My Story - Chapter 3

----------------------Somewhere, Sometime In Iraq----------------------

Khaled: "So shall I go now General?"

Suleiman: "Not yet Khaled. We need to get you into proper uniform"

Khaled followed the General into a room. Inside there was many uniforms and weapons. Khaled was handed one. He quickly undressed and put on the new uniform, while grabbing some weapons, sticking them into his belt.

Suleiman: "Remember Khaled. They are going to think you are a man named Mac. You're going to go with it. Make them think that you are really weak. Make up a story about being a prisoner, and having escaped. Once there, you'll know what to do."

Khaled: "Of course General. I have my orders. I'll stick to them"

Suleiman: "That is great news. I'm glad to hear it Khaled. We shall speak again soon, once this mission is complete"

Khaled: "Thank you for this opportunity general. I will not let you down."

Khaled followed one of the General's men outside, through the base exit, and into the desert. He looked at the man.

Khaled: "Which direction do I walk?"

Man: "That way."

The man pointed in a direction, and motioned for Khaled to begin walking.

Khaled: "Punch me in the face a few times."

Man: "Why?"

Khaled: "I wish to make it look like I have been beaten, and look in bad shape"

The man shrugged, and quickly punched Khaled in the face four times. Khaled fell to the ground, and smiled at the man. He could feel bruises beginning to form already, and a cut opening up on his cheek.

Khaled: "Thank you my good man. I shall see you soon."

Khaled walked off into the desert as the man slowly walked back into the base. Khaled looked up at the sun and smiled. He walked towards the city in the distance, through the blazing heat. He began to sweat profusely. He wiped his forehead with his jacket sleeve. He took it off and wrapped it around his waist, wearing only a white tank top.

Hours passed as Khaled trekked through the sand and heat. He was growing tired. But he knew what he had to do. The thought of impressing the general, and doing right by the Tanzim Qaidats, and al-Qaeda as a whole. He got closer to the edge of the city. He began to put on his act. He drooped down, slouching his shoulder. He fell to the sand and began to crawl, panting and moving slowly. His face was dirty, bruised, and cut. He could hear voices approaching him, speaking in English.

Voice: "We got someone here!"

Khaled fell to the sand, acting like he could no longer move.

Voice: "Holy shit, it's Mac! Let's get him back to camp!"

Khaled felt himself being picked up on the shoulders of a big man. He didn't say a word, as the men quickly ran with him back to their base. When he was inside a tent, they lay him down on a bed.

Khaled: "Water"

Someone brought him a bottle of water, and he quickly drank all of it. He lay his head back in the bed, while a bunch of men looked on.

Voice: "Shit he looks bad. How long's it been, like, a month and a half?"

Khaled opened his eyes and looked at the unfamiliar faces around him. They were smiling at him. A few patted him on the shoulder.

Sullivan: "Dude, what the hell? You escaped?"

Khaled: "Barely"

Sullivan: "What happened?"

Khaled: "Overpowered a guard. Stole his gun. Made my way out and ran across the desert. They didn't come after me. I don't know why"

Sullivan: "So you just wandered across the desert? For how long?"

Khaled: "Hours? Days? I have no idea what time even is any more"

Sullivan: "They treated you that badly huh?"

Khaled: "It was not good"

Sullivan: "You've been gone so long, you've picked up a bit of an accent dude"

Khaled: "It's all I've heard for god-knows-how long. It must have rubbed off on me"

Sullivan: "It's been a month and a half dude."

Khaled: "That long you say?"

Sullivan: "Yeah man. It has been a long time"

Khaled: "Incredible"

Sullivan: "Do you remember how you were taken?"

Khaled: "My memory is somewhat foggy"

Smith: "Maybe I can help with that"

Khaled looked over as another man walked into the tent. He had Smith written on his jacket, and judging by the symbols and medals, he was a General.

Smith: "Welcome back Mac. It's amazing to see you back alive."

Khaled noticed that this man didn't seem too surprised to see him. Perhaps he was the inside man that Suleiman had been talking about.

Smith: "So you don't recall your kidnapping?"

Khaled: "I cannot"

Smith: "Understandable. I remember it like it was yesterday. We were sneak attacked the moment we got here. You decided to move around behind them. I followed you from a distance, because you were well ahead. I watched as you turned a corner and were ambushed, and hit over the head with a gun. You looked like you went out cold. I tried to fire on them, but they had more men firing back, and I was forced to retreat. I heard a truck leave soon after. I'm sorry I was powerless to do anything"

Khaled: "It's okay sir. You did all that you could"

Smith: "But we're glad to have you back. I must speak with you alone for a bit."

