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The ride to the building that housed the simulation was one of the longest in my life, but in reality it was only about 2 hours. We came to stop in front of a arena type building, with the entrance level with us and the rest hanging off the side of a mountain, a true marvel of design. All of us were acting like kindergartners on there first field trip, none able to contain there excitement.

"You will be taken into the simulation area one at a time then afterwards, put into your squads based on your scores." Rolland said, looking each of us over thoughtfully. Probably thinking about who was going to be put into squads together. He then turned and entered the building, followed by us. As I entered the building, which led to a waiting room looking area. The first thing I noticed was a blank TV on the wall adjacent to the door, and right beside it was another door. Then I noticed a large window that overlooked a replica of a Iranian village, the obvious simulation course.

"Get settled in. It'll be a while before simulation is over" Rolland said. We all ignored him, instead, we were all huddled around the window that overlooked the course. About 10 minuets later we heard Rolland call out, "If you want to run this course, you better listen." That caught our attention. We all turned from the window to see Volteer standing beside Rolland. Soon we were all laying down with our attention locked onto Volteer.

"OK everyone, the rules are simple. In that room is both enemy and civilian activity. Your goal is to get to the exfil point across the course, without killing any civilians or getting shot." Volteer said as the blank TV came to life, revealing a type of scorecard. "The window behind you will be blacked out, and this TV will keep you informed on how fast they run the course, how many times they were hit, and how many enemy and civilian causalities they cause. The lower score the better." Volteer said turning to Rolland.

"The enemie's and civilians will be metal cutouts. The enemy cutouts will be using live ammunition, and the only way to stop them is to deliver a shot that would kill if they were real." Rolland said looking each of us over. "You all ready?" he asked as a smile appeared on his face. "Sir yes sir!" we all replied in unison. Volteer then grabbed a blue male, he was equipped with a punt gun (A large,4 inch barrel shotgun) and the usual SAW. As soon as the door closed, his picture and name appeared on the TV, and the window went black. His name was Cloud, and if his scales were black and red, then he would look exactly like me.

5 minuets later, the clock started, and he immediately took 4 hits. "Wow, that was fast." Firedrake said sounding slightly nervous, but surprised. I didn't reply, instead I sat with my eyes fixated on his score. He ran the course in 10 minuets, and 47 seconds. He had killed 7 civilians, 34 enemies, and had taken 34 wounds, his final score was a 62. "Is that a good run?" Faline asked me. "Who knows." I replied to her. The day went on and the best score was a 48. It was run by a black and gold female named Cira. She was equipped with the Vulcan Gatling gun, and managed to run it in 6 minuets, 11 seconds.

Volteer then came in and called Faline. She stood up and took a few deep breaths before following him through the door. "Good luck." I called out as the door closed behind them. "How do you think she will do?" Firedrake asked me. "Hopefully, good enough to be put into a good squad." I replied. 'I wonder what kind of squad she will be put into'. I silently asked myself. "Look she's starting." Firedrake said nudging me slightly. I watched the score, and her kill count rack up. 5 minuets, and 39 seconds later, she had 14 enemy kills, 3 civilian kills, and was hit twice, her final score was a 22. "YES!" I yelled jumping up and causing the remaining 13 dragons to look at me like I was an idiot. "Calm down Romeo." Firedrake said as Volteer came through the door and called Firedrake.

By the end of his run, he had a score of 25. "Good job." I said to myself as Volteer once again came through the door and called me, my heart stopped. I then rose and followed him through the door which led to an elevator. We entered the elevator and started to go down as the start of the course came into view. The elevator slowly came to a stop, and we got out, a human then approached my side and made sure I was fine on ammunition and that the systems were working. "Good luck." Volteer said to me. He then entered the elevator and went back up.

"Come with me." the human said as the elevator disappeared out of view. He led me to a red line on the ground, then stopped me. "When your ready, go past the line and the simulation will start." He said before stepping behind a large sheet of metal that shielded him from the course. I turned from him and starred at the course, looking over every detail. The course was about 200 yards long and 50 yards wide. The largest building was a 3 story tall tower in the middle of the course. I looked over the tower as red smoke appeared from the other end of the course. I glanced toward its direction and could see the start of the smoke. There was a straight roadway toward it with the buildings lining the sides of it. Halfway down the course, there was a 4 way stop type of area, an obvious trap.

