Chapter 1

He opened his eyes. For a moment he forgot where he was. But the perpetual hissing and that slow drip of water brought him back. He just lay there, lost in his own thoughts. He knew he should get up, sit up or at least do something. But everything was the same, a new day, the same story. The lighting was the same, the smell was the same, and even the sounds were the same. But as he came back to reality a new sound emerged. He could hear boots thumping and a distant Klaxon. Something was definitely up. He swiveled out of bed and poked his head out of the bunkroom hatch. Soldiers were rushing past by the dozens. He saw the alarmed look on their faces. The Klaxons were getting louder. He must have missed the announcement which is hard to do on a submarine, but instinct told him to follow the crowd. He ran to his bunk and pulled on some clothes, then shoved his way into the crowd.

Chapter 2

The crammed bodies were moving at a steady pace, churning along by itself. Although being a big guy, the crowd was overpowering. He had no control over where he went. There seemed to be a panic in the air, but for what, nobody knew. A rouge announcement could mean anything from a forgotten ID tag to a hostile attack. But when paired with a Klaxon, they tended to be on the more negative side. The end of the passageway neared and the torrent of nervous, bleary-eyed soldiers emptied out into the mess hall. But this was no lunch time. All the tables had been pushed to the side and a small stage set up at the head. There, Lt. Larson stood straight as an arrow with his hand folded behind his back. Lt. Larson was a good guy. He could take a joke but always sobered up when the time called for it. Larson wasn’t making any jokes, talking to his fellow comrades or even looking at the masses of people pouring, simply staring stone-faced at an air vent. This couldn’t mean good. When someone who had seen it all purses their lips, it means bad news is coming.

“Yo Nate!” a voice called out from behind.

Nate turned around, happy to something other than bad news. His closest friend, Jason, had found him in the crowd. Jason looked like a child among grownups. In the military where 5’7 won’t get you drafted, it seemed impossible that he passed the physical. How lucky Nate thought, or unlucky. 5’8 wasn’t bad, but in a situation where strength is the difference between life and death, every inch is indispensable. And surrounded by 6 footer’s, he looked tiny. Nate had wormed his way through the crowd to Jason, who was eagerly waiting for him. Jason flipped his long brown hair out of his eyes.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked.

“I have no idea I was just going to ask you.” Nate responded.

“I think we’re out here because I forgot to make my bed.” Jason joked. He could always insert humor into the most dire of situations.

Nate scoffed. “About that, why didn’t you wake me up? I slept right though the announcements.”

“I'm not your mother, wake your own ass up. I would have slept if I had a second chance. The announcements only said ‘all members please come to the mess hall immediately’. Then the Klaxons started wailing. I'm no seasoned veteran but when I hear that, it means we’ll need all the sleep we can get.”

            “Mhm.”

Chapter 3

Nate reflected silently. He knew Jason is scared out of his mind, as is everyone else in this godforsaken tube that passed for a boat. But by unspoken code, it’s forbidden to show your fear. A certain shame came with showing fear. Apparently it detracts from the ferocious warrior façade. But nobody except for a few select experienced members on board are true warriors. The rest are sheep in wolves clothing, simply miserable civilians in army fatigues. Not two months ago, Nate was studying back home in Philadelphia. His mind flashed back.  Just graduated college with a degree in computer engineering and particle physics. He had a 4.76 GPA, while working a dream internship and pursuing his brain child he had envision himself working on for so many years. The perfect way to start a stable, successful life. He was one breakthrough away from scientific fame. Nothing could touch him. But then the war came. He could still remember hearing the first news stories. They always sounded distant; they never applied to him, until that day. As he got ready to leave for the lab he heard of a pending attack. ‘…The bombs will fall within the hour and many people are scrambling…’ he assumed it was simply another update on the Indian-Iranian conflict. He shrugged it off and continued to work. If only he had listened closer could he have done something…Jason poked him in the face.

“What’s the matter with you, you look like a statue.”

