot on guard duty. Lucky bastard is getting shipped home today.” She pointed to the barracks door with her thumb. “I guess I’d better tell Elliot that he got a promotion too. Clean up and be ready for a briefing by 0900.” Sam snapped a salute, which she returned before walking inside. Sam turned away from the barracks and stared across the airfield. As the sun began to rise, he saw that more and more pilots were coming out of their barracks to perform maintenance checks on air and ground craft. His gaze shifted away from the airfield and moved to the horizon, where he could faintly see the dot that was actually a floating country. He sighed and took another drink from his coffee. It had been just over two years and the pain was still fresh. He had just “walked the line” when a soldier in dress uniform walked onto the stage and whispered in the principal’s ear. The principal had then called his mother to the stage and had told Sam to come to the podium. The soldier had given them an American flag and a letter that said his father was MIA. After the ceremony was over, the soldier had driven them to the military installation that Sam’s father had worked at. He remembered what happened next like it was yesterday. The private led them down a long white hallway and stopped them in front of a blank white door. In a low voice he said, “We captured this… pony in Iraq and he told us that he had a special message for you. He wouldn’t give it up, demanding instead that he deliver it in person. I will be in the room to prevent anything from happening; I do not want any violent moves made towards this soldier, am I clear?” Sam nodded grimly. His mother looked like she was going to tear the soldier apart already, and they hadn’t seen him yet. The private opened the door and motioned for them to enter. At a table with two chairs sat a white pony. The pony was looking down, his face a mask with a hint of depression leaking through. Sam felt his mom tense up beside him. Before she could leap forward, he grabbed hold of he arms and pulled her back. She yelled at him to let her go, to let her hurt the pony. He didn’t listen and instead pulled her into a tight hug. She stopped struggling and instead began to sob into his jacket. He rubbed her head and tried to soothe her. “It’s okay mom, I miss him too. I miss him too.” As she continued sobbing into his jacket, Sam said to the private. “Can you take her somewhere to calm down? I can handle talking to him.” He nodded at the pony who was still staring intently at its hooves. The private looked like he was going to protest for a second. Then, he simply nodded and led Sam’s mother from the room, saying over his shoulder, “Use the comm system if you want anything to drink or eat.” Sam nodded and shut the door. Taking a deep breath he turned around and sat down in the chair opposite the pony. Crossing his arms, Sam stared in silence at the pony, studying him more closely. The pony was battered and scruffy, his white coat covered in dirt and grit. Bags were visible under the pony’s green eyes, giving him a tired look. A pair of dirt, brown bags were slung over the chair. One had a long hole in it while the other looked slightly burned. Sam continued his study for about another minute before he stopped and got to his feet. He took of his coat and casually dropped it on the back of his chair. He turned to the comm. system and asked over his shoulder, “How do you like your coffee?” For the first time since Sam had entered the room, the pony looked up. “W-what? Why would you even… I don’t like coffee.” The pony withdrew again, going back to staring at his hooves. Sam shook his head and pressed the small red button on the comm’s. “I was told I could ask for drinks, so could I get two black coffees please?” Sam watched with surprise as a small panel slid back in the wall next to the panel and two coffee cups slid out, both filled with fresh, steaming coffee. He chuckled to himself. “Fancy machine you’ve got here.” he said to nobody in particular. He took the coffee cups and set them on table, one slightly closer to the pony. The pony looked nervous at the sight of the cup of black liquid and he seemed to inch back a little from the table. Sam looked from the pony to the cup and back to the pony. “What, are you allergic to coffee?” The pony shook its head. “N-no.” he stuttered. “W-what’s in it?” Sam stared at the pony with a bit of a slack jaw. “It’s coffee, the only thing in it is coffee bean.” The pony clamed a little bit but still didn’t touch the coffee. Instead, he reached into his bags and pulled out a bloody piece of paper and pushed it across the table towards Sam. As Sam reached out to take it, the pony pulled it back slightly. “You are Samuel Higgs, right? Your dad was Daniel?” the pony asked. Sam nodded. “Yes, but