We had been flying for hours, how far was this desert I wondered. Only a thirty or so minute the pilots said, but that's what they said thirty minutes ago. We sat quietly but we where all extremely pumped and ready to fight. We already had our guns locked and loaded and got to know the new additions to our team as well.

"Command has a treat for you guys." The pilots said over the com. "Patching though... now." There was a burst of static and then voices.

"Tell us your name!" A voice demanded.
"Andy... Andy Long." The reply came.
I smiled, we had him.
"Your the son of Max Long, aren't you!" The person demanded. There was no response from Andy. "Burn him!" The voice said and I heard screams coming from Andy. "Your the son of Max Long, are you not?" The voice demanded again.
"Yes." Andy said half crying in pain.

"It seems you went AWOL for awhile. Why have you been AWOL so much?"
"Cause I was giving intel to my father!" Andy said.
"A spy?" The voice asked.
"Yes, I was spying." Andy replied scared.
"Max, why did he start this war?" There was a pause. "Why!" I heard the man yell and a fist slam on a table.
"I don't know!"
"You do know!" The voice said. "He knows doesn't he?" The voiced asked someone.
"Yeah." A different voice responded.
"Are you scared of me Andy?" The demanding person asked.
"No." Andy replied.

"He lied, didn't he?" The person asked.
"Yeah, he lied." The mysterious person replied.
I recognized the way the person was interrogating, it was the same way we had been yelled at when we dropped into Fort Containment... It was Brock Flood who was questioning Andy.

"How many men are guarding your father?" Flood asked.
"Why does it matter?" Andy asked back.
"Cause, we wanted to make sure he had enough company in his little hole in Antarctica where the nuke went off!" There was a pause.
I figured out where we where going, back to Antarctica. The 'desert' was the wasteland from where the nuke went off.

"About eighty men." Andy replied.
"Well now, we better make sure there more people there for the party." Flood said and paused for a second.

"Why did you do it, give him intel?" He asked afterward.
"He's my father, I had to help him. Like any other person would do for theirs." Andy said back hard.
And I felt bad for it a small bit, but that feeling quickly went away.
"I would give back intel to the WWMF as well, if they caught it."
I thought back to those words he had said. He was giving his information on their movements, he was helping us back. We just never caught on.

"I wouldn't help my father if he was the person who started a World War!" Flood yelled.
There was a pause.
"He has his reasons, he knows more than you will figure out before it's to late. He keeps it most top secret, I don't even know exactly what it is, but I know something's there."
There was another paused.
"I think where done with him, sir." I heard someone whisper.
"Agreed." Brock replied.

There was the sound of a pistol being cocked and a gunshot, followed by a body falling to the floor. My eyes became wet, the very person I had trusted we really the enemy. I began to wonder if he was really that much of a enemy, what where the secrets that Max kept that he didn't tell Andy, could it have changed everything?

People in the dropship began to let out a cheer over the death of Andy. I was the only one who didn't. I had grown tired and confused in during the war. Those close to me started to die or where really not my friend at all. Steve being sick only made it worse.

"Three minutes. LZ is in sight." The pilot said over the com. "Beautiful timing."

We soon began to descend and we touched the ground and began to pile out. We made our way though the dusted dark sky for about ten minutes and up the the cliff ahead. We gazed out when we reached the edge.

Ahead of us down in the canyon like area was the bunker, it could be easily made out. To the right was the line of armor that stuck up into the air and a tunnel could be made in the hillside. We stood up and backed away from the cliff. We regrouped and began to talk about how we should approach this.

We discussed it out and made our way back to the ledge, I had a hard time making it out in the dark. I found it when I got that sudden rush of free fall. I slammed into the side of the cliff halfway down and crashed into the hard ground below. I laid there, silent and not moving. Ryan then hanged himself over and attempted to slide down the side, but ended up on his stomach anyway, but not as hard as I did.

He made his way over to me.
"Thomas!" He said in a loud whisper. "Thomas are you okay?"
I regained to touch with reality and began to figure out what was going on. I looked at Ryan.
"I'm fine I think."
He extended his hand to help me up.
"We gotta move." He said.
I reached out and grabbed at it, my hand went though his. I grabbed at the wrong Ryan.