All of the others began to leave the room. Sullivan stopped and looked at Khaled.

Sullivan: "Did you see Anna?"

Khaled: "Who?"

Sullivan looked at him

Sullivan: "Anna. Your wife?"

Khaled: "Oh. Right. No, I did not see her. But I was contained to a cell, so I didn't get to see anything"

Sullivan looked strangely at him, before walking out the tent. The General walked over to the opening, and looked around. He closed the flap and walked over to Khaled. He smiled.

Smith: "Son, what's your name?"

Khaled: "I am Khaled. You must be the inside man"

Smith: "That I am. General Smith, here to command you young Khaled. So, did you get any instructions from General Suleiman?"

Khaled: "None sir. I was only told to get here, and talk to you"

Smith: "Ah yes. Well, you know that we must take out everyone here on this team. We will do it together. This is not something either of us can do alone"

Khaled: "No, I could not agree more"

Smith: "So, just hang with the guys tonight, okay?"

Khaled: "Sure, but it's going to be hard, I have no idea who any of these people are"

Smith: "It's okay. Just lie here. Let them talk to you"

Khaled: "I can do that"

Smith: "Anyways. We can't just go and kill everyone right here. We need to make it so that we get out alive. We're driving tomorrow, to another base. Perhaps we could do a little, 'roadside bombing'. What do you think?"

Khaled: "I think that's a great idea."

Smith: "Great. Look over to that shelf"

Khaled looked over at a makeshift shelf. There was a small box on it.

Smith: "Inside that box is a small bomb. It's powerful enough to blow up a single truck. Do you think you can plant that in the next few hours?"

Khaled: "Of course I can. Which truck?"

Smith: "The one with a small red stripe of paint on it. Just place it right underneath"

Khaled: "Of course General."

Smith: "Excellent. I must go, but we'll talk again tomorrow."

General Smith walked out of the tent. Khaled looked over to the shelf. He smiled. He got out of his bed, and peeked outside his tent. There was no one around, and he could see the truck. He quickly walked over to the shelf, and grabbed the box.

Khaled causally walked out of the tent, holding the box. He made it to the truck, and looked around. When he saw no people that could see him, he dropped down, and opened the box. Inside was a small bomb, a detonator, and duct tape. Khaled quickly rolled under the truck. He found a small spot where the bomb would fit. He shoved it up there, and began to tape it up really tight. Once it was all covered, he flicked on the switch. A light began to flash red. Khaled quickly taped over it, so that no light was visible. He rolled out from under the jeep. He quickly stuffed the detonator in his pocket, and threw the box inside an empty tent. He walked back towards his own tent.

Sullivan: "Hey man, where you been?"

Khaled turned around, and saw the man apparently named Sullivan, judging by his name stitching.

Khaled: "Just walking. Fresh air, you know?"

Sullivan: "Yeah. I'll bet being caged up for a month and a half is pretty killer"

Khaled: "Well, it sure isn't fun"

Sullivan: "Did they torture you? Question you? Why did they have you?"

Khaled: "There was a bit of torture. Some questioning about your location. Standard stuff. I think I was more of a bargaining chip, maybe"

Sullivan: "Perhaps. It seems rather strange though"

Khaled: "I don't know. I was living in hell though. Praise Allah that I escaped"

Sullivan: "Did you just say praise Allah?"

Khaled looked at him. Sullivan looked very confused.

Khaled: "It was a joke. Jeez"

Sullivan laughed slightly. He looked at Khaled weirdly. He didn't like that look.

Khaled: "I must head off to sleep. I'm tired. I'll see you in the morning Sullivan"

Sullivan: "Yeah....see you tomorrow"

Khaled turned and headed back into his tent. He climbed into the bed, and lay his head on his pillow. He needed to be more careful. He had almost given himself away, twice now! Sullivan seemed pretty suspicious of him, but Khaled could not be sure. He could not fail on this message. Failure meant death, and there was no way he was going to die. If Sullivan called him on his suspicions, Khaled would just have to deal with him.