how do you know my name? And how could you tell I’m his son when you’ve never seen me before?” “You have Daniel’s face. For a second when you walked in it was like seeing a ghost.” The pony pushed the letter back to Sam who took it and put it in his shirt pocket. The pony stared at him expectantly. “Well aren’t you going to read it?” he asked? Sam took a drink from his coffee. “No, I’ll let my mother read it first. She has a right to know first hand.” The pony nodded slowly. Seeing Sam drinking the coffee, he seemed to deem it safe and reached for his. They both sat quite for a moment while they simply sat there and drank their coffee. “What’s your name?” Sam asked. “Swiftfoot. Former private.” Sam cocked an eyebrow. “Former?” Swiftfoot nodded. “I was thrown out of the guard when I “abandoned my post” to deliver that letter.” Sam nodded silently and leaned back in his chair. He really could think of only one question in his mind. “Why?” he asked. Swiftfoot looked confused. “Why to what?” “Why did you shoot down the convoy? Why did you ally with the Taliban? Why is my father dead? Why would risk yourself to deliver the letter? Why? Why? WHY?!?” Sam slammed his fists into the table, his rage built to its maximum. As quickly as it had blown, his rage faded, like a candle blown out in the wind. Sam’s head fell into his hands and for the first time since they had received the news that his father was gone, he cried. He sobbed into his hands, asking over and over in his head, why? After a while he felt a hoof on his back. Before he knew what he was doing, he had Swiftfoot wrapped in a tight hug and was sobbing uncontrollably into his fur. A small part of his mind told him to stop, but the vast majority was swimming in confused circles, lost on what to do. Swiftfoot just sat quietly and let it happen, trying his best to grasp at what Sam was feeling. Quietly he said, “I can’t say things are going to be alright, but they can get better. You just have to make things better instead of just waiting.” Sam sighed with nostalgia. That had been a long day. The two had talked for hours after that. Sam asking questions about Swiftfoot and Swiftfoot asking questions about what life was really like in America. When the base commander, followed by several scientists, told Sam to leave, Sam had demanded that Swiftfoot be released. Originally the base commander said no, and then Sam tore into him, calling him some particularly nasty things. Then, when Sam turned on the scientists, the base commander relented. He placed a strict guard on Sam’s house and said that if Swiftfoot left, he died. Sam looked at his watch to find that it was fast coming on 6 o’clock. Cursing, he finished his coffee and began to makes his way to the barracks washroom.
Chapter 2Date: June 15th, 2020 Location: Iraq, Qalat Sikar Air Base Time: 0900 OPM Sam looked about nervously as other officers and their second’s filed into the conference room. Sgt. Williams smirked at Sam’s nervousness. “Calm down Corporal, it’s just another plan meeting. We’ve been going over the same plans everyday for weeks. Pretend to pay attention and don’t ask too many questions, got it? Ask me when were back at the bunks. I can read you the plan backwards. Sam took a drink of his coffee and said nothing. The last squad leader to file in slammed the door behind him, giving a queue to the 0-3 who was presenting the briefing to start. The 0-3 was tall and looked like he had just been rolled from bed to present the battle plans. A corporal tapped him on the shoulder as the 0-3 opened his mouth to start and handed him a cup of coffee. The man grumbled a dull ‘thanks’ and turned to his power point. “Alright, I know we’ve been through this before, but we getting to crunch time, so we need to make sure we have this down to the letter.” The 0-3 clicked the power point to the first slide, showing a large map that was half covered with a large black zone. “Okay, as you all know, the Equestrian military has managed to build a defensive dome over their country, extending that barrier over much of Iraq. We don’t know how, but the towel heads in there can come and go freely. When we tried to put a squad through the barrier, they were ambushed. We have not found any survivors yet and have assumed the worst.” The 0-3 flipped to the next slide. “Due to our presence in the area, the barrier does not extend over the entire country of Iraq, but some parts of the barrier extend into Saudi and Iran. The Tali’s have mounted a heavy defense of the barrier in our sector, so we’ll need to mount a “quite” raid to crack the barrier. You all will be split into two squad teams. Your designations are as follows. Sgt. Williams and Sgt. Golden, you will be designate Foxtrot. Sgt. Patterson and Sgt. Cox you will be…” Sam zoned out as