The storm ended a couple hours later, but almost everyone was passed out from exhaustion. Konrad decided to let them rest, they'd need the energy for heading back into Dubai. They couldn't make another attempt to leave, they counted how many were missing...1.300 men, women and children died, because of his ignorance. He should have known, this city of death wasn't going to let them walk away so easily, no it just had to add even to his death toll. What he was forced to do, to keep order in this city, it was just a lie. A lie he told himself to make him feel better, so he could believe that all those lives were lost for a cause, to keep this city safe, but that was never the truth.

He'd been such a decorated veteran, in Afghanistan, people called him a savior...a hero, so much that he himself started to believe it. Until that one mission, his final mission, that made his world crash down around him. Konrad rose up from the chair and paced around the quiet room. The first mission he ever failed, for some reason he just couldn't accept the idea of failure, it was such a foreign idea, that when it actually happened, he didn't know how to handle it. Konrad thought he need redemption for his actions, so he volunteered his entire battalion to aid Dubai, all because he wanted to feel like a hero.

Konrad gave a mirthless laugh, "All those soldiers, who had family and loved ones back home, waiting for them to return. Denied because I wanted redemption for something so meaningless, because I couldn't handle defeat, now most of those soldiers will never see their families, because I had to go to the extremes to prove I was a hero. What a pathetic excuse for the things I've committed." He whispered to himself. He trudged over to the nearest chair and sat down, leaning against the back. Weariness taking the best of him as his eye lids pulled down, before drifting off to restless sleep.

4 months ago

Captain William Hughes

"Captain, the locals, they're taking up arms again, they want us dead," A solider ran into the makeshift outpost the 33rd has been using recently.

"Have they give a reason why?"

"They're tired of our occupation here, they want us gone, saying we've done nothing to help them, only worsen their lives,"

"Get my Colonel Konrad on the radios, now!" The captain barked. He grabbed the radio and explained their situation to the colonel.

"Well now captain, it seems we have quite the issue on our hands. I want you to try and resolve this peacefully, but if not.." Will heard a sigh over the radio, " captain, I want you to keep this under control, we want order in this city so nothing will get out of hand. If they refuse to listen to reason, I want you to make an example out of them. We cannot protect this city if it falls into chaos, am I understood?"

"Make an example out of them, what the hell does that mean? Were supposing to be protecting them, not slaughtering them!" Will thought to himself.

"Captain, would you rather I send in Zulu squad, or will you take care of our problem?"

"I...I can handle this sir"

"Good, good, you know your one of my most trusted men, I expect you'll do fine." The radio clicked off as William took a look as his surroundings. It was hastily put together, thin sheets of metal, wood or what ever they could find that'd hold up against the storms. It was a death trap, the metal was almost completely rusted and the wood was rotted, any second this would collapse. A couple radios littered the tables, with soldiers frantically communicating back and forth. The past few days, the locals had started a couple riots or starting small fights with American soldiers. They wanted help, and we've given them nothing, the fighting is only going to escalate until it's a full out war in Dubai. He looked over to a man smoking in the corner.

"Sergeant Hicks, get your squad ready, were moving out in 5. Were going to take care of another group of locals," Hicks vaguely nodded in his direction before stomping out his cigarette and walking outside to gather his men. Williams followed suit, stepping out of the outpost into the blinding sun. He raised his hand over his eyes as he walked over to Hick's squad. He took in the scenery as he trudged through the sand to the soldiers. It was oddly serene, sure Dubai was a hell hole, but it had a small touch of calm to it, though that would be gone soon enough.

"Ay Captain, you gonna tell us what we're supposed to be doing? One of the soldiers questioned.

"Well, a group of locals has started gathering a decent amount of weapons and it seems they might be panning to use em. Were supposed to try peaceful solution first, but if that doesn't work we... we make an example out of them,"He sighed, if they started killing civilians, then what was their purpose here, they're supposed to be helping these people. These people may have started to revolt but they had good reason. The 33rd was supposed to be giving relief and aid to the city, but we haven't done jack shit. Things only got worse when the colonel declared marshal law in an attempt to keep 'order'. If you believe what people say about Zulu Company, the elite of the 33rd, cold and ruthless. Reports of civilians slaughtered for even a slight inconvenience, most likely done by Zulu, ruthless bastards they are.

"I saw we just kill em' soon as we see them. Were tryin to help them but they don't want it. So I say we just execute soon as we get there," another solider spoke up.

"You do what I say private, and we are going to be following colonels orders, understood?" The private glared at him a bit before reluctantly nodding.

"Good, lets head out and take care of this as soon as we can, I don't want to be caught in the middle of a storm,"

They trudged through the sand for what felt like hours, the skyscrapers surrounded them, broken and worn down by the constant storms, their supports twisted and glass shattered. Sometimes Williams wondered how life used to be here before the storms, a couple months ago he could have had his questions answered, but now, he doubted Dubai would ever flourish to what it once was. The death surrounding this city would probably ward off people from ever trying to reclaim to civilization. If Dubai ever did become an actual city instead of a no man's land, he'd be long dead by then. They were almost at the building where the refugees should be, hopefully they could end this peacefully, but tensions were thin on both sides, fighting between sides wasn't uncommon, even the occasional death now, the peace wouldn't last. The squad was a couple yards from the building now, they lined up on the door ready to breach.

Williams spoke up,"Remember squad, these refugees are most likely armed and pissed. We want to try to peacefully negotiate but if they don't, we take them down,"

Staff Sergeant Matthews, blew the locks up with his shotgun, they quietly moved in, checking their corners and surroundings for anything suspicious. There was nothing out of the ordinary so far a few desks and chairs were scattered around the room, a thin layer of sand cover the ruined floor. They slowly moved forward constantly checking behind them. Still no one, but there was a smell in the air, faint but definitely there.