I closed my eyes and grabbed my dog tags, trying to ready myself. "Here we go." I said to myself. I then took a step over the line and froze, looking, listening for any sounds or movement. Nothing seemed to stand out to me, so I continued. Once my tail crossed the line, a flash came from the tower, followed by a bang. I leapt left, barley dodging the bullet. I then charged the closest building to me. I burst into the room and saw 3 metal pallets, an apparent family having lunch. The male cutout then jumped upward, reveling an AK-47.

Before I knew it, 2 shots rang out, and the metal cutout fell, I managed to get the shots off. I stood, wondering how I managed to react so fast, as a patch of sand was kicked up in front of my paws. I leapt backwards and quickly noticed a window that gave the tower a clear view of me on the wall opposite of the one I hade come through. Another shot rang out from the top of a building on the other side of the road, hitting the top of my 20MM.

There was a door beside the window that gave me an open path to the next building at least 20 yards away. I lowered myself close to the ground and approached the door as shots rang out from multiple roof tops on the other side of the road. I took a few deep breaths and charged the building, firing multiple rounds of my 20MM at the rooftops. I safely made it to the next building and immediately noticed that the building had the same layout as the last one, but without the family.

"If there all like this, then this should be easy." I said to myself as a hostile cutout appeared from a closet on my left side. Like a well choreographed machine, I spun and fired 3 shots at the target, knocking it down, then moving back to the door. The buildings were closer now, and I moved through the buildings with ease to the 4 way stop. I approached the door and looked outside, the buildings on my side of the road were farther spread out after this point, so my only choice was to move across the road, and I knew this. I lowered myself close to the ground and prepared to make a run for the building at least 30 yards away on the other side of the road, when a thud on the ground beside me caught my attention. I turned to see a grenade laying by my rear right foot.

My eyes widened and I burst out of the i was in building, and ran toward the one on the other side of the road. Moments later, the grenade went off, sparking an ambush. The bullets began to come down like rain from Hell all around me from the roof tops. I made to the building, somehow managing not to get shot, and leaned against the wall underneath the window.

I was breathing heavily, then started to laugh. I then slowly started to peak over the window, but the glint of sunlight shining off of a string stopped me cold in my tracks. I ducked back down, and followed the string with me eyes. It led to a flash bang above the door I had just came through. "OH COME ON!" I yelled at no one in particular. I then rose and slowly made my way to the last building that I could reach without difficulty, probably 20 yards away from the final building, and my exfil point.

I walked to the door, ready to make a run to the final building when the shock of reality hit me. Ever since I noticed the flash bang in the first building, everything had been quiet. I took a few steps back and an intense pain ripped through my leg. I collapsed, andy instincts took over.  I quickly slid myself underneath the window. "That guy in the tower is really starting to piss me off." I said angrily to myself as I slid out of view of the window and stood up.

I then shook my leg and charged the final building. As I neared it, a wooden dummy with an AK-47 attached to it appeared in the doorway. I didn't have time to slow down, and slammed into the dummy, knocking it clean off its hinges. I quickly locked my maw around its fake wooden neck, crushing the wood. I then rose and ran through the building and to the red smoke. I passed another red line on the ground, causing the targets to stop firing and reset themselves. A door then opened and I turned, ready to blow whoever or whatever it was to bits, but stopped myself when I noticed that it was Rolland.

I slowly let myself relax as Rolland motioned me to follow him. I managed to do so, without blowing anybody to bits. We came to a stop in an armory type area, full of the vests of the dragons that had already run the course. A human approached my side, took the vest off of me, and placed it onto a rack. As he did so, the slight chill of the cold air hitting the sweat on my back, sent a shiver up my spine. Rolland then turned and led me to another door with a TV beside it. "That was a very clean run." Rolland said to me as I locked my gaze onto the screen. The TV had my stats on it. I ran the course in 5 minuets, 13 seconds, with 17 enemy kills, 0 civilian causalities, and a final score of 19.

"What about my wounds, I was hit once?" I asked Rolland in a confused tone. "It wasn't lethal, so it didn't count." Rolland replied before turning and exiting through another door, with me following close behind him. The door led to a lounge like area, with the dragons that had already run the simulation inside, most asleep, but a few were up and softly talking with each other. There was a large garage door on the left wall right beside the door I had come through, and it stood out like a sore thumb. I stopped in the doorway and searched the room for Firedrake and Faline. They were in a corner of the room. Firedrake was asleep, and Faline was watching me with curious eyes.