“I, just was, um…wait what?”

Nate snapped back into reality. He glanced at Jason then up to the Lieutenant who was no longer standing still. He had moved to the podium and was preparing to give a speech. With a cleared throat the mess hall went deathly silent. The only sound was the hum of the engines.

Chapter 4

Lt. Larson’s amplified voice echoed though the cramped walls.

“As I am standing here the war progresses. Not two hours ago, our best soldiers went into battle in response to a counter-attack. They were sent in to put a stop to the advances, but it was a trap. Enemy planes were called in and 60% of the entire battalion has been wiped out. With no one to stop them, they are now 40 miles from the border. That’s where we come in. We are the only combat-ready battalion within 80 miles of the enemy. They need help out there protecting the border and we are going to help them. This may be your first combat scenario, but do not be afraid. 95% of you live through this experience. All of you will be scared, anyone who says they aren’t is a liar. Some of you are cowards, but a coward will still fight bravely or feel the consequences more than any bullet. Fighting despite fear is what makes a solider truly brave, and I trust you will all fight bravely.”

Lt. Larson stepped away from the podium and turn off his microphone. He then took one more sweeping glare at everyone in the room and resumed his statue stance.  No applause was given, no shouting, rioting or hoorah, just a quite shuffle and a murmur.

“you scared?” Jason asked

“uhhhhhhhhh…nope.”  Nate responded

“Bull.”

“That was sarcasm, I'm about to piss my pants.”

“Well me too. Me too.”

Just then a lower class officer stepped up to the podium. He pulled out a crisp piece of paper. Nate could see the light glinting off of the glossy surface. Definitely from higher command, he concluded. Although far off, he recognized the U.S.A eagle emblem in the corner. It could only be one thing: deployment lists. The chess game had just started and they were about to be deployed like pawns, sacrificial for some higher plan. But something seemed odd about the situation. A surprisingly strong Chinese force spends resources and risks lives invading South Korean land almost completely useless to them, and is willing to wipe out an entire battalion doing so. That was messing with the big brother on the block. The U.S has been fairly dormant in combat every since the incident, willing to keep violence at a minimum, but this bold move will spark hell for every country in the war and the entire world. The only logical explanation for defending or attacking an neutral country would be if they weren’t completely neutral…like if they were hiding something…Nate turned to ask Jason if he was thinking the same thing but Jason was gone. He spotted him moving toward the stage along with masses of other people. They were picking out their deployment schedules so they could organize into groups and receive the necessary equipment. Nate looked back to the man at the podium.

“…1700 hours company 3. 1800 hours company 4. 1900 hours company 5. Repeat. Deployment begins at 1500 hours on the western shore. The battalion will regroup on land and move to the nearest infantry base for recovery and preparation. From there strategic roles for interception will be assigned. Our expected time of arrival is…”

Nate pushed his way through the crowd and caught Jason by the shoulder.

“Hey man, are we leaving right now?” he asked

“Nah, we’re just reporting to our stations for more briefing,” He replied coolly, but with a sadness in his eyes,

“go get your tag scanned and they’ll give you your schedule.”

 Nate slapped him on the back.  “Aight catch you later.”

He twisted his way through the crowd until he reached the table. A dancing laser light twirled on the table. Nate swiped his dog tag under the scanner and it beeped, flashing his profile up on the screen above. Then a sheet of paper sped out of the slot beneath the screen and tore off into his hands. Nate walked away and examined the deployment order. In bold, his company and platoon were listed next to the room number: L2|45. He automatically began to make his way to the second level. His mind was absent as he slid down the stair railings and took two lefts, a right and a left. It almost seemed like a normal day. Almost. There was no way to prove it, but Nate felt an electric buzzing in the air. He could feel his head become lighter as he navigated the narrow halls. I’m going to be in combat in less than a day… the thought kept pinging through his mind. Halls he had been living in for months suddenly seemed too small. His feet were a little hazy in front of him, so far away…I might be dead by tomorrow, this is the end…He felt sick to his stomach. His vision blurred and claustrophobia set in. He stumbled into the gray metal wall, desperate for some space. Nate slid down to the floor and took a deep breath, but it only made him dizzier. The harsh fluorescence pounded at his head and darkness started closing in.He closed his eyes and let the darkness come.

