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I woke up in a cot, in a military style tent, which seemed to be quite new. About ten seconds after I woke up, I realized I had one hell of a headache!

"Ah, so G.I. Joe awakens! How does your head feel young man?" asked somebody in the room. I honestly just wanted to be alone to nurse my injured head, and a couple of bruises on my chest. But, I did not want to be rude.

"I feel like a man revived from the dead. But, it appears my revival has some nasty side affects. May I ask who you may be sir?" I asked as I slowly sat up.

"My name is Captain Coles, of the United States Army. I would like to personally welcome you to Camp Freedom. Is there anything that I am able to get you?"

"Just water, and a quiet place to rest. Oh, and Captain, how long have I been out?" I asked apprehensively. I didn't want the entire vacation spent with me sleeping!

"I will take care of the water, and also get you a few Tylenol. And you have only been out about an hour since you arrived at camp." With that, he left. I fell back asleep before he returned.

The next time I woke up, the water and medication, with a small and a map, which showed which way the mess hall, sat on the nightstand next to me. I took the meds, chugged the water, put on my boots, and headed for the mess hall.

When I entered the mess hall, all eyes where on me, and the room grew silent. I began to sweat, and looked back down at the map to make sure I was in the right place. When I looked back up, I saw Sarge headed toward me.

"How are ya doin?" he asked quite loudly.

"My bloody head hurts" was all I got out, for I still felt nervous. The whole room erupted in laughter, and I felt my self turn red and put on a nervous smile. Sarge slapped me on the back, laughing as well. He led me to the mess line, and grabbed a tray for me. When I finally got to the end of the line, my tray was stacked with food. He led me to a table where the rest of my friends were, and showed me where he was sitting in case I needed anything else.

I saw everyone was sitting close together, except Alex. He was sitting at the far end of the table, by himself. I started to wonder why, and then I remembered. He had deserted us in the beginning of the firefight. I ignored him, a little pissed at him, yet also felt sorry for him.

"Hey Chris, where did you get hit at?" asked Levi, who was grinning mischievously.

"I got hit after Justin flipped the humvee. Nice driving there Tex!" I laughed as I watched his reaction to the comment. Nick and Josh were also laughing. The conversation continued for another ten minutes. I was laughing and cursing like the rest. I caught Alex looking down to our group. I motioned for him to come over. That took everyone by surprise!

"Why hold a grudge? Nothing can be done at this point. Besides, another than Nick, Justin, Josh, and myself, all of you assholes went and died on me!" I jabbed. They just laughed and accepted Alex back into the group. He nodded his thanks, to which I nodded back. I don't like to see the group split up if it didn't have to be.

After dinner, Captain Coles came in and pushed us into a briefing room. It's walls were bare, save that of a single American flag and a projector screen. In the room where about 30 folding chairs, and a projector.

"Gentleman! Have a seat and enjoy the show!" He looked at me and winked, then flipped off the lights and sat down.

It was footage from the woods attack on our ride in. But, this time it was from the enemy's point of view. We watched as they waited in the forest, quietly. We then heard a short burst of fire, then a radio transmission from Levi explaining what happened. We all chuckled quietly, throwing stuff at Nick for giving us away in the first place.

As the video continued, it went on with our laughter and great fun. The only silence was watching Alex running. Even though the lights were off, I could see him turn red. At least he was remorseful. It got to the time when Josh, Justin, and I took off in the humvees, and everyone got to see my amazing evasive skills. Finally, it ended with them taking Nick as a prisoner, and me being shot in the chest. Everyone had a good laugh at that.

Coles told us to stay seated, for not even a moment later, it started showing all of the facts about our little skirmish, and then finally rated in on teamwork, skill, and overall success. Out of over 5,000 rounds expended, we killed just one of them, and wounded 5! Needless to say we failed.

Laughing, I said, "Hey Levi, we aren't even at school and you still are failing!"

Captain Coles chuckled, and told us that it was time to hit the hay. As we exited, he pulled me aside.

"You were very brave, and kept your head today. I want to offer you the position of Squad Leader for your crew. You don't have to take it, or even answer right now."

"Let me think on it" was all I said, and wished him a goodnight.

Back in the tent, everyone was in bed, but far from quiet. All of them wanted to know why I was held back. I thought of lying, but decided against it.

"He wanted to know if I would be Squad Leader. What do you guys think?"

Everyone started talking at once, but by around midnight, all of them agreed that they would want me to be Squad Leader, as long as it didn't go to my head.

"You have a fat enough head anyway Chris." Stated Josh, with a smirk on his face. I tried to knock that smirk off his face with a thrown pillow. Everyone laughed, and we all went to sleep.

At 3:00a.m, I was shaken awake. I was groggy, and it took me a minute to realize where I was. It was Justin. He motioned silently to go outside the tent. When we where a good distance away, I gave him a questioning look.

"I just wanted to say I am sorry."

"For what exactly?" I was concerned; he was acting as if he was hiding something important.

"For today. I acted as a coward. Everyone else was trying to fight back, but I was to scared to stick my head up and fire. I...I was just. I don't know. It felt like my fear was paralyzing me. Does that even make sense? Oh god, I let everyone down!" He was shaking, and it was not due to the weather.

I whispered as to not awaken the others, "Justin, you did just fine. At least you didn't run! Besides, you got us out of there when the time came. We never had a chance of getting to camp. They wanted to test us. Go easy or yourself, eh?" I patted him on the back, and headed back for the tent. It looked like he wanted to say more, hesitated, and just shook his head. I chuckled to myself, and lay down in my cot back inside the tent. It seemed like I just closed my eyes when we where awaken.

"GET UP YOU LAZY SLOBS! WHAT ARE YOU LAYING AROUND FOR!" screamed Sarge at the top of his lungs. Once he was satisfied we were all up, he opened the door to Captain Coles.

"You boys awake? I even let you sleep in today! It is already 6:30! Time to run. Be ready in fifteen minutes." All of us groaned, and I flipped Justin off for waking me, in a kidding way. He just laughed and returned the gesture.

In ten minutes, we where ready to go, so they were kind enough to start early. It was a mile jog, with no weight on a cool morning. It was actually quite enjoyable. The only people who had a problem where Zach and Alex. I considered this fair payback for Alex running on us, and for Stufflet dieing on me!