the 0-3 listed off each team’s designation. In total there were seven teams. Each would be dropped off by Black Hawks four miles from the dome. From there they would hike to specific “weak points” in the barrier and try to break it by detonating bricks of C-4. Each team was assigned one explosive expert and each squad was to be given twenty-four bricks of C-4. If they were successful in breaking the barrier, the orders were to move in and meet at a designated rally point three miles in. If the barrier held up, they were to report back to the OP. Sam caught only a brief glimpse of the other squad leader they were with. Sgt. Golden was a short and bulky man with a bald head and bushy mustache. When the Sgt. looked towards Sam, Sam quickly turned his head back to the presentation; which was coming to a close. The 0-3 presenter coughed once before clicking off the power point. He cleared his throat and coughed again loudly before continuing. “Your teams will be geared up and at their assigned positions at 0400 tomorrow morning. Command is hoping to do this without being noticed, so we need as much time as we can get. Brief your squads and meet back here when this op is over for doughnuts and coffee.” This brought a chuckle from the assembled officers. The 0-3 snapped a salute, which everyone returned, before turning and walking out of the conference room. Before Sam made any move to leave, a short, burly man plopped down next to him and started talking to Sgt. Williams. The conversation was held in a low whisper, and every once in a while the man would look over his shoulder at Sam. Sam did his best to sit there and wait while the two Sergeants talked, but he couldn’t help listen in. As he began to peek into the conversation, Sgt. Williams shouted a loud, “YES!” drawing the attention of the entire room. She scowled at the other officers and got up from her chair. She dragged Sam to his feet and pushed him towards the door. Finding his feet, Sam opened the door for her and they both left the silent conference room. Sgt. Williams stomped towards the company barracks with Sam in tow. As they reached the door, Sam’s head finally caught up with him. “What was that about sir?” Sgt. Williams took a deep breath before replying. “That was Sgt. Golden. The SOB pisses me off every time. He usually brags to command how great he his, always trying to beg for a promotion. He’d be better suited to a desk than the field.” Sam thought for a second before it clicked in his head. The whispers, the looks. “He was talking about me, wasn’t he?” Sgt. Williams snorted. “Yeah, he was yapping about how his squad hasn’t had an injury for weeks. Probably ‘cause they haven’t been sent into hell on earth lately.” “Well, if it makes you feel any better, if he’s like you say, he’ll be shot the first firefight and you won’t have to see him again.” Sgt. Williams gazed at the clear blue sky thoughtfully for a minute before grinning evilly. She laughed and clapped Sam on the shoulder. “That is a damn good thought Corporal. You’re already better than Smith by a long shot! He didn’t have a sense of humor. C’mon, let’s go brief the goon squad for the “big strike”.” Date: June 15th, 2020 Location: Iraq, Qalat Sikar Air Base Time: 1300 The sun was now beating down, making the barracks unbearably hot, driving everyone outside. Sam ran a rag through the chamber of his rifle, wiping out the accumulated grime from the day. Most of the squad was either sleeping or prepping gear. Sam was camped out under one of the overhangs near the airfield. He watched as a pair of Chinooks touched down and began offloading tired and wounded soldiers. Johnny sat up from his nap and stared across the airfield at the wounded filing out of the helicopters. He shook his head and laid back down. “Do you think we’ll do it Sam? Do you think we can break it?” Johnny asked. Sam shrugged his shoulders and focused back on cleaning his gun. He pulled a snake wet with oil through the chamber of the rifle and out the end of the barrel. “I don’t know. The plan seems like it could work, but we also haven’t been able to break through before so I can’t be sure.” Johnny sat up again. “What I don’t understand is, why haven’t we tried any artillery? Like, tanks and stuff, enough of that should break it right?” The explosives expert, a man named David Yates, laughed sourly. Johnny scowled at him. “What’s so funny?” Yates shook his head and turned back to fiddling with a piece of wire. Johnny asked his question again, this time more forcefully. “I asked, what’s so funny?” Yates looked at Johnny and sneered. “It’s funny that you think we could just walk in their and start killing. It’s not that simple.” Yates coiled his wire and turned his body until he faced Johnny. “We haven’t been attacking with our big guns because our