Chapter 5

The field was bright and luminous. Sunlight glinted off specks of dust and pollen floating above the chest high wheat. Nate was small, with childlike hands and stubby fingers. Up ahead he could see his old farmhouse from West Virginia, made of curling wood with a simple yellow paintjob. His grandparents beckoned him from their cozy rocking chairs on the porch. Nate laughed and stomped his way through the wheat. He pounded up the steps; he was wearing his favorite shorts and t-shirt and had his rubber band gun in his hand.

‘go ahead hon, have a cookie.’ His grandma held one out for him with the biggest smile. He snatched it greedily and began munching. Nate reached up to grab a glass of milk from the coffee table but it slipped through his tiny child fingers and shattered on the porch deck. There was a moment of silence;Nate stared at the milk dripping off his little sandals. Then Grandpa started yelling at him. Only it wasn’t Grandpa’s voice. Nate turned to see his drill instructor from boot camp towering over him, spewing insults at him faster than he could comprehend. He backed away as his drill instructor grew in height, screaming pure hatred at his clumsiness. Nate turned around and started running. Drill instructor ran after him, clawing at his head.

Nate wailed, “Sir, forgive me, Sir! It won’t happen again Sir!”

Drill Instructor roared and sent him flying into the field with a swing of his arm. Nate coughed and stumbled to his feet. Recruits from his boot camp rose out of the dirt and aimed their rifles at him. Panicked, he shot the rubber band gun at the nearest soldier, but it fired a thunderous gunshot making him explode into a cloud of dirt. Nate yelped and ran, the other soldiers chasing after him, sending shots whizzing through the wheat. The air shook as Chinese jets shrieked over head. Geysers of dirt were exploding around him as missiles pounded craters into the earth; their shockwaves shoving him over. Up ahead hundreds of soldiers rose from the ground and loaded their guns. Nate came to a stop and stared at the army surrounding him. Then they fired at him. He stood in shock as bullets passed through his body. He was being hit from every angle by an endless volley of fire. Nate fell to his knees, struck by shot after shot. Suddenly, the ground beneath him disintegrated into a deafening explosion of soil as shrapnel cut through every part of his body in gruesome slow motion. As he lost consciousness he saw the drill sergeant smiling wickedly and shaking his head.

Chapter 6

Nate awoke with a gasp.He in a cold sweat on his back.After a few moments his eyes adjusted to the blinding lights and he realized where he was. The hum of the engines and the familiar damp smell came to him. Nate had a foggy realization that he passed out on the way to briefing and must have had a nightmare. Someone must have found him because he was in the medic bay. Nate sat upright and swung his legs out of the bed. The entire room was empty. Rows of unoccupied beds lined the walls. Just as he was pulling himself out of the cot a doctor ran in the room. The doctor glanced in his direction and grabbed a clipboard lying on a stand across the room. Nate called out.

“Hey! What going on?”

The medic replied, “You’ve been out for 3 hours. Your company is leaving in less than half an hour so you better hurry your ass up.”

“Am I okay?” Nate sounded worried.

“Yeah. You just passed out.” The medic sounded annoyed.

“Just?” Nate raised an eyebrow.

The medic snorted loudly. “You’re fine. Okay? You were being a wimp. Now hurry.” He turned to go.

“Wait…Wha…Hurry where?!”

He quickly ruffled through his papers then rushed out.

Nate called after him, “wait!” But he was gone. The silence returned. Nate let out a deep sigh. He looked at the clock. 25 minutes before he had to face his demise. With careful deliberation he crept out into the hall. It was almost empty. Quite the contrast to the beehive craziness he witnessed hours before.