When we returned from the jog, we learned our schedule for the day. First to the mess hall for breakfast, and then we get to pick our weapon of choice to fight with for the two weeks we were to be there. We would first learn one on one how to strip the weapon, then train with it, and then shoot it.

When we got there, we where all excited for what weapon we each had picked. They weighed us, and then tested our strength while running, and a few other tests to see how much weight we were capable of carrying at a time safely. I clocked in at 210lbs; ability to carry 60lbs of weapons, so I pretty much had my choice of weapons. Nick clocked in at the lightest, at a mere 127.3lbs; ability to carry only 15 lbs safely.

We approached the Arms Master, a hulking mass of muscle, with a slip of paper signed by Captain Coles, and we got into line to choose our weapons. Zach was up first, and picked an AK-47 with a folding stock. We all yelled about being very original. He just laughed it off and took his weapon over to his personal trainer for the day. The next in line was Austin, who asked for a G-36. A very reliable German gun, and I respected his choice. His brother was up next. Justin surprised me with his choice, a Remington 870 combat shotgun, a pump-action, American made. It was Josh's turn to step up to the wall of flesh, or Arms Master, and kindly asked for a G3, another German weapon. These guys were stealing my thunder, for I too had a German weapon in mind.

Josh now walked over to the growing group of heavily armed teenagers, as Joey walked up to the Arms Master, and requested an Aug A3 with a grenade launcher. We all hooted and hollered over the addition of the grenade launcher. After Joey, Ryan asked for an L96, a British made rifle. We all new that was coming! Alex was next, picking up a German H&K Mp5, with a folding stock. It was a low-profile gun, and very light. He took it without even really looking at it. Levi was the next, and excitedly asked for a F2000, a Belgian assault rifle. He happily joined the others. Nick just took a standard M4 carbine. He just grinned sheepishly at his choice.

Finally, I was the last to pick my weapon. I had thought long and hard, and finally decided on a machine gun, with a heavy sniper as a compliment to the main gun. I chose the German MG3, a machine gun with an intense rate of fire, and fires a man stopping 7.62mm NATO round. The rifle? A military grade M82. Many of you know it as the Barrett .50. Everyone just stood in awe as I slowly walked over. I couldn't stop laughing at the expressions on their faces!

My instructor, as the powers above saw fit, turned out to be Captain Coles himself!

"And to what great feat did I accomplish to deserve the honorable Captain Coles?" I said, my voice laced in sarcasm.

He laughed, and we proceeded to show me how to strip and clean both guns. As we worked on cleaning the guns, he asked me if I was going to accept the Squad Leader position. I told him on how I had discussed it with the guys, and that I would take the position.

"Good. Now, as your first decision, do you think that everyone is equipped to their best interests?" Coles asked nonchalantly.

"I want to give Josh an AT4, just incase we happen to run into anything big. Also, I want Justin to carry my extra ammo for the M82, and I think Ryan needs a secondary to the sniper. Or do you think that I'm wrong?"

He laughed, and said, "No, I think you are correct in what you say. I am just curious to see you as a leader. Who will be your advisor?"

"I am going to pick Nick."

"Really? Why him? Why not Josh, or Joey? To pick the youngest? Quite the bold move, young man."

"I choose Nick because he is part of the JROTC at home, and will be the least likely to disagree with me in the heat of the moment. He is also the most likely to have a cool head and sound advice when we get into the heat of it again. The only reason he did not during the first assault is because he was the first hit."

"They all sound like good reasons. All right, I will get the Arms Master to give out the additional equipment. Look G.I. Joe, you missed a spot!" He said loudly, and pointed to a dirty spot on the M82. He quickly headed of the Arms master for the extra equipment.

An hour later, once everybody was comfortable with cleaning and working with their weapon, all of us stood at the shooting range. Everyone was eager to put their weapon to good use. The Range Master, a tough looking man by the name of Cortez would be training us today.

"Gentlemen. My name is Sergeant Cortez. I am the Range Master at Camp Freedom. I take my job very seriously, because I have a wife and a kid. I do not need my life ended due to somebody being stupid. Remember that I will end your life if it saves mine." He seemed like a nice guy.

We all took our position on the firing line, and Sergeant Cortez told the first shooter on the line, Nick, to fire single shots only, to get used to the kick. Nick obeyed, and I loved to see that mixture of happiness and absolute joys encase his face. I gave him a wink, and he couldn't even respond, he was so happy. He then allowed Nick to go full-auto, and he happily complied.

Josh was next, and the Sarge gave him the green light, starting with his G3. He had been issued the AT4, but that was not to be tested on this range... As soon as he finished, we kept going down the line.

When it got to Ryan, I heard him shout to Cortez, "Hey, can I start with full auto?" We all laughed. Ryan was using a bolt-action sniper rifle. Cortez just shook his head, and told him to proceed to fire. Ryan went through a 5 round magazine in short time.

I followed with the M82, going through a magazine of the huge .50BMG round like a little kid plinking away with a bb gun. When it got to the MG3, I asked how I was supposed to fire semi-auto. He again just shook his head, and told me just to shut my mouth and fire when ready. I got situated, and fired the 100 round in what seemed like mere seconds. I looked down the firing line, and laughed hysterically at the looks on their faces! They looked like they had seen a ghost!

Next we were issued pistols, except Ryan who had the machine pistol. I chose the Colt .45, or the M1911. It had man stopping power, and great reliability. I shot with decent accuracy, but would never put a competition shooter out of business.

Once we were done our weapons, we were told to go clean them and report to the mess hall for dinner. Groaning inwardly about cleaning, I took off to the tent to begin the process of making these guns spotless. I rushed off in such a hurry that I missed Josh shooting of the rocket launcher.

As we walked to dinner, we were told to keep a weapon on us at all times. I was perfectly fine with the .45 clinging to my thigh. Might help me keep these idiots in line!

As we got into line, we all were talking and laughing, Sarge came up to ask us how are day went, and what everyone's weapons were. I kept quiet, for everyone else was talking.

"Chris, you picked the MG3? Might be more than you can handle!" He joked.