"Does anyone else smell that?" Williams whispered

"What the hell you talking bout?" Someone behind responded

"I smell it too captain, Conner, you forget to shower again?" A man quipped behind him

"Oh hardy har har, great one ass wipe," Connors replied

"Shut your mouths, and stay focused, the smells gettin stronger, were almost tot he source," Williams muttered

The smell, keep getting stronger and stronger, it smelled like...rotting meat. The source had to be right around the corner, the smell was so pungent he wanted to vomit. He turned around the corner, and stopped dead in his tracks.

Damned 33rd HQ

Colonel John Konrad

He had just been told what Captain Hughes had discovered, it made him sick. Here he was trying to help these people, they've done nothing harmful to them and then those goddamn locals do that! He knew that most innocents in Dubai minded their own business, but those responsible would be shown no mercy.

Konrad picked up the nearest radio to communicate with the captain, "sergeant, tell your captain that orders have changed, you are no longer to attempt to resolve this peacefully. If they are going to sue force than so are we, when you find those men, I want you to keep at least one or more alive and publicly execute them. We must show them that we are in charge. Report back to HQ as soon as your finished, tell your captain to meet with me as soon as he arrives, that will be all." He sat down in the nearest open chair and contemplated his next course of action. Peace was out of the way, the tension had finally snapped, a war for Dubai had begun.

Captain William Hughes

In front of him were at least a dozen US soldiers, lined up, backs facing the wall. Their brains and vast amounts of blood covered the wall behind them. Some bodies face down in the sand, giant holes gaping out of the back of their heads, others slumped back against the wall. Painted onto the wall across from them was a group of children, staring at their lifeless bodies. At one point the paintings had eyes... but it looked like the eyes were scratched out from the drawing, as if they couldn't stand what they'd seen.

"Yo captain, why'd you st-...fucking christ! What the hell happened here!"

"Why are their dead Americans? Did they god rouge?

Matthews spoke up from behind the crowd, "No.. I-I knew those men, they were good guys, one of them had a family waiting from him back home,"

"Matthews, radio Konrad, tell him what we found," Williams ordered the the men to drag the bodies to look a little more respectable.

"Captain, colonel wants us to abandon current orders and execute anyone we deem a threat,"

Williams pulled a hand down over his face...fuck fuck fuck. How the hell were they even going to find the men who did this? They could be long gone by now, he was drawing blanks, he had no idea what to.

"Hey captain, come here I found a 'threat'," Conner's voice came from outside, he heard screaming and shouting from the same direction. Williams dashed outside with the rest of his men to see Conner and two other soldiers shoving two civilians outside, a boy and a girl, no older than than late teens/early twenties. They threw the teens on the ground and pulled out their pistols. A large group of refugees were screaming at the Americans at the top of their lungs from the shelters, watching the scene unfold in front of them.

"Conner, what the hell do you think your doing?"

"American soldiers were executed in cold blood for no god damn reason!" He yelled ,"And you're not willing to do anything because you don't know who the killers are, but you know what, FUCK YOU captain. These people are all in it together, and the only way to have order like Colonel wants is to show our power." He raised his pistol towards the back of the girls head. Williams rose his rifle and aimed at Conner. The boy and the girl had tears and snot running down their face, screaming before one of the soldiers who took Conner's side nailed them across the face with his rifle.

"Put he pistol down Conner, we are not involving innocents in this!"

"So you wouldn't kill people who killed Americans, but you'll kill your own fucking brother-in-arms! This city has just turned to shit!" Without a second thought, Conner fired the pistol, killing the girl instantly. Her body falling forward, blood pouring out into the sand from the hole in her head. Conner moved the pistol towards the boy when a sharp pain enveloped his left shoulder, regardless he fired his second shot. The bullet hitting the boy in the back of the neck, he fell to the side, gurgling as blood gushed out his throat. Another burst of bullets flew from Williams bullet to Conner's chest, one piercing his heart.

What the fuck have I done?! The realization that William had killed a squad mate, drilled deep into his skull. HE was snapped out of his revere as the crack of a sniper pierced the air. The sound of a head cracking filled his ears and turned to see Matthews on the ground, his skull annihilated. He tried to look for any trace of the sniper, but he couldn't see a damn thing.

"Retreat back into the building!" He ordered. They all dashed back into the building, another crack as one of Conner's soldiers had a bullet burst out of his chest. They all made it in except for the last of Conner's men. He halfway there until a bullet tore through his leg, he screamed as he collapsed to the ground.

"Hendrix is still out there! We can't just leave him!"

That sniper will shot you dead the moment you step out that door, you will stay here private!" William bellowed, but to no avail. The private dash out, not even making it a yard until another shot of a sniper sounded and the sound of bullet hitting flesh echoed throughout the room. Hendrix was still screaming, but they had to leave him, they had no choice, they had no chance out there, William ordered his men to retreat to HQ, much to the anger of others, but followed regardless.

"My fucking leg! Jesus it hurts to bad!" Hendrix tried to crawl but a a bullet landing a few inches in front of him halted his progress. He heard foot steps coming his way, and rolled to see a few refugees with assault rifles walking towards him. They were speaking in Farsi, he couldn't understand a damn word. One of the men looked at him before stomping on his face with the sole of his boot, knocking him out cold, before they started dragging him away, leaving only a pool of blood in his place.

A/N- Now begins the fall of Dubai, I'll be switching a bit between present day Konrad and how he handles everything he's done and the failed evacuation and flashbacks of sorts of taking on many different people and what they did/how they handle Dubai. As always criticism is welcomed, so please leave a review so i can constantly improve my stories.