----------------------Next Morning----------------------

Khaled awoke, as a horn sounded across the camp. He rolled out of bed, and quickly dressed in his despicable American military uniform. He checked his pockets. The detonator was still there. He smiled. He walked outside and saw the General approaching him.

Smith: "Morning to you soldier. You'll be riding with me today, in the jeep. Come with me, we have to meet with everyone"

Khaled followed General Smith to a small area where all of the other soldiers were. He stood there, watching as the General walked into the middle of everyone. It was amazing that a man like this could play both sides of the field so well. Everyone on his American team trusted him, yet he was clearly trusted within the al-Qaeda ranks. It was incredible.

Smith: "Today, we're moving off to the city of Hit, in Al Anbar. This is closer to the location of the terrorist headquarters. We're moving in packs. Remember, we'll be in danger, so listen to me. If I tell you to stop, you stop. If I tell you to keep going, you keep going. Understood?"

The whole force shouted in agreement. Khaled nodded his head.

Smith: "Alright. You know who you're driving with. Let's get going."

Khaled followed General Smith over to the jeep and climbed in. Smith started up the jeep. They waited for all of the trucks in front of them to pull ahead, and then drove behind them. The truck rigged with the bomb was the last vehicle to leave, travelling right behind Khaled and the jeep.

Smith: "Are you ready for this Khaled?"

Khaled: "Of course I am."

Smith: "So when I tell you to, set off the bomb. We'll slow down, I'll tell the others to keep going. We'll go check out the bombing. If we find any survivors, kill them. Understood?"

Khaled: "Of course. I'm ready"

Smith: "We have to be out a little further on the road. In between towns. I know the perfect spot."

Khaled: "Excellent. They'll never see it coming"

Smith: "It is a great day for al-Qaeda"

Khaled: "Tell me friend. What is your story? Why are you working for us?"

Smith: "Well, first off, you must understand that I cannot stand America. The way they went to war, the way President Bush lied about everything. I was in the military, and I was appalled at it. So many false accusations, and a war being fought that need not be fought. So, I reached out. I contacted Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and told him that I would be willing to work for al-Qaeda. They offered me a large amount of money. So, I began to work undercover with them. It was a long time coming, and we had to wait for the perfect opportunity. We almost began this two months ago, but you hit your head, and got some crazy memory problems. So we had to delay it until now."

Khaled: "Why me? I am honoured that I was hand-picked to infiltrate like this, but I don't understand why"

Smith: "You have very similar features to that of a man that I killed on this team months ago. They all thought that he vanished, when, in reality, he was dead. Because of your remarkably similar features, we were able to pull off the switch."

Khaled: "I see. I hope that we succeed. I do not wish to let down my friends back at camp"

Smith: "Nor do I my friend. This has been almost seven years in the making. We shall not fail. I have planned this out for many a years. It will happen. Are you ready for the first part?"

Khaled: "I am ready."

Smith: "Put your hand on the detonator, in your pocket. Do not press the button yet. Look in the side mirror. When the truck is exactly level with that road sign, press the button."

Khaled reached into his pocket. He squeezed the detonator tightly. He watched intently as the truck behind them drove slowly along. Khaled saw the truck pass the sign, and quickly pressed the button on the detonator.

The truck behind them exploded instantly. Fire flew from the vehicle as it was thrown in the air. The road underneath it was damaged by the blast. What was left of the truck landed and rolled off to the side of the road. The General quickly slammed on the brakes.

Smith: "Remember. Any survivors, kill them. No guns"

Khaled hopped out of the car. General Smith yelled at the vehicles in front of them.

Smith: "Keep going! We can't afford a whole force stop. We'll deal with this"

Both men ran over to the remains of the truck. Khaled watched as the trucks in front of them began to pull away. He turned and began to scout the area. He could see many parts of bodies, separated from their original being. He heard a moaning. He ran over to a man off to the side. His body was badly burned, but he was still breathing.

Johnston: "Macdonald. Thank god you're here."[/color]

The man was breathing slowly. He was in a lot of pain. Khaled moved in closer.

Johnston: "Not a roadside bomb. Someone, planted it. Traitor"[/color]

Khaled pulled a long knife out of his belt. The look in Johnston's eyes immediately changed from relief to shock

Johnston: "Wha..what are you doing?"[/color]

Khaled: "Taking care of loose ends"

Khaled picked Johnston's head up, and quickly slit his throat deep. Blood began to pour out, as Johnston looked at Khaled, sadness in his eyes, before that look changed to one of emptiness. Khaled put his head down on the ground, as blood continued to pour out.