"Are you okay?" He asked again.
"Yeah, just keep your bodies together." I replied, still a tad bit unaware of what was happening and not with reality.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet, I almost fell back over. I was extremely dizzy and I felt like I was gonna hurl, my head was also felt light. A few minutes afterwards I started getting back to normal.
"Toss us down our guns." Ryan said over the com.
Four guns flew off at us. Ryan caught his and my slammed into my visor.

I took a step back from the force of it and looked down at my gun, it was only one gun now.
"Are you okay?" Ryan asked.
I could tell that even in the situation and type of mission we where in, he was trying somewhat not to laugh.
"I'm good, that fixed me." I replied and picked up my gun.
"Good, then lets move out." He replied to me before contacting Dave on the com and telling him to watch from the cliffs for Max if he tried to escape.

We made our way down toward the bunker. We took cover behind a big rock. Two guards stood outside the bunker talking and having a smoke, they where mechanized and had their helmets off.
"Hostile, front." A soldier said over the com.
"We have a line of sight into the bunker, sir." Another voice said.
I looked up on at the ledge, they where up behind the bunker, they had a firing line into it.

"Silencers on." Ryan said.
"Copy that." Someone replied.
I twisted the silencer onto the barrel of my BR55 that had been tossed down to me.
"Get a firing sector on the bunker." Ryan ordered.
I could see the team come up along the lege and go prone at the cliff side. Guns fixed into the bunker.
"Firing sector hot." Someone replied.
"Green light" Ryan said over the com and turned and peaked around the rock at the two guards.

They jumped and attempted to pull their side arms out, yelling something as they did so. Ryan opened up and they dropped dead, not having got a shot off. Voices started up inside the bunker and the team fired in on them, after which only moans from the wounded russians could be heard.
"Bunker looks clear." A voice over the com announced.
"Get down here." Ryan ordered.
He and I made our way into the bunker, guns at the ready.

Lights hung on the side of the bunker walls, giving the area a creepy tone. The bunker had a catwalk that made off back into the cliff side behind it, under our squad on the cliff top. I glanced over and saw movement come up to the corner of the cave entrance.
"Ryan!" I yelled and pulled my gun up to sight.
The enemy fired at us and I fired back.

My BR55 beat his SMG and he quickly went down, we where fine. The team began to 'slide' down the hill, crash landing at the bottom. The bunker was a platform that had two holes in the side of giant pieces of armored defenses. A MG sat in each of the openings overlooking a open area, one looked over the generals spot and one looked over the bunkers left flank.

"Man those MG's!" Ryan yelled.
I got on the one over looking Max's position, troops broke out from the cover across the way and where advancing though the open on our position. I fired. I wasn't used to firing a MG and bullets flew wildly everywhere. I shot to the left at a ground and they went down, and the middle and worked my way right. One man got though and was quickly put down by the others.

"Williams!" Ryan yelled. "Take Thomas's position on that MG, Robinson, take the other, MG gunners cover us! Everyone else fall in!"
Ryan bolted out of the bunker and rest of us followed, except for the gunners. We made our way out to a small hill line in the open, enough to lie down and use as cover, which we did. I jumped to the ground and began to fire my rifle at the enemy across the way.

They peaked in and out from behind their armored coverings and shot back with SMGs and MA5Bs.
"Rock!" Ryan yelled out and a man with a M19 Launcher made his way to him.
"Blow them out from behind their cover!" Ordered Ryan.
"Yes sir." Rock replied.
The soldier took aim with his rocket launcher and shot. The rocket hissed though the air and hit the ground just to the side and behind the armored area, where the enemy was using it for cover. Bodies flew out from behind one.

They began to shift their lines to their right, and troops ran out though the open and behind cover of a small cliff hill that curved out away from us. They where on the move to flank us. They came into sight down the ways and to our far left, the MG gunner in the bunker opened up on them and they began to drop. They began to retreat back to their lines.

We had a perfect defense against them, they couldn't retreat or attack. Dave began picking them off behind their cover with his S2 AM Sniper from the cliff side. The enemy numbers began to drop.
"Where the relieving force from Battalion, we got troops, weapons and ammo." A voice called over the com. "Where are we needed?"
Ryan rolled over and pulled out a map and called out a bunch of letters and numbers over the com.