"Nah Sarge, I can handle her just fine, thank you very much. If anything, you should worry about Josh. He is the one with the rocket launcher!" I laughed.

The conversation continued as we headed over to out table. It continued to go on, varying from cars, guns, the dinner itself, and always seemed to end up on women. We were laughing hysterically, and by the time we left, I had tears in my eyes from how hard I was laughing. As we walked back to the tent, somebody mentioned school, and promptly got shoved for mentioning such a horrid thing.

The next day, we were woken up promptly at 6:00, and went for our jog. And then went to breakfast where Captain Coles was already waiting for us there, to explain what we were doing for today.

"Today Gentleman, you shall be practicing teamwork! At first you will pick small teams of 5 and go head to head with your new weapons. Remember, you do not need to flip the fire selector to "Happy Mode" and blow through a magazine. Fire discipline. Your Squad Leader will pick the other team captain, and teams shall be picked from there. Chris, who will be the other captain?"

"As my newly appointed advisor, Nick shall be the other captain. Congratulations Nick!" He looked astonished, but everyone else applauded him. He stepped across from me, and saluted. I returned the gesture, and even offered him first pick. He chose Josh, who had the greatest accuracy of all of those with the assault rifles. I chose Alex, which surprised everyone. Even Captain Coles's eyebrows jumped. I knew that I had to trust him, and, whether win or lose, this would be a great confidence boost for him.

When the teams were finally divided, I had Joey, Alex, Justin, and Levi. That left Nick with Josh, Ryan, Zach, and Austin. We all shook hands, wishing each other luck. It may not have been in such nice words, but the point got across.

Since Nick had chosen first, I picked to defend. We had to defend the fort for 10:00 minutes. One life. No mistakes.

As we set up into position, I hid the MG3 in a clump of bushes at a cut off point. It was a small ravine, where only one man could walk through at a time, and it was very hard to turn around. I thought it to be the perfect place for an mg nest. Once I had it set up, I walked around to the top so I could set up a snipers nest, and two fake ones. I made sure to make the two fakes stand out, but not too noticeable. The third was almost impossible to see. Accomplished on what I had done, I radioed Justin and the others to make sure they were in position to start. I got an a-ok from everyone, so I ordered radio silence, and began the wait till we began.

In what felt like forever, a red flare was sent up to red flare, and I knew that the ten minutes had begun. Time to show them what we are made of.

For almost two minutes, I saw or heard no one. No radio contact, no twig snaps. Nothing but peaceful silence. Then I saw them. I looked down range, as I saw a reflection. Ryan had not properly covered his scope, which now reflected in the bright sunny day, a rarity in Washington. I picked him up in the scope, at about 370 yards, and it looked like he had spotted one of my "hiding" spots. He motioned what looked like Austin to get down. I did not fire, even though I had the shot on Ryan. I wanted to see what he would do. I still needed to assess my team. I looked through the scope for a very long time, with Austin constantly popping his head up. I noted this, and got ready to fire. I gently squeezed the trigger, and sent a round down range.

The round flew for about a second, before making contact. It hit Ryan in his chest, knocking him flat. Austin quickly dove for cover. Feeling that I was safe enough, I shot two more quick shots at Austin, bruising my shoulder to hell and back. I quickly got up, and with pistol in hand, ran down and headed for the ravine. I heard Austin running after me, firing. The bullets where getting closer, when all of a sudden, a second gun fired two quick shots. I turned to see Alex, who had shot Austin; Austin now lay crumpled on the ground. Alex looked shocked, and was planted to on the spot. I grabbed him, and pulled him along with me.

As we were running, I yelled that we were going through the ravine, where we were going to rest there. But, I purposely said this to all radio channels, hoping to attract attention. Not wanting to get us both killed in case my plan backfired, I sent Alex back to the fort. I then set up my machine gun nest, and waited.

I checked my watch to see how much time we had; I caught something in my peripheral view, on the ledge above me. I quickly swung the machine gun, ready to saw him in half.

"HOLY SHIT, Chris it's me! Justin! Oh Jesus, don't shoot!"

"Justin? What the hell are you doing this far up?" I questioned in a loud whisper.

Before he could answer, he got gunned down, shot five or six times in the back. He twisted as he fell. I ran to catch him, and then drug him back in the mg nest.

"Got him! Ha, he was just standing there!" It was Josh, and by the way it sounded, he was not alone. Perfect.

"Yea, yea, you know the real prize is Chris. If you get him, I will give you all of the credit in the world!" Nick commented. I noted that neither was being particularly quiet, and neither checked for Justin's body. This was a grave mistake.

I quickly grabbed a rock and threw it into a tree, about 30 feet from them. Both jumped in surprise, and went over to investigate. Both were so preoccupied they didn't even notice me jump out. I shot Josh first. Nick just turned around in horror. He started to lift his weapon. I sprayed into him, as if trying to cut him in half.

As I walked away, after confirming that neither was playing dead, I started walking away. I had the feeling that something was watching me. I scanned the clearing, checking for Zach, who was the only one left. Seeing nothing, I checked my watch. Just under two minutes, so I started to head back to the fort, as fast but safe as possible.

By the time I had reached the fort, I saw a white flare shoot up, as to signal the end. I came to the fort warily, and saw Levi standing inside, Zach at gunpoint, smiling. He gave me a wave, to which I returned with relief. Captain Coles was nearby, with a spent flare gun in hand. I grinned, and held up 3 of my fingers. He just laughed, and told be to go pick up the others.

As I headed back for Nick and the others, I tried to evaluate the others on how they preformed. Nick had been the right choice, but he still needed to learn a few lessons. As a matter of fact, so did I!

I finally reached Justin first. I carefully sat him up. He started coming to, and immediately grabbed at his chest, which was where he had been hit. I sat back and waited for him to speak. I remember when I had been hit, and had wanted to be alone. He sat there, just holding his wounds, muttering under his breath. I took off my canteen, which was filled with water, and offered it to him. He gestured kindly, and just held on to the bottle, not really moving.

"Hey, you alright? I know it hurts to get shot, but I saved your stupid ass from falling of the ledge onto the ground!" I laughed, trying to get him to do the same, just to be sure he was still sane.