Chapter 7

Nate began walking. He thought about all that had happened and all that was going to happen. He couldn’t imagine what state he would be in a few hours…prisoner? Shot? Abandoned? …Dead? He was walking faster. I’m weak. He thought. I’ve let everyone down. I bet they’re cursing my name right now. I’m an embarrassment. He was nearly running now without realizing it. He yelled in his head I can’t do this! No one cares if I die. I won’t be on the news, I’ll be a number. A goddamn number to add to the endless casualties. I don’t give a shit in hell about this war. Forget fighting for your country, this isn’t even my country! We should leave. Let them havewhatever we’re hiding. Let them do what they want with it. Let them kill their neighboring countries, they were jerks anyways. Let them destroy, let them murder, let them win, lose, live, die, end, begin. The world will be gone.  I’ll be gone. None of this matters…I can’t do this…Nate was sprinting now. He had reached the balcony overlooking the cargo bay. Everyone was there, bustling about, preparing for departure. Nate looked over the scene with hatred. He hated his life and he hated the military. It was all so pointless, he couldn’t help but look disgusted. But he forced it down and put on a neutral face. It was not his position to hate. He was just a grunt. An insignificant jarhead. Spotting his platoon, he stepped down the frail metal staircase to the lower deck and sauntered over to his group. The platoon leader glanced at him, then did a double take.

“NATE! WHERE THE HELL’VE YOU BEEN?!”

“I was sick, sir.” Nate responded monotonously.

“WELL GET YOUR SICK BUTT INTO UNIFORM YOU’RE LATE” the platoon leader was yelling in his normal voice.

“yes sir.” Nate turned around scanned the tables set up along the edges of the bay. He jogged to the nearest one and pulled off a package of fresh cammies with combat specifications.

The solider standing behind the table spoke to him.

“You’re late.”

Nate ignored him and entered the makeshift changing stall next to the table.

As he got changed he could feel the engines kick up. That meant they must be rising. He pulled on his new jungle-pattern camouflage jacket and strode out. Nate tried to look normal but he felt like a waddling penguin. He was wearing two pairs of pants, a shirt, a flak jacket, a cameo combat vest, and combat boots with his helmet dangling at his side. His fellow recruits also seemed a bit clumsy in their new garments as well. He checked the overhead clock: 5 minutes before company 2 departs.

Chapter 8

Nate arrived back at his platoon. Finally he blended in with the crowd. Suddenly Jason was there.

“Hey you made it!” Jason practically yelled.

Nate jumped, “Jesus could you be any louder?” But Nate was smiling as he scolded.

“What took you so long?” Jason asked

“I was busy fighting crime, you know, the usual stuff.”

“Pfft you can’t lie to me. I know you fainted. I hope you didn’t break a fingernail.” Jason snickered, pretended to inspect his nails.

“Yeah, yeah you’re hilarious.”

A silence fell between them. Jason knew Nate was embarrassed so he let it go. An announcement came over the loud speak, filling up the silence.

“All platoons under company 2 please board.” That was their cue. Up ahead, a hatch on the wall hissed and it swung open revealing the inside of the mini-submersible that would carry them to shore. They had the smallest company of the 5, only 90 members and they all fit inside the roomy mini-sub.

The sub doors closed and sealed with a vice sound and the sub detached with a solid clunk.That was the sound of an old chapter of his life ending. It was real now, there was no going back.

Everyone inside sat in complete silence, during the 5 minute ride to the shore. With every passing second, the dark outline of the main submarine faded into the murk and with it, the feeling of safety.

Slowly, sunlight began filtering through the ports, until it was blindingly bright. The water had pillars of sunlight stabbing the depths. Nate stared in awe. It had been months since he had seen the sun.

Jason whispered, “This will be good for you. You’re the pastiest guy on this boat.”

Nate elbowed him in the ribs but kept staring. A sudden thunk got their attention. They had hit the beach. The submersible driver hit the cargo lever. Everyone’s eyes followed the cargo door as it whined itself into the sand. Then, as if in unison, they stood up and marched single out onto the beach.