"Copy that." A voice replied.
I looked into the sky and watched as fireballs arcing though the lower atmosphere. They stated to descend on our position and the fire went out. Small blue thrusters kicked out under them seconds later. They where airborne drop pods, the same kind I had dropped into Containment with. They slammed to the ground on the enemies far right flank and emerged out.

ODST Helljumpers entered the fight and began to push in from the right. Ryan looked out at the enemy, they where now all shooting at the ODST who where on their flank.
"Charge!" Ryan yelled out and we started to stand up.
We froze seconds later.
"Take cover!" Ryan yelled and we got back down, the ODST began to pull back a bit as well.

We heard the squealing sound of death. A tank popped into view in front of us and fired on the MG in the bunker. Our gun was silence, there was no more gun, there was no more gunner. We got down and stopped shooting. The tanks MG fired down the way at the ODST.
"Rock! Rock! Hit that armor with your Anti-Tank Launcher!" Ryan ordered.

Rock made his way and stood up on the small hill and kneeled down. He took aim and pulled the trigger... nothing happened. He looked at his gun, and turned to Ryan!
"I think its jammed!" Rock yelled out.
We sat their in fear.
"I'll try again!"
He took aim and pulled the trigger, nothing happened. He pulled the trigger one last time. The gun backfired and the round exploded in the gun. Rock flew back to the ground dead, the launcher in pieces. Part of a arm landed beside me, I tossed it away.

"Everyone except Thomas circle around and join the ODST! Keep that tank firing that way so Thomas and I can move in and destroy it!" Ryan yelled and the team made its way off around the bunker and out of sight.
I glanced at Ryan and he nodded at me.
"We can do this." I said.
Within minutes the enemy was soon fully focused on the ODST backed by our mechanized team. Dave came down the hill side and fell in by us.

We bolted out from cover and began to cross the open area. The tanks cannon fired at the team at the end of the way on the flank. A boot flew by over me and Ryan. I glanced back at the position, had it made a direct hit on the others? Anger filled over me and I ran harder.
"Toss your grenades from here!" Ryan yelled, but I continued on ahead for the tank.

I made it to the tank and jumped up on the body section of it and opened up the drivers hatch. A person suddenly looked up and yelled something as I threw a nuclear grenade inside of the tank and shut the lid. The enemy infantry looked over at me but never shot, they where in disbelief that I had charged the tank and where tying to figure out what was happening.

I sprinted back for Ryan. I counted to four and jumped though the air. A second later a huge explosion filled the air and I crashed to the ground. Screams came out from the infantry that where near the tank. Gunshots from the allied position on the flank started up. Ryan and I assaulted the position. We shot down the last of the resistance and found a nearby cave entrance.

We glanced at each other and raised our guns and took a step forward, preparing to enter and secure the general.
"Don't shoot. Where coming out." A voice inside the cave said.
We kept our guns at the ready, waiting for someone to come out guns blazing. Instead a man in tan and steel colored armor steped out, guards followed with their hands over their heads in defeat. The man in the tan armor, it was Max. The others began to make their way to us. Max and about nine guards stood there.

"Max Long." Ryan said.
He didn't respond.
"If only you knew the true purpose." He said after awhile. "The real threat."
We looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.
"You would never understand. Which is why I had to do what I did." He said.
His head shot upward and the guards pulled their hands away from the top of their head as well. They had M6D pistols in their hands. They had hidden the extremely small high-powered pistol under their hands.

I jumped to the side and behind some cover. A few ODST dropped to the ground. I shot back, killing a few guards. They opened up on me and the General took off and took cover behind a line of metal armor. A ODST soldier got to cover and shot back, the soldier was hit behind cover and killed.
"Bastards!" I yelled as I peaked back out from cover and finished off the guards.

I reloaded my gun and looked around. Me and one other man where all that was left standing. I looked around, six remaining ODST lay on the ground, a few dead while others wounded. Ryan and Dave where two of the wounded mechanized that laid there, the last mechanized soldier lay dead. I looked over where Max had taken cover at. He took off down the line of armor. It looked as though a shadow chased him along the wall, the shadow looked alive though, I couldn't tell if it was a guard or what in the darkness.