Khaled hopped up and ran back to the jeep, where General Smith was waiting. Khaled hopped in the vehicle.

Smith: "Hold on. You forgot something."

Smith went to the back of the jeep. Underneath a tarp was a tank of gasoline. Khaled smiled as he helped Smith pour gasoline over all of the rubble and bodies. Once they finished, they put the tank back in the jeep, and Khaled grabbed a match. He struck it on his jacket, smiled, and tossed it onto the body of Johnston. The entire area burst into flames, as Khaled watched on. The body of Johnston began to burn away, until the flesh on his skin was completely gone.

Smith: "Let us go Khaled. We've done enough"

Khaled followed Smith into the jeep. He started it up and they began to drive away.

Khaled: "I've got blood on my uniform"

Smith: "Cut yourself slightly with your knife. If anyone asks, you can just say that you cut it while looking through the rubble for survivors."

Khaled grabbed his knife and cut his forearm slightly. A small amount of blood began to trickle out. He quickly wrapped it in a dirty cloth that was lying on the floor of the jeep.

Khaled: "I found one survivor. But he could not survive this long blade of mine."

Smith: "Excellent work my friend. We cannot move all at once. We must now lie low for a few weeks. No more killing. Myself and General Suleiman have set up many false battles to fight, which will keep us busy for that time. We will discuss what to do in a few weeks time"

Khaled: "Understood general"

They finally arrived in the town where the rest of the team was waiting. They all had strange looks on their faces. Khaled slowly climbed out of the jeep, putting a depressed look on his face. The general walked over to where everyone was standing. He stood up on a box.

Smith: "Gentlemen. Today is a sad day. On the way over here, we lost six men to a roadside bomb. Sadly, we had not one survivor. It is always a terrible time when we lose our friends. And we all lost friends today. But, as a unit, we must collectively fight back, in their names. They would not want to have died for nothing. They would want us to keep going. And keep going we will! We are the United States Military! We do not give up this easily! You signed on, knowing that death was a risk. Well these men were heroes! They died for their country, and we shall not let our country die! We fight on!"

The men cheered. Khaled clapped along with them. He looked around. Sullivan was approaching him.

Sullivan: "Was it bad?"

Khaled: "Horrible"

Sullivan: "What did you see?"

Khaled: "Bodies. Death. It was not a good sight"

Sullivan: "Did you see Johnston?"

Khaled: "Johnston? Oh. Yes. I saw him. He was dead"

Sullivan: "Why didn't you guys take the bodies back?"

Khaled: "We had not enough room. Some of them were also blown to pieces. It was not logical"

Sullivan: "I see. Well, if Smith gave the order, then he made the call. Can't argue with that"

Khaled: "That is true"

Sullivan: "Are you feeling alright? You've seemed a bit 'off' since you came back"

Khaled: "Yes, I'm fine. Just feeling a little sad"

Sullivan: "If you're sure..."

Khaled: "I just need some time to think"

Khaled slowly walked away from Sullivan. He went into one of the houses that they would be staying in for the next little while. He sat on a bed. Sullivan definitely knew something was up. Khaled just had to play it cool for the next few weeks, until there was a chance for them to make the next move.

----------------------Two Weeks Later----------------------

Khaled: "Good work out there Stafford. Really improving"

Stafford: "Yeah, you're not doing so bad yourself"

Khaled: "No surprises there. I am the best"

Stafford: "Yeah, whatever bud. We'll see"

Khaled laughed and made his way back inside the house. Before he could open the door, he heard someone yelling at him. He turned around and saw the General approaching him.

Smith: "Khaled. We must talk. Tonight"

Khaled: "Are we moving forward?"

Smith: "Yes. Stage Two will commence tonight. Meet me in my quarters at exactly oh one hundred hours. Got it?"

Khaled: "Yes sir. I'll be there"

Khaled saluted the General, and then walked inside. He sat down on the bed. It had been a long two weeks. Undercover, fighting battles that were already set up. Trying to not give himself away. Sullivan seemed to have given up on his suspicion. Khaled seemed to be in the clear. He lay down on the pillow. He was about ready for this to be over. He wondered how they were going to set up another string of deaths. They had no roadside bomb excuses any more. Perhaps they would just kill men in their sleep, and blame it on the others? Khaled did not know, but he did not care. The General and General Suleiman obviously had a plan, and he trusted it. Whatever it might be. He turned over, and set the alarm on the clock for quarter to one in the morning. He closed his eyes, and lay his head back on the pillow. He closed his eyes, with a smile on his face. He was in for a good night.