government still wants to try and “make peace” Technically; the Equestrians haven’t killed anyone yet. Our casualties have all been from Taliban soldiers defending the barrier.” Sam breathed out heavily and shoved the cleaning rod down the barrel of his gun. Johnny shook his head and face palmed. “So no one has died from the Equestrians, right Yates?” Sam asked The explosives expert nodded. “Yeah, we haven’t seen any of them at all. There’s no way they could be killing soldiers or anybody for that matter.” Sam grimaced. “What about Seattle?” Yates shrugged. “We don’t know that those people are dead. The first responders there didn’t find anything. No weird readings, no ashes. Even if they had nuked the place a hundred times, there would have been something.” Sam snapped close his rifle and leaned it against the wall. He packed his cleaning supplies into a small black bag and set it down next to the rifle. He sat back down facing the airfield. “What about Suicide Run?” Johnny groaned and flopped on his back, his hands still covering his face. Yates shrugged again. “I heard that it was the Taliban there too. Took out all of the helicopters and then killed any survivors. Some loon called in over the radio saying it was Equestrians, but command can’t say anything for certain” Sam heard Johnny mumble something like “you dumb sonofa…” Sam looked at his hands and spit into the dirt before he looked over at Yates. “Let me tell you something Yates, that “loon” ended up dead, everybody did. I don’t care what the reports say, because I had a witness travel to my house to tell me what happened.” Sam sniffed and turned to stare back at the airfield. “This is what I want you to do Yates. Go get your gun and cleaning kit and you’re going to clean your weapon in front of me, so that I know it works. I don't want anyone dying on my watch because of a little dirt” Yates didn’t move, so Johnny got up and yelled at him. “Well don’t just sit there private! Get your ass in gear!” Yates scrambled to his feet and made a sprint for the barracks. Johnny shook his head and sat down. He looked at Sam who was still staring at the airfield. “You alright?” Sam nodded. “Yeah, he’s right though. We haven’t hit ‘em hard cause we want to be friends with such a powerful ally and it’s costing us hell and high water to try and win like this.” The pair sat quite for a minute until Sam chuckled under his breath and looked at Johnny. “Well what are you waiting for PFC? I need to inspect your rifle too.” Johnny smirked slightly and got up. “You’ve got it sir.” Sam watched his friend sprint towards the barracks, only to notice how much dust he was kicking up. Sam looked back at his rifle and saw that it was covered in sand and grit, the oil making a perfect coat for the particles of dust to stick in. “Oh for the love of-…”
Chapter 3Date: June 16th, 2020 Location: Iraq, Qalat Sikar Time: 0400 Operation Destabilize Mission Objective: Break and Infiltrate enemy barrier without being discovered Sam fiddled with his headset, trying his best to make it sit comfortably. “2 minutes from the drop-off point.” The pilot was so quite that Sam almost missed him over the sound of the engines and propellers. Sgt. Williams stood up and grabbed onto one of the handles that dangled from the ceiling. She tapped her ear, turning on her microphone. “Mic check,” she said in a low voice. “Sound off.” The squad sounded off, including Yates who had gotten stuck in their chopper. The man was constantly looking between Sgt. Williams and Sam, who just glared back anytime he caught Yates’ eyes. Sgt. Williams spoke loudly into her mic to be heard. “Alright, let’s go over this again. When these fly boys set us down, we’ll advance through the city ruins to the objective. When we get there, our resident specialist will try to break the wall. If it works, we go in. If it doesn’t we report back to base. Simple and easy plan people, don’t screw it up.” The helicopter jerked as it touched down. The door slammed open and the squad hopped the short distance to the ground. They spread out, covering all angles of vision. Sgt. Williams gave the pilot a thumbs up and stood back as he pulled the helicopter up and out. The squad waited silently while Sgt. Golden’s helicopter touched down and his squad disembarked. Sgt. Golden waited for the Black Hawk to take off again before nodding and motioning forward. “PFC, you’re on point, Corporal take the rear. Maintain your intervals and keep Yates alive at any costs. This mission is nothing if he’s dead. Yates stay on me, I don’t want you out of my sight.” Sam grinned as Yates gulped nervously and moved towards Sgt. Williams. Sam took his place at the back and waited while the squad started its march through the city. On most maps, the city didn’t exist. It had been built by