A beggining, or a new end.

"Sergeant Aricson! Where the fuck are you man?!"

Pual Aricson gripped his weapon. The voice of Lt. Col. Rowland rang on his radio, seeking him out. As Pual fired at the fifty or so insurgent soldiers attacking his platoon, he felt his hope draining. His men were being slaughtered, and there was no end in sight. Thier only hope was Steve, and if he couldn't get there in time...

"Two clicks south of the bridge. You better hurry your ass up, flyboy!"

Two more Marines went down, thier blood staining the Iraqi desert sand a bright red. Pual turned to one of his men, a plan forming in his head.

"Thompson, take Ferguson and Ramirez and get over to that outcropping. It should give you some shelter. Kawalski! You got any explosives?"

The three Marines ran off, and Kawalski threw Pual a bag of C4 just as an Iraqi sniper put a bullet through his head. Pual set the detonators, then threw the bag at a small ditch full of snipers. The explosion blew the wannabe soldiers to kingdom come, and Pual began to race for the rocks, where his three remaining men were huddled. At that moment, Steve and his sixty men came over the ridge behind thier enemies, and began to dispatch them with ease. Pual was about twelve steps from the rocks when they exploded, killing the three Marines already there, and sending Pual flying...


"We are now about to land in Nachton. Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in thier upright and locked position, and that your seat belts are securely fastened."

Pual awoke from his dream to the voice of the flight attendant. He rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch. Evening had set in, and Pual was tired. He had been on this god-forsaken flight for six hours now, and it was getting old fast. As the plane landed, and as the Marine disembarked, he felt the urge for a burger. He walked out to the parking lot, where his car, a black Humvee, was waiting, taking up two spaces. He got in, checking the vehicle, then drove off, searching for a good resturaunt or something. This town may be his new home, but it was gonna take a lot of getting used to.