Khaled awoke. Something was not right. His alarm hadn't gone off. He looked over at the clock. It was only twenty three forty five. A full hour before he was intending to wake up. Why was he awake now? Suddenly, he heard the click of a gun.

Sullivan: "Get up"

As the lights were flicked on, Khaled saw Sullivan standing over him, holding a pistol, pointed right at Khaled's chest. Khaled slowly got out of bed and stood up.

Khaled: "Easy there Sully. Whats the deal man?"

Sullivan: "I'll tell you what the deal is. I drove back to the spot"

Khaled: "What spot?"

Sullivan: "The spot where the roadside bomb killed Johnston"

Khaled: "Why would you go there?"

Sullivan: "Because I was suspicious. Something didn't add up. Why didn't any of the other cars set off the bomb?"

Khaled: "Maybe they weren't heavy enough."

Sullivan: "Or maybe, it was remote-controlled. So I wanted to check it out. And I found something interesting"

Khaled: "And what was that?"

Sullivan: "The remnants of a bomb. Not a roadside one, but one that was attached to the truck. There was some charred duct tape. And, I found Johnston's body. His throat was slit. Pretty crazy, right?"

Khaled: "Yeah. Perhaps they thought Johnston was alive, and slit his throat"

Sullivan: "Perhaps. But then I thought of something. If the bomb was set remotely, that meant that there would have to be a detonator."

Khaled: "Correct"

Sullivan: "Well al-Qaeda is not well known for remote detonation. So I was suspicious. And then I remembered something."

Khaled: "Did you?"

Sullivan: "Yeah. I remembered how weird you had been acting lately. So I checked in your room. And a pair of your pants. I found this in your pockets."

Sullivan pulled out the detonator from his pocket. Khaled looked at him, a serious look in his face.

Khaled: "My friend, there is more going on here than you can even imagine"

Sullivan: "What the hell's up Brandon? You a traitor? Working for al-Qaeda now? Was the whole wife-kidnap thing just a charade?"

Khaled: "What are you talking about?"

Sullivan: "Are you even Brandon?"

Khaled: "Do you think I'm him?"

Sullivan: "I don't know. You are him, but you're not. Who are you working with?"

Khaled: "I'm not"

Sullivan: "Don't lie to me. I'm holding a gun. Tell me the truth"

Khaled: "I'm working alone. But killing me will only bring you trouble my friend"

Sullivan: "Don't call me that! I thought I was your friend! But clearly, you are not who I thought you were"

Khaled: "Apparently not. Put the gun down"

Sullivan: "No! You killed Johnston! How long was it gonna be before you killed us? Tonight? Tomorrow?"

Khaled: "You don't know what you're talking about."

Sullivan: "No. I have to end this right now. You're not taking any more lives here!"

Sullivan held the gun tighter. Khaled reached for a knife in his belt. Sullivan smiled at him.

Sullivan: "You know, you really had me fooled. But it takes more than that. You just weren't good enough, were you?"

Just as Sullivan began to pull the trigger, the door opened and crashed into Sullivan's back. The gun shot off into the ceiling, as Khaled pulled the knife out of his belt and threw it at the man who came into the room. Khaled ran and kicked the gun out of Sullivan's hand. He looked over at the man who had entered the room. The knife had hit directly in the throat, and was now stuck in there, as the man struggled with it. He got it out, and blood sprayed out everywhere. The man collapsed to the ground, and Khaled went to grab the knife.

He suddenly felt himself being thrown across the room. Sullivan had tossed him away, and was going for the gun. Khaled ran and tackled him to the ground. Sullivan rolled him over and began to punch him in the face. Khaled quickly grabbed his arm and flipped him over, and began to drop elbows onto his face. Khaled felt something shatter over his head, as Sullivan grabbed a lamp and hit him in the head with it. Khaled fell off of him. Sullivan quickly grabbed Khaled's throat and began to choke him.