The company commander strolled out in front of the soldiers. He clapped his hands together and said, “Welcome to Korea, Boys.”

Chapter 9

Nate slept through the uneventful 3 hour drive to the camp site. When they got there, the Captain stood in front of them with his hands clasped, ready for detailed mission briefing.

Just another high rank guy directing forces Nate thought. He wondered what his platoon’s role would be.

Jason murmured in his ear, “watch. I bet he’s going to clear his throat.”

The Captainre-read his assignments from his clipboard, then cleared his throat.

“The Chinese are now 10 miles from the border of South Korea. South Korea has identified as neutral, but if the Chinese cross the border from North Korea the U.S forces in position at the border, us poor bastards, will have no choice but to apply defensive tactics. Gentlemen, I would like to assure that this is a terrible idea. We are out gunned and out manned. These Chinese are coming at us with everything they’ve got. So why are we choosing to protect South Korea? Well, I'm about to tell you all some pretty top secret information, so sit pretty.

We are protecting South Korea simply because they have our bomb. The past few years, the U.S has been developing a new kind of bomb over in South Korea. It’s called an M-bomb, short for matter bomb. It’s not some kind of futuristic laser shooting bomb, it blows up like any other bomb. But you’re probably wondering what makes it so special. Simply put, it blows up very big. It makes an atom bomb look like a match. It makes a hydrogen bomb look like firecrackers. We got some stats attached to the report regarding its destructive power. It uses matter and anti-matter to convert 1.5 kilograms of mass into pure energy. According to E=mc², our bomb releases 13 quintillion joules of energy. That’s enough energy to power San Francisco for 2 years. All of that energy is released in under a second in a radioactive fireball. This thing could level a city…no, two cities.As well as all the surrounding suburbs. This is the most devastating weapon ever developed in human history. And the Chinese want it. Bad. I would like to inform all you soldiers, that only thing standing between the Chinese and that bomb…is you. It is your duty to protect the bomb at the cost of anything, including, if need be, your life. This is beyond you, beyond politics, beyond American interests. This is for the integrity and safety of the entire planet.”

When the captain finished, everyone suddenly burst into conversation. Nate felt his gut sink. He turned, alarmed, to Jason.

“What the fuck? Now we’re saving the whole world?”

“uhhhhhhh…” Jason responded. This news shocked even him.

Nate rubbed the bridge of his nose for a solid minute, groaning with frustration.

The Captain was yelling for everyone to quiet down. Once he had regained control he added on to his speech.

“I will give you one hour to prepare for combat. All of our equipment is ready to go at a moment’s notice. The only thing we’re waiting on is the soldiers. This battle will go down in history and I will not allow America to be the butterfingers that let the world slip through its fingers and die. Come up here and get your tag scanned and your role will be printed.”

Nate and Jason walked up and swiped their ID tags. The schedules flew out into their hands and they quickly examined them. Nate was hoping to be assigned to a position with Jason. If they were going to fight, he wanted to fight together.

“Damn.” Jason said.

“What?”

“I'm in infantry. It says I’ll be in the first wave on the ground.”

Nate felt a ping in his chest. His closest buddy was assigned to the front lines. That’s the most dangerous position to be in. It was almost like a death sentence. A momentary wave of emotion came over him.

“Wow. That sucks.” Nate answered

“Yeah but at least we’re there together right?” Jason asked hopefully.

“No. I'm a sniper.” Nate replied numbly. He should have felt sad Jason was on the front line or happy that he was far away from the action. But he felt nothing. He was tired of it all.

“Oh.” Jason’s eyes fell to the ground. He stood quiet for a moment, then turned and walked away, leaving Nate with his thoughts.