"Yea. I just know that I can do better. God, I should have never stood up there like an idiot! God, and when you swung that gun at me, I thought you were going to cut me in HALF!" he laughed, but still a little shaken.

"Your lucky I took a second look to see who it was, or you would have been! Now, stay here and rest a bit, not that you have earned it. I have to go get Josh and Nick."

As I walked through the forest, again I couldn't help but feel that somebody was watching me. I moved my hand to rest on my .45, and toyed with the safety. I kept my hand there until I reached Nick and Josh, who were sitting up and talking. Both looked up when they saw me approaching, and I watched Nick's eyes drop to where my hand was resting. I gave him a smirk, and moved my hand. I saw relief flood into his eyes, replaced by awe.

"So boys, am I still the prize?" Both looked at each other, and bust out laughing.

Back in the tent, I ordered everyone to clean weapons and listen up.

"My team. We won, barely. Nick's team, nice effort. Now, before everyone starts talking, I have a loaded .45 strapped to my leg, and a knife. So keep your mouths shut. Gentleman, tomorrow we work on full squad teamwork. From what I have seen, we have a solid foundation. That is fundamental, but now we must build upon this strong base. I do believe that Nick was the best choice for our second in command, due to him being able to wipe out all but me and Levi. Also, we had time to setup and defend, whilst they had the difficulty of attacking. Does anybody have anything to say against me or Nick as leaders? Speak up now, because I want all problems solved when we hit the field tomorrow."

Nobody said anything, so I continued, "I will also be arranging fire teams, small teams of two, as to better be able to communicate. As none of you spoke up about not liking anyone here, I am sure you won't mind having assigned partners. Correct?" I dropped my hand slightly to the pistol, and waited for an answer. Everybody nodded in agreement. I also warned them to have their gasmasks readily available, for I as going to train them against it. The next time we fought against Coles's boys, they didn't stand a chance!

The next morning, I awoke at 5:30, and wrote up the fire teams. The teams were Levi and Austin, Joey and Ryan, Justin and Josh, Zach and Alex, and finally Nick and me. Also, I put Joey under Nick, for if I were to fall in combat, Joey would take my place. As I put these on the bulletin board outside our tent, I saw a few soldiers out, and noticed they were all staring at me. I thought it was because I was up so early. It turns out I was wrong.

As group of them approached me, as I saluted. They returned the gesture, and one with the nametag "Smith" began to speak.

"You the crazy one who jumped up on that humvee to rescue that kid? Also heard you are the one with the plan to escape."

"Yes sir, that was I. I jumped up to save one of my friends, who was still alive but stuck in the crossfire. And yes, it was my idea for the escape."

"That was a damn good plan. Damn good. Also, you got the balls of a burglar for jumping up on top under fire. Lucky you didn't get shot! All right, me and the boys got to get moving. Good luck to you, and hope you liked your total immersion by fire!" He and his buddies laughed as they headed of to complete their duties. I just shook my head, and headed back inside the tent. I was planning a surprise drill for everyone.

"GENTLEMAN! IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP!" I bellowed at 6:00 on the dot. They started to grumble, but slowly sat up. They looked at me, and shook their heads, and rolled back over. Oh, they would pay for this.

"Since you do not seem to understand the way this works... GAS GAS GAS!" I shouted whilst I took the military grade tear gas out from behind my back, pulled the pins, and tossed them around the tent. I slipped my mask over my face, and watched the chaos ensue. They started gasping, frantically looking for their masks. Levi ran for the door, and I allowed him. Sarge had already locked it from the other side. After about two minutes, everyone had their masks on, so I decided to address them.

"Gentleman, have we learned a lesson? This is a game played for keeps. Now, get ready for our run. Today, we go 2 miles as a consequence for your failure. I will meet you outside, with ALL of your gear, weapons included. Oh, and the gas is still in here, so I suggest keeping your masks on. Ten minutes." I walked over to the door, and told Sarge to let me out.

When I had gotten outside, there was a crowd outside, all looking at me with awe. I heard somebody in the back say, "Damn, he pushes harder than Coles!" and then a small chuckle of agreement. I turned, and snapped to attention to the crowd. Nobody said a word, so I fell out and waited by the road for the others.

About a half-hour later, we were all sitting in the mess hall, eating. As we ate, I watched the other soldiers slowly begin to file out. Good, all was going according to plan. When everyone but us had left the room, I pulled out two more of the tear gas from my bag, but so nobody could see them.

I got everyone's attention at the table, and said, "Gentleman, I would like to make an announcement. GAS!" and quickly pulled the pins on the gas, grabbing my mask and putting it on. The others struggled to find their masks, for they had packed them away. They all started coughing and crying, but all were able to put their masks on before they became too bad.

My voice was muffled because of the mask, but I continued to say, " You must be ready at all times, and have this mask ready. This is just teargas, and there are much, much stronger varieties. I will begin to start to employ these on you if your performance does not pick up. Now, out to the field. Time to practice teamwork!" They all just groaned, and made idle threats about what they were going to do to me when I fell asleep. I took those as a compliment.

Once on the field, I started with simple things, such as small teambuilding exercises. Once I was comfortable with how they were performing as a team, I worked now on the fire teams, and how to properly use the radio waves to communicate each other with minimal radio use. Then, it was on to hand signals. At noon, I was completely happy with the progress we had made, so I cut our session early. We headed back to the mess hall, for lunch.

When we got there, it was almost completely full, so we decided to eat outside, for it was a warm enough day and was dry outside. As we walked and talked, I noticed Nick hanging back. I slowed down to allow him to catch up, and waved the others to continue to go on without me.

"Hey, you ok?" I asked, with a look of genuine concern on my face.

"Yea, I am just worried that I wont be able to keep up with you guys, or that I am going to embarrass myself. I am just, I don't know. I mean, you put me as a leader, and I completely screwed up and got me and Josh killed. I just think you picked the wrong person to help you lead." He said. By this point, I had lead him to a tree separate from the group, so we could continue our conversation in private. Josh started to get up to come over, but I waved him off.

"Nick, I have made many mistakes in my life. We all have, and if anybody tells you they haven't, they are lying through their teeth. But this Nick, this is something that not only I chose, but the others did as well. We are in this together, till the end. We are fighting a squad of Coles's men tomorrow, and I need no doubts in your mind. I need it cleared, got it? You ARE second in command, whether you like it or not." At this point, I called Josh over.