Khaled could feel the air being squeezed out of him. His eyes were shutting, he couldn't get an oxygen. He looked around. He saw the glimmer of the knife beside him. He reached out. He could almost reach it. His mind was slowing. His life depended on this lunge. He stretched his arm out as far as it could go, and grabbed the knife. He quickly thrust it hard into the abdomen of Sullivan.

Sullivan immediately let go of Khaled's throat and fell off of him. Khaled gasped for air. He climbed over to Sullivan, and pulled the knife out. Blood began gushing out of the wound. Sullivan looked at him.

Sullivan: "Brandon. How could you?"

Khaled: "Maybe you didn't hear me. This is bigger than you could ever imagine. Collateral damage, my friend"

Sullivan held Khaled close, tears flowing down his face. He stared into Khaled's eyes.

Sullivan: "When you get back. Tell my wife, that I love her"

Sullivan exhaled one last time, before passing out on the ground. There was a look of great sadness in his face, that didn't leave, even when Khaled slit his throat quickly, just to make sure.

Khaled got to his feet. He looked around. There was blood everywhere. As well as two dead bodies. Khaled needed to get rid of this. He quickly locked the door and ran downstairs, and grabbed some C4. He planted it all around the room. He quickly set a timer, for two minutes, and locked the door and ran downstairs. He hurried into the General's quarters, where he saw him sitting on a desk. He looked at Khaled.

Smith: "You're early"

Khaled: "I killed Sullivan"

Smith: "What?!"

Khaled: "He was onto me. He found out that I set off the bomb that took out the truck. He was going to shoot me. I had to kill him."

Smith: "Well what about the body?"

Khaled: "Give it about, ten seconds"

Smith: "What do you mean, ten seconds?"

Khaled was about to say something, before the entire building next to them exploded. Khaled was knocked to the ground. He could hear yelling and screaming as he got to his feet.

Smith: "Jesus Khaled. What have you done?"

Khaled: "Relax General, we'll just have to move fast, now"

Smith: "God dammit. Grab a gun"

Khaled ran over and grabbed a gun off of the shelf. He hurried back to the general, who was trying to think of what to do. A man ran into the tent, yelling for the general. Smith shot him in the head, and dragged his body off to the side.

Smith: "Fuck. Stay here. I'm going to gather everyone up. You're going to have to take out all of them. I'll have them all gather around me. I'll make sure I'm a good distance apart. Get up in that building. Shoot them all down. I'll try to do as much as I can too"

Khaled: "Okay. I'll grab my ammo"

Khaled grabbed a large machine gun, and found an ammo belt. He draped it over his shoulder. He quickly grabbed a sniper rifle, and a night vision scope. He could hear Smith talking to all of the rest of the team. Khaled quickly ran into the building. He climbed up the stairs, and found a perfect room. He lay down in the window. He pulled his mask down, and loaded up the gun. He smiled, and took aim at the crowd of people.

The sound of fire burning was quickly filled with that of a machine gun spraying, and bodies falling. Khaled held onto the trigger, as he watched those who hadn't been hit try to run away. He saw Smith quickly run for cover, and began to shoot more openly, killing a few more. He quickly threw the gun to his side, and pulled out the sniper rifle. He looked down the scope, and watched as men were shooting in the complete different directions. He laughed as he shot down a few more of them. He could hear the general yelling positions. The men on the ground began shooting at that area. Khaled saw that the general was actually yelling out positions of his own men. Khaled located the men in those positions, and shot them. Once he was out of ammo, he quickly ran back to the door and waited. He could hear footsteps. He quickly opened the door, and rolled a grenade out into the hallway. He heard shouts of them trying to turn back, as the explosion went off. Khaled was knocked halfway across the room. He hopped to his feet, and grabbed his Desert Eagle, and ran out the door. He heard one man moaning, and turned and shot him in the head. He quickly hurried outside, keeping his gun high the whole way.

Smith: "Over here Khaled"

Khaled wheeled around, with his gun pointed right at the chest of General Smith. He exhaled when he saw it was him, and lowered the gun.

Khaled: "Is that it?"

Smith: "For now."

Khaled: "We got them all? That was a lot easier than I had expected"

Smith: "We're not out of this yet Khaled. General Suleiman isn't sending anyone to get us until morning. One of the men I killed had radioed in that the two of us were traitors. We're going to have company before we get picked up."

Khaled: "What do we need to do?"

Smith: "We can fight back and probably die. Or we can hide"

Khaled: "I'm no coward, but we can't take on an entire army, when they know who to look for. I say we hide."

