We reached the boat, the body still floating. The sight of hundreds of dead just buried to be forgotten, burned into my mind. I moved toward the bow of the boat, clutching the wheel. It was similar to my speedboat. I turned to the Marines. "This is personal, you know that?" I asked them, and they both nodded. "Names." I said. The first Marine dropped his helmet onto the floor. "Simon." He said. The other sat, airing out his hair. "Brian." I nodded, pain racking my head. Simon and Brian were the last two I knew the names of. And both were dead. "Let's roll."

--

Two boats sped toward us. "Brace yourself!" I yelled, spinning the boat on it's side, and Simon opened fire. His bullets splintered one of the boats to shreds, and it began sinking into the water. The other boat spun onto it's side, as Brian grabbed his machine gun, and also opened fire. Bullet peppered the boat, but it's strong steel hull prevented too much damage. "Aim up!" I yelled, as the Japs on board were peppered with bullets. One dived into the water, trying to save his own life. Simon and Brian stopped firing, as a Marine crawled up onto the deck, blood caking his body. He wore only sodden, blood-stained pants. "Get him on board."

--

The bleeding Marine we rescued wore SAS pants, covered in blood. "SAS?" I asked. He nodded, weakly. "I'm Australian." He forced out of his mouth, his accent powerful. I grabbed his arm, and threw it around my shoulder, but he insisted on walking himself. He could walk fine, but he was hungry, and thirsty. "Get food, and water." I said, realizing suddenly that I hadn't eaten in two days. Hunger and thirst should have taken it's toll, but my desperation pushed my beyond my normal limits. Cuts, bruises and scars covered my body. The effects of this war were more than physical. All the killing and bloodshed had stained my mind, and emotionally, I was consumed. My bloodlust was now insatiable, and I would have to die to end this. I looked to the island, a tear forming in my eye.

--

I was transfixed for several minutes, tears falling from my face, wiping away the grime and dirt. It seemed almost symbolical. Suddenly, an explosion lit up the horizon. I held my gaze, my mouth open. They had one other target, that was now destroyed. The military base. The airport still stood, and I knew that the rest of the population would be there, ready to die for a cause. Then the Japs would be mobilizing toward them. I looked around me, at the three Marines, all wounded but ready to fight to the death, most possibly the last of the Marines in Hawai'i. All the other islands would either be evacuated, or defending O'ahu by now. Either way, I watched the sun rise, on the final morning. Today, Hawai'i would die.

--

I reached the shore once again, clutching a small handgun, the three Marines behind me. Zac walked up next to me. "This has really affected you, hasn't it?" He asked me. I kept walking, still staring ahead, my gaze never shifting. After several minutes, I nodded. "Yes, it has affected me. Adversely." He shot a glance to me. "This hasn't always been your home, has it?" He asked again, still looking at me. I nodded, pain covering my face. "I used to live in Australia. But everything I had there was destroyed. Death and destruction has followed me my whole life." Zac looked at me, shocked. He now knew why it was so easy for me to kill. I had grown up with it.

--

We rounded a corner, as Zac continued to contemplate my life. "Duck!" I yelled, as I grabbed Zac, and flung him to the ground. A missile overshot us. The airport was just ahead, and broken highways surrounded us. I saw the Japanese blockade, several hundred strong, and knelt with the Marines. "Stay." I said, standing from the rubble. I held the gun lossely, on one finger, and stepped forward to face them.

--

"Stop!" I yelled, in English. All the Japanese soldiers within earshot turned to face me. A commander type man walked forward, punching me in the face. Zac frowned, and prepared to run. I cracked my nose back into place, and felt the commander's knee slam into my stomach. I crumpled under the blow, my hand landing on his side, silently removing his hand gun. The commander grabbed me by the neck, and made me face him, close enough to smell the aftershave he used that morning. He hissed. I pressed the gun against his stomach. He looked down. "You can't afford to be killed." I told him, in Japanese. A sudden realization came over him, as he faced his soldiers. "They are good fighters!" He yelled, spitting in my face. "Probably." I cocked the gun.

--

Zac jumped to his feet. "No!" He yelled, and Simon dragged him back down. Japanese soldiers surrounded me, obscuring Zac's view of me. As they surrounded me completely, I looked at him, realizing what I had to do. I glared at the Japanese commander. His pupils dilated, expecting the worst, and I knew it. "The worst is yet to come." i said, bluntly. Two rough hands wrapped themselves around my stomach. "No-one comes prepared for war, with an empty clip." I said, as rain began to fall. I flung the gun backwards, and shot my captor, and stood once more, aiming at the commander. I held my hand up. All the soldiers knew that I would kill if they moved. One body already lay behind me, and another death atop the countless others was not out of the question.

