Disclaimer: I didn't make Red Alert 2, and I am not affiliated in anyway with Westwood Games or EA.

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I Promise I'll Come Back

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            Thousands of miles away, rain was pelting down upon an Allied base, and on soldiers' heads from the sky as they waited near the entrance to their base.  The sky was dark and gloomy, wrapped up tight in dark gray clouds that seemed to cast the darkest of shadows.  A small group of American snipers jumped slightly as a dog ran past the entrance, stopping and glancing to them.  The British had decided to try training American troops as snipers, and the small group of five men had been their "guinea pigs" chosen for it.  Jake glanced over to the others with a question written on his face about the dog and quirked an eyebrow.  Scott could only grunt an answer as he leaned his gun against the pillbox nearby.

            "…Commander sent out some dogs earlier."

            Jake only nodded and looked back to what he had been working on as the lone German Shepherd continued on its path back to the barracks set to the east of the field of power plants.  He wore his dark blue coat pulled up over his head and his lap so the rain wouldn't destroy his work, and he was leaning back against their base's wall.  A black ballpoint pen held in his right hand was poised over several sheets of paper, before he shuffled back to the beginning of his letter to read over what he'd written already, and then continue it.

            Dear Leah,

I wish you were here so much.  I miss you more than anything.  Right now we're stuck outside on guard duty near the base entrance.  It's raining right now, so some of this may not be comprehensible.  It's cold here, and it only seems colder because you're so far away. Somewhere out there, the Reds have a base.  They haven't attacked in a while, so the commander has sent out dogs every few hours to see what's up.  Everything's fine here so far, besides that you're not here.

Leah, I love you so much.  You don't understand how empty it feels for me not to be able to hold you and kiss you and laugh with you.  I can only hope that this war will end soon.  I can still remember the day that I had to leave.  Your eyes looked so sad and you kept begging me to stay.  You knew that I had to go, but I almost listened – I love your eyes so much.  Your had your hair worn loose, and when I gave you a hug and a kiss, it was so soft.  I remember what you were wearing too.  You had on a short black skirt and a button-up black shirt with three quarter sleeves.  You looked so sad and I wished I could have done something more.  You were trying not to cry – I can remember that.  Your green eyes were filled with tears, but you wouldn't let them fall.  You're so strong, Leah.

I can remember when we were standing outside of the boarding ramp to the plane.  That's when the tears started falling.  I couldn't bear to see you like that.  I promise that I'll come home, Leah.  I told you then, and I think I've said it in every letter I've sent so far, but you need to know that I mean it.  When I gave you a hug you were shaking and I didn't think I could let go of you.  You seemed so small then and I just wanted to stay home and keep you safe.

While I've been out here, I was thinking up names.  I think that I like James a lot, if it's a boy, and I still like the girl name you like (Liesel).  I think.  Maybe.  Ack!  I don't know.  Yeah, I like Liesel.  Heh, while I was out here, the other guys and I were talking about it.  Since you're Texan, they think they should be named Billy Joe Bob if it's a boy and Minnie May Pearl if it's a girl.

No, I'm just kidding.  I gave them a couple whacks each.  I've been away from home for five months, three weeks and six days.  You're almost three months along then, right?  Heh, I remember when I got your letter telling me when you found out about it.  I was so surprised.

Anyways.. I can't wait to be back home again with you.  I never realized how used to you I'd become.  It's hard to fall asleep without you next to me.  It's hard to wake up and not have you there when I open my eyes.  It's hard when it's the commander waking you up at 4:30 in the morning, and not you.  Yes, you HAVE waken me up at 4:30 in the morning before for little things.  But I enjoyed every single time.  I miss you so much.  I miss seeing you, I miss holding you, I miss kissing you.. I miss everything.  I almost wish I could tell you that I couldn't care less about the war and that I'd come home to you immediately if I could, but I won't let your life – our life, be controlled by the Soviets.

Whenever I see the stars out here, and the moon, I always wish that you were here with me.  And when I see the sunset or the sunrise, I wish I could share it with you.  Leah, I love y-

All the lights in the base flickered and died.  Around the base, power plants died, prism towers shut down, and the ore refinery became still.  Jake lifted his head up from his letter abruptly and glanced over to the barracks. The lone German Shepherd was gone and the entrance to a power plant nearby it was open. A single shot ripped through the air and flew straight into Scott's right shoulder, sending him to the ground, clutching his shoulder.  In that instant, Jake had dropped his letter within the folds of his coat, grabbing up his rifle when an enormous pack of Siberian Huskies swept into the base.  He immediately began picking them off, one after another, the remaining three snipers doing the same until the pack was down to nothing.  After that, any engineers, then flak troopers, then Tesla troopers were destroyed.

No one noticed the snipers who had already successfully shot down over thirty infantry units and hadn't received one scratch.  No one noticed another dog that seemed to be one of the American's, running alongside the Soviets and straight towards a power plant.  Everyone noticed when the power came back online for a split second, and the prism towers managed to kill one Psi Corps trooper, but no one noticed the wounded sniper who had picked up his rifle that he had leaned against a pill box moments ago.  No one noticed the strange, vacant, staring look upon his face as he aimed the rifle at the head of the nearest man.

Thousands of miles away, no one heard the husband of a sleeping nineteen year old young woman scream as a bullet pierced the back of his skull.

Near the ruins of a pill box, no one noticed a few sheets of paper with writing in black ink blur and become a soggy mess from rain pelting down upon the smoking remnants of an Allied base.