"Josh, is Nick not who you would want as second in command? If your life was on the line, would you stick your neck out and trust Nick?" I asked, looking at Nick as to prove the point further.

"Hell yea, I would any day. Besides Nick, we need a non-psychotic second in command to keep us in line!" he winked at me, and I understood he was joking. He just sat there and nodded, so I took it as we were done, so I brought him back over to the group. Not even five minutes later, he was laughing and joking just like normal.

The next morning, I let everyone sleep in till 7:30, because today was the day we were to face Captain Coles's squad, except it was they who were in the humvees this time. As we headed to the mess hall, I told everyone to have a good breakfast. It was game day, and I needed everyone in tiptop shape for the big game.

Two hours later, after our gear where checked and rechecked, we headed out to setup and plan our attack. As well as our weapons and gear, we got two ATVs to have for the attack. We set out to the start point, with Nick and me on one ATV, and Josh and Austin on the other. We mapped the course, looking for blind spots in which to ambush them. I spotted a tall Ledge above the one roadway, and decided to put Ryan there to take shots at the convoy. I then helped Josh knock down a large tree into the road in order to block it. I then had him set up another ambush point with his AT4 in order to knock out the last humvee, effectively pinning the convoy to prevent it from going anywhere.

Once Josh was setup, I let Nick position the rest of the guys. Nick and me then hopped onto an ATV, and I mounted the mg to it. My plan was to scare them into going faster, allowing them to better entrap themselves. I also put Joey up with Ryan, for I gave him tear gas rounds for his grenade launcher, to help further create chaos among the enemy. I also gave him a detonator that activated remote charges, which were all along the roads edges, to destroy any cover there. Everyone looked at me, finally realizing the entirety of my devious plan.

"I am so glad I am on your side Chris." Josh said in awe.

"It is all good in theory. We shall see how it works out in reality. Also, if they surrender, allow them, but keep your weapon trained on them, and keep your distance. Also, Captain Coles is mine." After that statement, I ordered radio silence. Now, it was time to see how the good Captain liked how the shoe fits on the other foot.

I heard the Game Master announce the beginning of the practice, and I watched, as the humvees started moving. I nodded to Nick, who gunned the ATV, and as we flew along the small service road next to the convoy, I sprayed with the mg, hitting only one of the gunners, before we took off in front of them. We waited another 5 minutes down the road, and prepared to do the same thing.

When we completed our second run on the convoy, we hightailed it out of there, scoring no hits, but slowed down the convoy again. As we sped off, I blew a charge knocking down a few trees, to keep them guessing on which one we were going to ambush.

Me and Nick dumped the ATV north of our set positions, as to not give it away. We hid it to make it look like we tried, but it was still noticeable, so they suspected something. Get them nervous.

I also put a charge in the middle of the road, and quickly blew it. It created a large pothole, which was again to slow them down. We then hoofed it to our vantage point high above the road, where I had setup the M82.

I saw them slow down at the pothole, and waited to see what they would do. They slowed, while the gunners swung the guns to the forest to keep an eye out for us. I looked over to Nick, who looked back and smiled. I returned my attention to the convoy, and put my crosshairs on the gunner of the third humvee, and gently squeezed the trigger. As the round traveled downrange to meet the target, I watched through the scope, while Nick watched through a spotter scope beside me. I watched the third gunner slump over the gun mount.

"Nice shot, center mass. Now, lets get the hell out of here before all hell breaks loose." He said, as he already packed up his stuff.

"Good idea!" As we headed back on the second ATV, I heard a shout. I looked though the scope, and saw Captain Coles looking furious, so I lay down, and fired a round next to him, shattering a headlight on the VIP humvee. He quickly ducked, and I radioed him, telling him to surrender

"Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged..." and I turned my radio back to our channel.

As we flew back to the others, I warned them that the convoy was close behind use, and to keep on guard and be ready. I realized how close they were when I heard one of the squad guns bark, sending a hail of bullets our way. I yelled to Nick to put his gasmask on, as I did the same thing. We quickly bailed of the moving ATV, rolling to a stop behind a clump of bushes. I quickly yanked my pistol out of its holster. As expected, the humvees were going at least 30mph when they hit the tree. I yelled for gasmasks, and my squad put them on, as Joey started lobbing the gas rounds. Josh let lose with the AT4, turning the last humvee into a fireball, with the crew now out of commission. Ryan then picked of the gunner on the first humvee. I saw Coles's men run for cover to the other side, in one of the ditches along the side of the road. I yelled for Joey to blow the charges. They went off, sending multiple soldiers flying. It suddenly got very quiet. I thought I had lost my hearing, but then realized I could hear my own breath.

I slowly got up, but signaled for the others to stay down, except Justin, who had the shotgun. I might need him at close range, so I motioned for him to come with me.

As we approached, I saw A few bodies on the ground, but not Captain Coles. I approached the VIP humvee slowly. The captain stepped out quickly, with pistol in hand. I lunged forward to grab the gun, but he spun me around and pointed it at my head, looking at Justin with a savage look. Whilst he was looking, I turned my radio on, so everyone could hear the conversation.

"You had a nice plan going. Till now. Now who is surrendering to whom? Huh? Answer me!" he shouted to me.

"You see, you forgot one key thing." I said calmly.

"

And what would that be? You don't really think he can hit me without taking out you! And you can't reach your pistol. So what is this thing that I have "Forgotten", hmm?"

"Ryan" And with that one word, Ryan's bullet tore into Coles's throat, knocking him back. He didn't go down, so I whipped my pistol out of it's holster, but before I was able to fire, he pointed the weapon at Justin and shot. I dived in front of the shot, and everything went black.

I woke up an hour or so later, back in the tent. Everyone was in their, cleaning gear. As I sat up, Justin, who was sitting on my bed, passed me water. I gratefully accepted, and then looked around. Everyone was ok, and nobody else seemed to have been hit.

"Is everyone okay, nobody else got hit?"

"Nope, just your dumbass. Everyone else stuck to the plan, and we survived. I guess you aren't as dumb as you look. But don't let that go to your head!" shouted Levi from across the tent, and everyone broke up laughing. I saw my guns were near by, so I started to clean them, when I realized Justin hadn't moved.