Smith: "Luckily, I had anticipated this happening, so I had General Suleiman's men make us a special something"

Khaled followed Smith over to an area with some sand and dead grass. Smith bent down, and grabbed onto a piece of grass, and pulled up. A trapdoor opened up, and inside was a hole, that led to a tunnel like area.

Smith: "Go grab some food and weapons, and a light or two. We'll stay down here for now."

Khaled quickly ran and grabbed some canned food, and some water. He threw it down the hole, and quickly ran back and grabbed three flashlights, and some guns and ammo. He tossed them all down the hole, and climbed inside. He turned on the flashlights, as General Smith hopped down, closed the trapdoor, and locked it shut.

Smith: "Move back here, and load up. If they come down, we want to be ready."

Khaled: "And if they drop a grenade?"

Smith: "We can go around this corner, but the whole thing might collapse on us. It would be better if they didn't"

Khaled grabbed a machine gun and loaded a clip into it. He sat down against a wall of dirt, and waited. Neither he nor Smith made a sound for hours. Eventually, they could hear trucks and voices fast approaching. It seems Americans had finally arrived, and began to search all over. He could hear men yelling orders, and loud footsteps overhead. He tightened his grip on the gun. He could hear them talking overhead.

Voice: "Check everywhere! Look for footsteps!"

Khaled could hear them running all over. It sounded like one of them had stopped over top of them.

Voice: "Sir, I think I found something."

Khaled heard more people run over top. They stopped right where the trapdoor was. He could see it move slightly.

Voice: "This is a weird spot for a patch of grass"

Khaled looked over at General Smith, who was holding another detonator. He quickly flicked a switch, and Khaled could feel the whole underground bunker shake. Dirt fell from the walls and ceiling. Khaled heard the voices yell, and quickly run towards the sound of the explosion.

Smith: "That should distract them enough"

Khaled sat and listened as the men yelled around above them. He could hear them running back and forth over top of them, but never went back to that grass patch. Eventually, Khaled heard voices say that it was time to leave. He listened as trucks sounded and moved on. Khaled moved towards the trapdoor. Smith put his hand on Khaled's shoulder.

Smith: "No. They might have left one group there"

Khaled realized that he was right. Perhaps this was only a ruse to draw them out. He sat back and waited. Sure enough, about an hour later, the sound of a single truck starting up and driving away was heard. Khaled and Smith slowly climbed out of the hole, and surveyed the damage. It was bright out, so everything could be seen. The military hadn't taken any of the bodies. They were still strewn across the ground, laying in bloody piles. Khaled smirked as he looked at all he had done. He had successfully completed his mission, in only two weeks. He had taken out an entire troop deployment of high profile United States military units. This was a time for celebration. And he knew exactly what he was going to do.

He looked at a torso on the ground. Sullivan's torso. He laughed, and reached down towards it. He ripped off the medals that were attached to it, and pocketed them. He only wish he could have seen the head. The explosion along with the neck wound must have torn it off.

Smith: "Ready to go?"

Khaled: "Yeah"

Khaled spit on the chest of Sullivan, before turning around and walking towards Smith.

Khaled: "Where are we going?"

Smith: "We have to walk a ways, before we get picked up by Suleiman"

Khaled followed Smith until he caught back up to him. They began to walk down a small dirt road. They said nothing to each other the entire way, until two big trucks rolled up beside them. Khaled pulled out his gun.

Suleiman: "Easy there young Khaled"

Khaled wheeled around, and was face to face with General Suleiman. Khaled stood at attention.

Suleiman: "At ease, soldier. You did a fine job these last two weeks"

Khaled: "Thank you sir"

Suleiman: "You deserve a reward, I believe"

Khaled: "Again, thank you sir"

Suleiman: "I think I know what you have in mind too"

Khaled: "Is she still there?"

Suleiman: "Of course. And no one has touched her. We've fed her though. We didn't want her to be too weak"

Khaled: "Of course not. I hope she struggles"

Suleiman: "Well, I'm sure she will. You can do what you want with her, have fun"

Khaled: "Oh, I will. This Anna has put me through much pain. I'm going to destroy her"

Suleiman: "That's exactly what I want to hear"

Both men laughed, as they climbed into a truck. Khaled had a sinister look on his face. If he looked to his left, he would have seen that Suleiman had the exact same look on his.