Chapter 10

This was the slowest hour of Nate life. He couldn’t feel anything, and he didn’t want to. His friend was gone, in more ways than one, and he had nothing to do for the remaining 50 minutes. Nate wandered around the base, he saw men in the mess hall having their final meal, there were games in the rec room, cots to nap on in the bunkhouses, and practice ranges. Nate stayed at the range for some unknown attraction. Barely conscious of his actions, he took out a long range 50 caliber rifle and slid on a scope. He quietly walked out into the dirt and lay down in prone position. I might as well practice before the battle he thought to himself, I’m gonna need it. A hot summer breeze blew through his hair as he adjusted the focus on the distant target-shaped person. He ran through his instantaneous check list: distance, adjust for gravity, wind, arc…he pulled the trigger. The 50 cal slammed back into him in a fiery explosion. He repositioned the scope to see where he hit. Center Punch. He tried again, and again and five more times, each hitting the center within a 5 inch group. Nate had always been good with guns. He had grown on a farm with a rifle in his lap. He was never of for fighting, but something about him made him good with guns. He didn’t like the purpose of guns. Killing was bad, even hunting was avoiding. But Marksmanship was a different story. Nate would sit in the back yard and shoot at cans all day long. When he got recruited those skills came handy and he became a part of the sniper squad. It was fun to learn all the secrets of good marksmanship he couldn’t have taught himself, but during his entire training he knew he might have to turn is weapon on a person one day. That day had come. Nate shook off the thought and fired angrily at the target. Reload, fire, reload, fire, reload, fire. He was shooting faster and faster trying to shoot his anger out. Round after with perfect accuracy.  Finally there was a click. The magazine was empty. Nate put his head down into the dirt and took a shaky breath.

“Whoa…” Nate looked up, the range master was standing behind him gawking at the target in amazement. The range master looked to Nate,

“That’s a record you know. You shattered the old record by 15 seconds with twice as much accuracy.” The range master said.

Nate slumped his face back into the dirt. He wasn’t aware he was being timed. He didn’t care either.  “Aren’t you excited? That time is really good.” The range master was enthusiastic.

Nate stood up and shoved the gun into his hands, then brushed past him.

“Whatever.”

Nate quick-walked away. He just needed some time to think. He consulted the built in watch on his new jacket: 30 minutes. He stopped. Where am I going? Nate felt supremely tired. Just get the hell out of here. He jogged over to the bunkhouse. A few other soldiers were sleeping with caps over their eyes. Nate grabbed the nearest unoccupied bunk and flopped down. He wanted to sleep, but couldn’t. He envied the soldiers next to him. With only 30 minutes left, sleeping seemed like a monumental task. So Nate just lay there staring at the ceiling. He would think about his predicament every once in a while, but for the most part, his mind was empty. The precious minutes started passing by in a blur and Nate could feel it happening, but he keep sitting. 20, 15, 10 minutes remaining. Suddenly, a loud tone sounded from the loudspeaker in the center field. Its echo reverberated around the campsite. Then, a voice came over. All personnel report to the camp center. The speaker clicked and went silent. Here I go thought Nate.

[Type a quote from the document or the summary of an interesting point. You can position the text box anywhere in the document. Use the Text Box Tools tab to change the formatting of the pull quote text box.]

Chapter 11

Within 5 minutes, all the soldiers were lined up in groups at the camp center. Everyone was grouped according to their combat role stated on the sheet they printed out. Nate was with a group of around 15 fellow snipers he had never met before. No one said anything to him and he said nothing to them. They waiting in silence until an officer came up and handed them their weapons and rounds. Then they boarded a nearby C-30 carrier and waited. Once two other platoons had boarded the tail of the plane closed and the engines started up. With a low rumble it coasted to the runway. The engines spooled up and the massive giant of a plane began speeding up and lifted off the runway. The ground dropped away and the roar of the turbines leveled out.