"You okay there?"

"You jumped in front of the bullet. Why?"

"Because I try to think of all of your safety's over mine. I would rather take a bullet than lose any of you. You guys are in Nick's capable hands in case I do go down. I hope that you would be willing to do the same for anybody in this squad." I said, still a little groggily.

Before I could go on, Captain Coles entered the tent. We all snapped to attention, saluting him. He stopped, and gave us a salute that was of complete respect.

"Gentleman, I am proud to have participated in that field exercise. I will admit, I thought your team was going to be completely slaughtered. I thought that you were going to use the same ambush that we did. But, I see that you are in capable hands of your Squad Leader, who has a deviously vicious mind frame. If you gentlemen will follow me outside..." he said, and turned and left the tent.

Standing outside where all of the men who we fought, and Captain Coles. They snapped to attention, and initiated the salute, which signified them as a true meaning of honor. I barked a short order, and everyone returned the gesture. It was a great moment, as we no longer were considered "green horns", or new guys. They all then walked over to us, pinning various rank insignias on us. Captain Coles personally came over to me, and pinned captain's bars on me. I won't lie, I started to tear up, and I noticed everyone else was as well, on both sides. I now proudly saluted him first, then gave him a bear hug. Everyone else followed in suit, and it turned into a huge dog pile. We all got up laughing, and headed for the mess hall.

They served ice cream sundaes, and we all drank them till guys were lying on the floor, sick. Once we all headed to bed, I asked Captain Coles for permission to let the guys sleep late. He granted the request. I gave him a salute, which he returned, and then I headed of for my tent. I remember lying down, but I don't remember falling asleep.

When I woke up, everyone but Joey was still asleep. I went out of the tent, and momentarily blinded myself. I just stood there blinking, when Joey came over, and pushed a mug in my hands.

"Relax, it's tea, I know you don't like coffee. How did you sleep?"

"Like a rock, and thankfully did not heave from last night. I don't think anybody else did in there, or we would have smelt it!" He laughed, and I took a sip of the tea, which helped my parched throat.

"Hey, who do you think is the weakest link in our group?" I asked, due to me being curious, for his opinion would help the team later on.

" I would say at this point, Austin. While we were waiting for you and Nick to return, he got in a small fight with his brother, and couldn't hold still while waiting. That is just my personal opinion." I thought this over, and decided to ask the others if they thought the same way, before I confronted Austin. I thought I would start with his brother.

"Hey Justin, you got a minute?" I called, upon entering the tent.

"Yea, what up?" I just put my finger to my lips discreetly, and motioned for him to go outside the tent with me.

Once we got outside of the tent, I continued with the conversation.

"When me and Nick were gone on the ATV after Coles, did you and your brother get into a fight? I want the honest answer, or so help me God..." and left it at that.

He shuffled his feet, and wouldn't look me in the eye when he answered, "Yea. He wanted me to change positions with him. I thought this was a bad idea, because I had the shotgun, and he was positioned further back. But, when you jumped in front of me and got shot, I think that my decision was wrong." He looked scared, afraid of me, because at the moment I had my unintentionally gripped my .45, and when I realized I had, I quickly let it go.

"Alright, lets get this straight first, it was NOT your fault I was shot. As I have said before, and this will always ring true, I will always put you guys before myself. I love all of you guys equally, in a no homo way. Secondly, you do NOT take orders from him, NOR do you give them to him. Comprende?" I said, as if scolding a small child.

"Got it." He replied meekly. I ruffled his hair, and gave him a brotherly hug. He just looked up, smiled and shook his head, and returned to the tent.

I also returned to the tent a minute later, and grabbed Josh. I repeated the conversation, minus the part about him being sorry about me getting shot, and asked him if this was true. He said yes, one hundred percent. I just sat there and listened. When he was done, I just sighed and shook my head.

"What?" he asked, curious over the sigh.

"My job just got harder. That's all, go join the others again, and do not mention a word to the others about this. I am going to stay here. I got to think." He nodded and headed back to the tent, after giving me a playful shove.

"Austin, can I see you a minute? Oh, and grab your piece." I asked, and headed over to my bunk to grab the mg, and 2 drum mags for it.

As we headed over to the range, we made small talk, but he could tell something was up.

I walked over to the Range Master, not the same guy we had the first time at the range, and picked up real ammo for our weapons. I noticed that the range was empty for the time being, and was happy for the small favor.

"Did you get in a fight with your brother, over a direct order that Nick gave? You tried to change your position?" I asked, whilst loading up the magazines. He stopped loading before answering.

"Yea, why does it matter now? Your "brilliant "plan worked without flaw, other than you being shot." He said, and proceeded to continue loading the 4 magazines he had brought with him.

"Austin, Nick gave out that order for a reason. He is your superior, and you will damn well listen, and as for my plan, what was wrong with it?' I asked, giving up the loading process myself to look him in the eye.

"Your plan was great, but I didn't even really do anything. They didn't even really get a chance to shoot back! What is the fun in that?"

"Austin, the fun in that is the fact that if this were real, you would have the chance to go and sleep in your bunk. If you really don't want to do that, I will strap those explosives to your chest, so you can have your "glory". How does that sound?" I asked heatedly. He just looked down, so I continued.

"Austin, you have to know that I am not just picking on you. You aren't the only one having a hard time here! Austin, I just want to get the problem resolved with as little damage as possible. That is why I took you out here, so we are alone. I didn't want to put you in front of the group to embarrass you. Can we move on from this? No consequences."

He nodded, and then apologized. I accepted, and continued to load the drum mags. I finished at the same time he did.

"Now, lets shoot the shit out of these targets!" He laughed, and we proceeded to decimate the targets in front of us with a hail of bullets.

Upon returning to the tent, I told him it was up to him to apologize to his brother, and to clean his weapon. He nodded, and went over to his brother's bunk.

On Saturday morning, we were woken up. Today was to be hand to hand combating training, as well as a small amount of martial arts training. We would also work on how to disable an enemy from his or her weapon. We broke up into fire teams for the training, and by the end of the session, had been able to do all that we had set out to do.