--

I stepped back, and the JapIanese soldier melted away, forming a path out, my aim still set on the commander. My foot found the rubble, and I stepped over it. Simon sat, cowering against it, sweat covering his face, an expectation of certain doom lingered in the very atmosphere. "Move." I said, almost whispering. Zac and Brian began to crawl away. Simon sat sitting. "I can't do it. So much death." He said, quivering. "You have to move, now." I said, emphasizing the 'now'. He nodded, rubbing his forehead. But, instead of crawling away, he stood, and faced the Japanese troops. "You're mad." I deduced, out aloud. A tear began to well up in his eye. "I know." He held his gun out, still trembling slightly. "Run." Was all he said.

--

I turned, and sprinted, as Simon opened fire, and hundreds of guns opened fire, all missing him, miraculously. Several soldiers collapsed to the ground, either wounded and bloody or dead. Simon's bullets were doing severe damage to his victims. Tears were rolling down his face, as one of the soldier's he shot fired. The dead man's bullet hit Simon in the stomach. The Marine grunted in pain, but kept shooting. I rounded a corner, catching up to Zac and Brian. "Where's Simon?" Zac asked. I looked around the corner, as Simon stood still. "My fucking god..." Blood was pooled around his feet, constantly growing bigger. He made no sound, apart from the rat-tat of the machine gun. A stray bullet flew through the air, as everything seemed to go in a slow motion. The bullet hit Simon in the head, and he fell backwards, as I caught a glimpse of the front of his body. His chest was covered in blood, and his face was wounded severely. "Now, he's dead."

--

"Run!" I yelled. The rain was fairly heavy now. Rubble and debris still covered the streets like a veil, and running and jumping was all we could do to escape. Hundreds of places to hide, but there were hundreds of men chasing us. "Hide!" I frantically whispered, bounding over nearby rubble, and entering the remains of a burnt down building. The charred remains crumbled as I touched them, making hiding difficult. A single rock sat in the center of the room, and I tripped. I landed in amongst the charred ruins, and I was covered in soot.

--

I crawled into a small crevice, just big enough for me to worm my way through. I watched as Simon entered a different building, surrounded by glass and rubble. Zac followed me, hiding under the remains of a statue. The charcoal covered entire body, clumping in my wounds, and pain racked through my nervous system. "Zac!" I whispered, trying to get his attention. I saw from behind a huge demolisher, driving toward the wall. "Move!" I yelled, not worrying about getting caught. If I could save him, I would, even at the expense of my life. He rolled out of the way, covering most of his body in soot, and charcoal. His body, like mine was as dark as his silhouette.

--

The demolisher drove into the wall Zac had been sheltered underneath. It collapsed with a loud smash, followed by several Japanese troops. I turned my head, sweat forming on my head. It came out blackened, and rolled down my face, dropping onto my foot. The Japs ran past me, as I slowed my breathing. My gun lay resting at my feet, a stupid idea at present. A single ray of light could give away my position. And it did. "Fuck!" I said, as the Japanese soldiers turned to face me, the light reflecting off their guns. I ducked, holding the gun up, aiming at them. I fired once, and ran, and broke several pieces of rubble. Japanese bullets followed my steps, as I glared up at the armour plated demolisher. Zac cocked his gun quietly, and opened fire, killing all the soldiers.

--

I ran to the demolisher, throwing the door open. The driver was shocked, as I threw him out, and Zac shot him. I saw Simon clambering toward us. Zac climbed in, sitting behind me, and there as enough room for Simon to stand. A huge plane flew overhead, dropping several Marines down, chuting to the ground. Suddenly, several flak cannons opened fire, and bombarded the plane. The plane's armour was thick, and endured all but the final shots. A huge explosion rent the plane in two, crashing in two huge infernos. One of the Marines landed, unfolding the chute, as bullets pierced it. In the sky, the Marines opened fire. Two of them were killed, there bodies hitting the ground hard, dragged along by the chutes. The others landed, and ran to the end of the street, where the Japs waited. They had seen how large their force was, so why run? He watched the Marines, and as they got decimated. Simon cambered into the demolisher, and I began to drive, away from the Japs. "Why away? We have to fight them!" Zac asked. I chuckled, and explained my plan. Smiling, he agreed.