the Equestrians a month after first contact for unknown purposes. It had soon turned into a battle ground that caused most soldiers to cringe upon mention. The buildings were riddled with bullet holes and most looked like they could barely stand on their own anymore. Sgt. Golden’s squad advanced up the left side of the road while Sgt. Williams’ were on the right. The sky was clear and the moon gave a bare illumination to the deserted streets. Sam kept a constant eye at his back as the squads moved. The shadows seemed to move in the corner of his eye, causing him to keep a constant state of wariness. As the first mile passed, the condition of the buildings grew better. There were fewer craters and bullet holes in the buildings and streets. Then, as the buildings got better, they took a sudden drop in quality. The burnt out husks of cars and hum-vees were scattered about in the street, giving the scene the look of a graveyard. As Sam moved between a pair of buildings something caught his foot, causing him to trip. He backpedaled and got to his feet. It was then the smell hit him and he threw up. A decaying corpse was strewn against the side of the building; bullets lodged a foot above it. Sgt. Williams talked to him over the radio. “Get moving Corporal, standing there won’t do you any good. It’s not going to smell better tomorrow.” Sam shook his head and tapped his mic two times, signaling Williams that he was ready to move again. The squads moved forward again, leaving the corpse behind. The two squads didn’t find any problems past the corpse. The buildings remained silent and empty and the streets held no hidden traps. It took only an hour of brisk marching to get within range of the barrier. The edge of the light purple was in the center of a large square, providing zero cover for the soldiers to hide in while Yates worked. The two Sergeants stopped their respective squads at the edge of the square and held a short conversation before Sgt. Williams turned her microphone back on. “Alright, this is the plan ladies and gents. PFC, you and Private Johnson will escort Yates to the barrier to do his thing. Corporal, you and I will be their back-up support. The rest of you will aid Sgt. Golden’s squad in fire support. Keep your heads low and watch your battle buddies flank. I will not lose anyone today because you were too stupid to check behind you, am I understood?” Everyone nodded and spread out to take their assigned positions. Johnny peaked around the corner of the building and nodded to Johnson and Yates. The trio sprinted towards the barrier and Sam watched as Yates set to work. After a minute Sgt. Williams motioned to Sam to move out into the square. The two jogged lightly until they came upon the barrier. Sgt. Williams yelled quietly at Yates. “What is taking so long?” “I’m doing the best I can under pressure! It takes time to arm these things ya know!” While Sgt. Williams took to silently “motivating” Yates, Sam scanned the rooftops, looking for trouble. Private Johnson shook his head. “This doesn’t feel right. All of that damage on the way in, but we get nothing? I don’t even hear any birds, nothin’ at all! Does nobody else feel like this isn’t right?” “Shut it Johnson, you’re going to jinx us. I don’t need your bad vibes ruining the mission.” Johnny whispered loudly. “Too late for that, left side, rooftop.” Sam whispered. The silhouette of a short man was illuminated against the dark sky. Not waiting for anything, Johnny lined up his sights and took the shot. The gun shot echoed loudly in the still night, drawing a wince from Sam. If they hadn’t been noticed before, they certainly were going to be discovered now. Sgt. Williams continued silently yelling at Yates while the rest of the soldiers waited in anticipation. They didn’t have to wait long. Dark shapes pulled away from buildings and from the tops of buildings. Sam traced a figure running towards the cover of an alley and pulled the trigger. The man fell and Sam trained his sights on a different target. Quickly the skirmish fire developed into a full fledged fire-fight. Sgt. Williams left Yates and joined Sam, Johnny and Johnson in firing on the insurgents. The foursome laid covering fire while the other two members of their squad raced across the square. Privates’ Nicholas Mack and George Ryan slid in next to Sam and grinned. “Nothin like a good fire-fight to pick you up, eh Sammy?” “Shut up and shoot!” The pair lost their grins and began opening up at the figures across the square. Sam put another man down with a squeeze of the trigger and as he looked for another target he saw a figure stand on the rooftop opposite of Sgt. Golden’s squad. He put a bullet through the man’s head a second too late. The RPG tore through Sgt. Golden and two other men in his squad. The rest