We stopped by the mess hall to grab lunch. We had nothing else to do, so I had everyone practice orienteering, a very useful skill. I however, did not allow them to use a GPS, or Global Positioning Satellite, but instead made them use compasses and the sun. They may grumble, but it was a very useful skill. We then worked on fire making, and cooking. That night we did not eat the what the mess hall had to give, but from what we cooked. We even got the meat from hunting, which Joey taught. He spotted, while Ryan gave the killing shot, which landed right above the eye. Joey then taught use how to skin a deer, and what was edible in the deer.

When we finally extinguished the fires we had used to cook, and I looked at my watch. It was about 5:30, with plenty of light still left in the day. I saw Captain Coles approaching, so I ordered everyone to attention.

"At ease, gentleman. As you must know, our first week has come to an end. I am very sorry to see this, but I do have good news. First, I would all like you to turn to your Squad Leader, and thank him for teaching you these very important survival gear, because the for the next week, you will be given as much ammo as possible, as well as a few days worth of MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) to go with you. I will also be nice enough to provide a GPS unite and tents. I will give the Sergeant the map, and when you go, he will give it to you. But, it is up to you to survive!" He said, laughed at his own joke, and headed off.

Not even an hour later, we had 5 humvees loaded and ready to go. Everyone had an abundant amount of ammo, we had extra gas, first aid gear, you name it, and we had it. We grabbed a weeks worth of new BDU's (Battle Dress Uniforms) and any personal effect we wanted for the week. The only extra thing I grabbed was that golden compass that I bought in the airport. I also found out that it housed a built in range finder. Very nifty little device!

The humvees had two people per vehicle, and I decided to take Justin instead of Nick, because I wanted to keep an eye on him. I told Nick to take Justin's place with Josh. Those were the only changes, so I told everyone to get a good nights rest, and that we would head out in the early morning.

I couldn't sleep, so I went over to the humvees, which had everything packed, including our uniforms, weapons, and tactical gear. I checked over everything, and noticed a key thing was missing from everything. I went over to a guard, and stated that I needed to get into the arms locker to grab cleaning swabs for our weapons, as well as pack a couple of teargas canisters, just for fun of course...

As I headed back toward the tent, I heard a loud whistle. I didn't even really look up, for I was too tired at this point. I had been about to enter the tent when an artillery shell crashed through the mess hall, about 150ft away. I threw myself flat, as we were instructed to do so before. I quickly got up and ran for the tent. By the time I had gotten there, small arms fire erupted from the north part of the camp. As our tent was situated in the southern side, so I did not see the shooting. I saw guards running from their positions to see what was happening.

I got to the door of the tent, and ripped it open. It stayed intact, but not from lack of effort.

"GET THE HELL UP! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!!" I screamed, getting everyone up. Sarge came bursting in at that minute.

"Boys, get to the humvees, and go to the designated spot. Do not stick around. If everything goes to plan, I will see you by tomorrow." He said quickly, and thrust the map in my hands.

"Let's go boys, load up! Nick, Joey, instead of going with us in the humvees, grab two of the ATV's. Never know if they will become useful. Now go, and keep your sidearms ready. We will wait for you down the road, about a mile. Do not keep us waiting, and do stay and help, that is an order. They can handle whatever is thrown at them." I said, before climbing into the gun mount, and gave Justin a reassuring slap on the shoulder. He looked nervously up, but nodded his head in thanks. I grabbed the radio, and yelled for Alex and Zach to get moving, because they were at the lead.

I also realized that not all of the humvees where the same. Three of them had the .50 cal machine guns up top, but another had a mark 2 grenade launcher, and another a TOW missile launcher. I saw that two of the gun turrets where not in use. Hopefully we would see Joey and Nick again.

I saw Alex step on the gas, and we all started to move in a single file line. There were more and more explosions, and once we got out of the perimeter, I heard many, many more artillery rounds headed in. Some of them sounded like freight trains coming in, they were so loud.

We got a mile down the road, and I ordered everyone to stop, and turn off their engines, but keep an eye on the tree line. Now, we waited. And hoped.

About five minutes later, Josh started to hear a whine. Soon we all did. I swiveled the huge browning, as did Zach, who was on the grenade launcher, and Austin also with a .50.

It was Nick and Joey! We all started cheering, and Nick waved his arms around, which made the ATV swerve, making him have to sit down in order to maintain control. We all laughed, and I told Justin to take the lead of the humvees, because I had to navigate.

Three hours later, we hit a large clearing, which was our destination. We parked the humvees in a semi circle, and proceeded to set up camp. I also ordered everyone to dig foxholes, so, if necessary, they would be easy accessible during the night. I also ordered two people to stay up to watch whilst the rest of us would sleep. I set up the rotations as according to fire teams. Nick and me started the rotation.

"Nick, when we left, did you see what was attacking? Even a little?" I asked, quietly as to not wake the others.

"If I tell you, you aren't going to believe me." He said, shifting his boot, kicking a small pebble.

I looked him in the eye. "Try me."

"They were bears, deer, wolves, horses, all kind of animals. But they weren't just normal animals. The bears reached at least 7 feet high, and they had arms and legs, like a man. They shot weapons of all kinds, mostly military grade stuff. They also SPOKE!" He was not at a very large whisper, so I motioned for him to quiet down. I wanted to believe him, but I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I just tapped him on the knee, and told him to keep watch.

"I gotta piss. I will be back in a minute." I mumbled. I didn't actually, but I just needed time to process what Nick had just told me. How could this be even possible? I think I might have even taken aliens better. But a bear which towered at 7 feet? Can you even kill something that big?

When I returned, it was Nick who spoke first.

"Kind of hard to believe, I know. Both Joey and me saw them. They were incredibly strong, literally throwing soldiers around. I was scared, and when we finally found the ATV's, we gunned it, getting out of there. We also agreed not to speak a word of it to the others until me and you talked about it. We wanted everyone to be calm."

I just looked at him, and gave him a big bear hug. (Wow, bad wording on my part.) He returned the embrace, and started to slowly sob. I just held him, whispering that he was okay; nothing was going to harm him. When he finally stopped, he just looked at me and thanked me, and went and shook the next rotation awake. I fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, when everyone was finally awake, I had everyone practice changing a spare tire on both the ATVs and the humvees. After that, we worked on knot tying. Many times, I kept getting looks, questioning why we were doing such trivial things like this, when just last night our camp had been attacked. I just tried to keep them busy with many of the survival tools, which were now life altering necessary.