"You!" I yelled and looked over at the ODST soldier who was behind cover.
"Get on the radio there and call in for evac and medical teams for about seven people!"
He nodded and headed for the radio. I bolted off down the line after Max. I found him at the end of the armor line by a thin metal pillar, it was big enough for him to almost hide behind. He stood there as though he was waiting for me.

I made my way up to him. My gun fixed on him again.
"Drop any weapons you may have!" I ordered, my gun pointed at him.
He tossed a pistol and knife to the ground a ways out.
"I will not run. I have failed to keep it contained. Even the help of the unexpected wasn't enough." He started.
"What are you talking about?" I asked in a demanding tone to him.
I came up the right side of the pillar to Max and he began to walk around it to the left, we where walking a circle, talking. My gun still pointing in his direction.

"You already don't understand." He said. "I told you that you wouldn't. Thats why I had to start a war, to mask it. The WWMF would never alow my plans to be used." I listened on.
"Tell me what you know and I may spare your life." I told him.
He looked over at me.
"A deal then." He said. "This mysterious virus as you have come to call it, it's a living creature." He had my full attention. I listened as we walked around in the circle around the pillar.

"Its not really a virus, is a living creature. It drinks, it feeds, it thinks and learns. It causes it's victims to become sick and crazy. The explosion in Antarctica twenty years ago was the arrival the protectors."
"What protectors?" I questioned him.
He stopped and looked at me, the wall was behind him a little ways.
"Them. They come a long way to put an end to... your virus well say."
I saw something wave though the tad bit of light behind Max.

Something stepped out into view from the shadows, I froze in great fear and my eyes became wide. My legs became wet and warm with urn that ran down them, just from the sight of it. I stepped back and hid behind the pillar.

June 21st, 2552, 5:06 PM

"What is that!" I screamed out, Max laughed at me.
The thing wasn't human. It wore a blueish colored armor like EWCU troops, but wasn't human. It slouched over as it walked. Its head was longer than a persons was and its eyes where more to the side of its head a bit. Its fingers where long and had sharp nails on them. Its mouth, I took it for, spit off into four different section kind of things and its feet only had three large toes.

I peaked back around a second later after hiding and it was gone. I breathed heavily and looked at Max. He laughed a bit.
"The new war is starting." He said and walked up to me and kneeled down by me. "And you didn't even see it coming." He said harshly and stood back up. "The war of all wars. I want to use it to start a new genesis for mankind, to make us stronger. The WWMF would never allow it through my ways." He stopped.

A Pelican flew though the air above us and touched down a ways off. I stood there with the general, I looked down at the Pelican as I laid on the ground, leaning up against the pillar. Troops began to pour out and retrieve the wounded and load them up.
"Tell me more." I said as the dropship was loaded up and began to take off, back to Camp Turf.
"There is no more to be said." Max replied. "They are here and the fight for humanity has begun. It is to late, words of the past will help no longer." He answered.

I looked at him and turned away and began to walk off. I made it a ways down and heard the a click behind me. I turned and shot a burst out of my BR55. The General dropped a handgun and looked at me.
"There may be hope for you yet..." He said for his last words and dropped the ground dead.
I turned back and headed towards the radio.

I looked among the dead bodies. I picked up a M90 Shotgun and dropped my BR55 and gathered ammo for my new gun. I watched as a shadow observed me, interested in what I was doing, wanting to learn. Light bended a small bits in mid air and I could hardly make it out. It only sat there and watched. I looked over at it and it moved along and disappeared into thicker shadows.

I turned to the flanking canyons from where the enemy had tried to flank our lines. Ahead was a hill that was climbable and made access to the top of the cliffs again.

I sat kneeled down as calls over the radio started up.
"Command, command, this is task force A37 of the 10th infantry, we are under attack! Repeat we are under attack! Their not human!" Came the cries of someone and others, gunfire could be heard.

I looked away from the radio and pumped my shotgun and started walking. I began to make my way into the unknown, into the new war.