scattered, disoriented from the bright explosion. Sgt. Williams cursed. “Johnson! On me! We’ve got to go save their sorry asses! Corporal, you three provide fire support! Yates, if you are not done by the time I get back, we are all dead!” Sam dropped his mag and switched it with a full one. Another man fell in a hail of bullets as Sam and Johnny picked the same target. Johnson fell and for a second Sam thought he had been shot. Johnson scrambled to his feet and took off at a dead sprint towards where Sgt. Williams was now hiding behind a corner. Sam turned his head slightly as he heard Yates shout. “I’m done! We’ve got thirty seconds until it blows!” “You idiot! I thought you had a remote detonator!” Johnny yelled. Sam shook his head. “It doesn’t matter! We’ve got to move!” Private Ryan shouted as a bullet tore through his calf. He dropped his rifle and clutched at the bloody hole. Sam cursed and crouched next to him. “On your feet George, we’ve got to get out of here.” “The fuckers shot me Sammy. They put one right through my leg. They.. They shot me Sammy.” “Mack, grab his arm, Yates take his rifle. Johnny keep us covered. We’re running the square.” Sam yanked Private Ryan to his feet and started dragging him forward. Mack grabbed his other arm and the group broke into a run. Private Ryan screamed as another bullet tore through his stomach. Mack dropped his arm and opened up at the rooftops, leaving Sam alone to carry the wounded man. “Damn it Mack! Pick him the hell up!” Before Mack could move, a third bullet entered Private Ryan’s head, silencing him. Sam dropped the corpse and brought his rifle up. “Who the hell targets wounded in a firefight?!?” Johnny yelled. No one answered him as they left the body behind and ran for the buildings. As Sam slid in next to Sgt. Williams, the C-4 detonated across the square. The sound of gunfire momentarily stopped as the bright explosion blinded the combatants. Sam squeezed his eyes shut. Blinking rapidly, he looked to the explosion area. As his flash blindness faded he noticed the purple color of the barrier was missing from a small area the size of a car.[1] An area that was slowly shrinking. Sam dragged Sgt. Williams to her feet. “C’mon, our exit is going to be gone by the time we’re ready!” The rest of the squad shook their eyes clear and followed Sam. Sgt. Williams pushed Sam off and ran on her own. Gunfire poured towards them as they ran, sending chips of dirt and stone into their faces. Sam heard more than saw one of the survivors of Sgt. Golden’s squad fall. When Mack slowed to help the man, Sam grabbed him by the arm and yanked him forward. He pointed to the hole in the barrier. “Go! He’s already dead!” Sam shouted “We don’t know that!” Mack yelled back. “Yes we do! You fall you die, so get moving!” Sam pushed Mack forward and squeezed off a few shots behind them. By the time that Mack and Sam reached it, the hole had shrunk to the size refrigerator. Sgt. Williams waved them both through and then stepped through herself. The squad ran all the way to the buildings at the opposite end of the square, even though the enemy fire didn’t pass through. Johnny broke down a door and the squad flooded in. Sam took a window facing the barrier and watched as the hole sealed itself. He trained his sights on a pair of insurgents that approached the barrier. Mack crept up beside him and peered out the window. They watched as one of the insurgents tapped on the barrier before he shook his head at the other one. The insurgents stared into the buildings for a minute before turning and walking away.[2] Sam let out a sigh of relief. He turned around and slumped against the wall. “Sergeant, I think we have a few minutes of breathing room.” Sgt. Williams shook her head and flopped to the floor. Sam got to his feet. Sgt. Williams shook her head again. She looked at Sam with sad eyes. “We-.. we joked about this happening. We-.. w-.. We made it seem like a joke. He was an ass but he didn’t deserve that. He-.. just…” Johnny spoke first. “Sarge, what happened wasn’t your fault. It doesn’t matter what you said before we came out here. Old Stan out there killed him. Not you, not some stupid joke. It was Stan the suicide man.” Sgt. Williams nodded. The steely light came back to her eyes and she stood up. “Patch up your wounds and eat something quick, we move in ten.” Sam nodded and grinned. Sgt. Williams turned to one of Golden’s soldiers. “Who is your Corporal?” “Dead.” Alright then, fall in with us. Check yourselves over and check your battle buddy.” Sam took up his spot back at the window. In the distance he saw flashes and he listened to the echoes of gunfire. Snores soon reached his ears and he turned to find Johnny passed out in a rickety chair. Chuckling to himself, Sam turned back to the window and watched.