When it came time for lunch, we headed into the forest, looking for game. I took Joey and Ryan with me. The rest I told to get lunch prepared, and to keep an eye and ear on the forest.

When we returned, we had two small doe to show for what we had done. I went back to my tent to start the creation of a list of supplies that would be beneficial to our cause. I added items like piano wire and flares, to create trip flares as an early warning system. I also put laser pointers, as a means of long-range silent communication. Whilst in camp, we had learned how to read and use Morse code. Very useful now, just in case the batteries died in the radios. I finished my list, ate dinner, and fell asleep.

The next morning, I had everyone practice their Morse code, as well as fire building with wet sticks. Everyone did just fine with both, although fire building was a challenge. We had the other part of the deer for lunch. I wanted to save our MREs just in case something bad happened. Like the animals started to shoot back. I was still trying to wrap my head around what Nick said.

I got everyone's attention before I spoke. "Gentleman, we are going back to the camp tomorrow. I have given them enough time to come and find us. I want you to be ready for anything, got it?" I looked around for anybody who didn't. Nobody said anything.

The Rest of the afternoon, I had everyone weaving a camouflage netting for all of the humvees, to hide them from anything. I picked the two humvees that we would be taking, both with the .50 up top, so we could run and gun if necessary. I also picked the five of us that would go. It was Josh, Joey, Austin, Justin, and me that were going in. I reminded them that Nick was in charge while I was going to be away. I had everyone sleep that night, while I stayed up and watched the tree line. Nothing out of the ordinary.

The next morning, I told Nick to keep them in check, and that if I did not return in 48 hours, that he would be fine, but not to look for us, and to keep the others out of trouble.

About halfway to the camp, I had everyone pull over, and I explained what we were about what we might be up against. Everyone just looked shocked. I went back to my humvee, and signaled for everyone else to do the same. I drove while Justin stood up in the gun mount, sweeping his eyes across the forest.

When we got there, I almost didn't recognize the camp. Bullet holes were everywhere, shell holes, burnt wood, and overall debris. I slowed the humvee to a crawl, and backed it off the road, and put the camo netting onto it. I helped Justin out of the humvee, and we met up with the others, who had parked their humvee somewhere else. I had my mg3 at the ready, for any possible threats. I saw the others position their weapons, and I slowly moved toward the camp, hugging the edge of the forest. The others followed me, spread out and in a fan-like formation. As we walked into the main gate, I stepped on a charred piece of wood. I flipped it over. Written across it were the words, "Camp Freedom". I just shook my head, and continued on with my search.

We headed to our tent first, to see if anything was left. We passed a few dead guards in uniform, but I noticed a lot of them where missing. Joey also pointed out a lot of animal footprints. Very large footprints. I studied them nervously.

We got to the tent, which had been knocked over, and had burnt to the ground. I figured there was nothing to be had, so I left it alone. Next I headed to the mess hall, which was another mess. We looked in the back, and we found the door bolted shut, and Josh, like a magician, whipped out bolt cutters.

"Always knew these were going to be handy one day," he said as he chuckled to himself. I patted him on the back, and pointed to Justin to clear it with the shotgun. We all stacked up on the door, not knowing what to expect. He quickly pulled the door out of the way, and I covered our rear with the mg, which I had setup on one of the counters in the kitchen, which the room was attached to.

"All clear" somebody whispered to me, and I told Joey to come out and pull rear guard. I left my mg with him, because it was going to be hard to maneuver it in such a small space. I drew my pistol, and entered.

Cans. Lots and lots of canned food were in the room. I ordered Justin and Austin to open the backpacks they had brought, and to carefully put as many in as possible. There was also a 5lb bag of corn seeds. I put these in my bag, and headed out back for Joey.

5 minutes later, we went back to Josh's humvee to dump the cans, and proceeded back for more supplies. It was about 11:00, so we headed back in.

We continued back, and this time we went to the Armory, to which we picked up zip ties, flares, and trip wire. We also snagged about 15 rolls of duct tape, and I grabbed more cleaning kits and first aid gear. Again, we dumped the gear into their humvee again, and did another run. This time, we went to the communications room.

I again had Justin clear the room, whilst I again provided rear security. We were becoming well practiced at it.

Austin came out this time to provide security. Since there was room to maneuver, I brought my mg3 in with me. I sweeped the room once myself, just to double check. Once I was satisfied it was clear, I went up with the rest of the guys, who were huddling around a TV.

"What, you did you idiots find?" I asked in a sarcastic whisper.

Instead of answering me, Joey just pointed to the screen, as if the words would not come to him. I looked at the screen, and became speechless myself. For on the TV stood an absolute mountain of muscle, a Bengal tiger. It stood on its back legs, and towered over captured American soldiers. I looked to see where it was filmed. It was in Sacramento, California. I pushed the guys out of the way, and changed the channel to another news station. It showed a similar picture, but it was in Baltimore, Maryland. I kept changing the stations, and found out a fact that absolutely blew my mind. They didn't just attack the US, but everywhere else as well. They called themselves Animorphs.

We kept staring, as if unable to leave the TV set. Finally, I yanked the cord from the wall, and told everyone to grab any electronical gear that still worked. There wasn't too much left, for it seems that they aimed for the communication building in particular. We managed to grab two laptops, a portable TV, a small generator, which required to of use two of us carry, and an entire backpack full of an assortment of batteries. Josh grabbed one of the handles of the generator, and Joey grabbed the other. I carried my backpack and Josh's, and I had Justin take Joeys.

"Be careful you two. You drop that, it is just a piece of scrap metal!" I whispered, scanning for any of the Animorphs. They just shook their heads. We made it back to their humvee, and carefully loaded everything inside.

"Looks like its full, do you want to head out?" Josh asked, as he closed the tailgate of the humvee.

"You guys load up, I will be back in a minute. I have to do something." I said, and hinted at that I wanted to be alone. I left my mg in me and Justin's humvee, and headed back into the camp.