"Nice run." Faline quietly said to me as I approached them. "Thanks, you two." I replied, laying down beside them. "You get hit?" she asked, lifting her wing and revealing 2 blood shot spots halfway up the side of her ribs. "Man, that looks like it hurt. Yeah." I said, showing her my leg. She gave me a shy smile, then lay her head in between her paws, and moments later, fell asleep. I did the same a few minuets later, and quickly fell asleep.

"Wake up." Firedrake said, nudging me. My eyes flung open and I slowly raised my head. "Come on Taro, there setting the squads up." Firedrake said as I stood up and noticed the others leave through the garage door.

I stretched, and walked through the door to a large garage with a stage in the middle of it. Beside the stage was a hallway that led outside. Faline , Firedrake, and I quietly found a spot at the back of the crowd as Holland appeared on the stage carrying a clipboard. "Hello once again." Holland started. "As you all probably know, you will now be put into squads. So when I call your name, I want you to come on stage to meet your squad mates, then go outside and load into the trucks to start squad training." Holland said as everything grew deadly silent.

"For Raider Squad, we have, Pyrus." Holland said as a red dragon walked onstage. "Sora," a green dragon walked onstage. "Cloud," the blue dragon that was the first to run the course walked onstage. "Cira" the black and gold female walked onstage to meet her male teammates. "And for squad leader, we have Hark." Holland said as a dark orange, wingless dragon walked onstage, and stood in front of the others.

"This is the Raider Squad." Holland said as a human came and took them down the hallway to a waiting truck. Holland called out 3 more squads and the three of us were starting to grow nervous. "For Talon Squad, we have, Faline." Her eyes grew wide. She then turned to us and whispered, "Good luck." before walking onstage. "Blitz," Holland said as the red and brown male we had rode in the truck here with walked onstage. Faline watched him as he came to a stop beside her, she then caught my gaze. She gave me a funny look as if saying, 'what's this guy doing here?' smiled at her and shook my head. "Firedrake," Holland said as he walked onstage. "Tyson," Holland said as the cocky green dragon from day one walked onstage and stood beside Firedrake. My heart was pounding as Holland flipped the page and called out, "For squad leader, we have," He paused and squinted at the paper. He then looked up and locked his gaze with mine, "Taro."

I stood up, not believing that we were in the same squad together as I walked onstage and stood beside Bitz. "This is your Talon Squad." Holland said as a human took us outside to a truck, but wouldn't allow us to enter it. After all the squads had been put together and had left in all but 1 vehicle, Holland came outside and locked his gaze with mine. "I'm sending you to Iraq." Holland said motining for us to load into the final truck.

"Wait, what about squad training?" I asked as the others started to get into the truck. "Your squad had the highest scores we have ever seen, for all I'm concerned, you're ready for combat." Holland said as he turned to reenter the building. "What about our weapons?" I asked him, still not to thrilled about our current arrangements. "You will get all you need over in Iraq, now load up and head out." Holland commanded as he turned and entered the building. I looked away from him, and joined my team in the truck.

During our ride, we all stayed silent, all in our own worlds, all scared to death. 10 minuets into our ride, Firedrake spoke up. "Wow, didn't think I would go into action this fast." Everything grew silent once again, and the humm of a C-130's engines could be heard in the distance. Minuets later, we were standing on the hot tarmac watching the truck leave.

I turned and began to walk toward the C-130, followed by my squad. We reached the back of the plane and the faces of 34 human soldiers grew scared. Some starring at us, others quietly talking, probably about us. For the most part, they were confused about what we were. We walked toward the front of the plane, trying to find a place to lay down for the ride when the face of a male human caught my attention.

I stopped and looked to him. He did the same, locking his gaze with mine. I couldn't tell you, but everything about him, his eyes, his hair, everything reminded me of someone, but I couldn't remember who. "Taro!" Faline said, snapping me out of my haze filled thoughts. "Come on, lets get settled before take off." With that, I broke my gaze with him and walked to the front of the plain, laying down after doing so, and immidiately started to think of Iraq.

In a matter of minuets, we would be sent to our new lives, our new beginnings, our own personnel Hell on earth. "Iraq," a black male human said, causing me to come out of my thoughts. "What?" I replied to him. He smiled at me and replied. "Iraq, I heard its nice this time of year."