The plane was in the air for half an hour. Nate saw several planes returning to get more soldiers. The plane approached the landing strip at the next campsite. It was roughly paved and looked hastily cut out from the jungle. There were trees growing back on the edge of the strip and little dirt paths ran under the cover of the trees. Nate held on to his seatbelt as the plane descended. Within moments it touched down with a squeal and came to a stop. It taxied off the runway and the cargo doors opened. Nate and his new sniper platoon walked off. The commander pointed to a truck on the border of the trees and told them to get in. they obeyed. They weren’t even thinking at this point. Nate felt like a robot, mindlessly obey every command without thought. As they piled into the truck, once again silent, one soldier pulled out a tin flask of alcohol took a swig from it. The commander saw it slapped the flask out of his hand.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!” he screamed at him

“I..I’m sorry sir!” he stammered. He staggered a bit, clearly intoxicated. The commander shoved him out of the back of the truck.

“IF I SEE YOU DRINKING BEFORE A MISSION EVER AGAINI WILL HAVE YOU DISCHARGED.”

The commander was furious, his face had turned red.

“Let this serve as a reminder how serious this mission is.” He scanned their silent eyes. After a moment he got in the driver’s seat and started the engine. The drunken soldier had stood up and was staggering after the truck, but it sped away and left him in the dust.

Chapter 12

Everyone was still quiet. Nate missed his old platoon but said nothing. He quietly cleaned his gun. After 15 minutes the truck reached the sniping tower. Everyone piled out and surrounded it. It was a tall, spindly wooden structure that was covering in natural vines and camouflage netting. A semi-hidden ladder lead up to the upper platform. Nate stared up in awe at the platform. The bottom part was expertly camouflaged and the top platform reached high into the tree’s canopy. He would be nearly invisible.

The commander spoke from behind, “half of you are going to be on this tower and the other half on the second tower further down. You are going to provide cover for our forces and take out enemy forces whenever possible. You will fight to the last man, it’s simple as that.”

A soldier raised his hand, “is this where they’re attacking?”

“Our satellites are tracking their progress. By the way they’ve been heading its very likely they will pass through here and obliterate the base. A group has been sent ahead to do light engagement but when they reach this area, the rest of the battalion will have arrived. At the speed they have been going we expect them to reach this area in about 20 minutes.”

His answers seemed to satisfy because no further questions were asked.

“Alright then get in your towers.”

He counted everyone off by ones and twos and separated them into groups.

“One’s go in this tower. Two’s follow me.” Nate was a one. He watched as the two group picked their way through the vegetation and disappeared bushes. Then he turned around and started climbing.

Chapter 13

Nate reached the top of the platform and set down his rifle on the farthest spot on the left. The platform was heavily camouflaged. It had wooden front boards with reinforced Kevlar backboards. That made Nate feel safer, but he knew that the enemies’ rifles could easily pierce two inches of Kevlar.  He loaded a mag into the gun and attached the scope. Nate pushed his dog tag into the butt of the gun. It beeped, indicating authorization. He attached the bi-pod and turned on the scope. Even the scope had a heads up display. It told him how many rounds he had left, how steady he was holding the gun, the gun’s elevation, and the wind direction.

“Jesus, this thing’s complicated!” Nate remarked to the person next to him. He was also marveling at his own guns complexity.

“Yeah, these days the guns practically do the shooting for you.” He responded. Nate stuck the barrel through his hole in the Kevlar front board and lay down behind it. He put in his radio earpiece and became 100% soldier. His emotions were gone, his fear was gone. He was focusing on was the field and nothing else.

I just found my Flashdrive (if you don’t understand what I’m referring to I emailed you) and polished off chapter 12 and started 13. In the interest of time I’m updating the blog now that I passed the required 390 lines (13 chapters*30 lines/chap). As I understand it you aren’t grading on content necessarily but on required length. But I can’t simply end in the middle of a sentence so I will continue and finish the story later today for your entertainment and in case I am horribly mistaken  about content thing (plus I want to finish it).

CURRENT STATISTICS:

PAGES: 25

WORDS: 5,773

CHARACTERS /WO SPACE: 26,152

CHARACTERS /W SPACE: 31,814

PARAGRAPHS: 144

LINES: 433