--

I slammed into the huge wall, against the Japanese flank. Simon and Zac dived down, as Japanese guns tore into the demolisher. "Stop!" I screamed, in Japanese. The firing stopped, as Simon and Zac jumped to their feet. Behind my back, I held a small grenade launcher that we salvaged from some wreckage. "Eat this, motherfuckers!" Simon yelled, as he opened fire with his machine gun. We took the Japs by surprise. I looked up to the airport. I flung the grenade launcher over my head, catching it with my off hand, and began firing. Using my other arm, I opened fire with a machine gun. Zac emerged with a shotgun. The three of us stood heavy ground, the Japs rapidly retreating beneath our onslaught. A small SUV drove toward us, splitting the Jap forces. I focused my grenades on the vehicle, and my machine gun on the soldiers. Several seconds later; seconds that seemed like hours, and days, the vehicle exploded, spiraling onto the Japanese forces. Zac stopped firing, to reload. Huge trails of smoke drifted into the air, as more and more grenades exploded. Zac continued to fire, as I stopped, retreating behind him. Sweat covered Simon's brow, for he had not stopped.

--

I shot a quick glance up to the airport. Hundreds of men started running out of it, all clutching guns, and rags and cloth covering many wounds. "Behind!" I yelled. We spun around, and ran behind the demolisher. Simon climbed in and spun it on it's side, hand on the gear stick. "You two hide. I've lived my life." He said, sweat caking his brow. He removed his shirt, revealing hundreds of small wounds. "Ancient Chinese torture methods, still applied today." He finished. I watched a single tear well up in his eye, as a grenade exploded in front of him. We ran behind a small wall, a window fixed in the middle. More and more grenades exploded around him, tears rolling from his eyes.

--

I realised what he was planning to do. I broke my cover, running like a suicidal maniac after the brave Marine. "No, Simon!" I screamed, my lungs sore from the effort. The demolisher stopped, bullets erupting from Simon's gun. Several Japs were injured, and two killed. I leaped onto the demolisher. Reaching my hand into the cockpit, I screamed for Simon. "You don't have to do this!" He nodded, still firing, until his clip emptied. "I know. But I can." His free hand pushed me off him, and I fell to the ground, rolling. Spinning the vehicle, Simon drove at the Japs, a small plastic explosive tied to the floor. With a single glance back at me, he reached his hand up, in a salute. His finger fell upon the trigger of a detonator. Many Japanese froces had surrounded him, the moment the vehicle exploded, with tremendous force.

--

I sat on the bitumen, coming to grips with what had just happened. Now he AND Brian were dead, by my hand. "'Tis not you're fault, sir. He choose it for himself." Zac condoled me, peering at the burning wreckage, surrounded by bodies. The men from the airport had set up a temporary fortification, that was movable. Blood was splattered around the streets. "Move your ass!" I yelled to Zac, as we stood, and opened fire. Several Japs fell beneath our initial barrage of bullets. We hid behind the huge plumes of smoke rising from the wreckage. I opened fire again, not knowing where I was shooting. Zac lay belly down, among the dead, observing my shots. He watched a stray bullet kill a Japanese colonel. His finely pressed blue and white uniform was stained with blood by the lone head shot. The Japanese soldiers around him watched in horror, as the body limply hit the floor. I vaulted the demolisher, eyeing the obliterated corpse of Simon, and rolled to my feet.

--

I opened fire again, as Zac accompanied me. Together, we assaulted the Japanese left flank. Hundreds of stray corpses were littered among the Japanese ranks, at least one thousand soldiers still standing. Many of the airport's defenders were still fighting, though most with fresh wounds. I looked around momentarily. War had ravaged a once peaceful island, and this was the end result. Decades would have to pass for O'ahu to become reinhabitable; in a sense of medical health. A bullet flashed right past my head, and I jumped back into the present. Zac lay on the ground, commando crawling, firing at the same time. I noticed several grenades on the body next to me. "Zac!" I yelled. "Grab their grenades!" I started ravaging at the bodies, ripping away their grenades. After several minutes, we had almost one hundred grenades. Zac looked at me, clutching a grenade, ready. I nodded, lobbing a grenade high overhead, and it landed among the Japs, exploding on impact.

--

Smoke began to rise viciously from the ground. We kept throwing grenades, killing many soldiers; at least two or three per grenade. After several minutes had passed, Zac handed me the remainder of his grenades, as he opened fire. Huge plumes of smoke prevented us seeing into the Japanese ranks. We watched as several men emerged from the smoke, screaming in horror. Zac shot them down, reloading rapidly. He dropped a clip, fumbling in the waning daylight. I grabbed a duffel bag that lay randomly nearby, and filled it with more grenades. "Cover me!" I yelled, as Zac nodded, resuming fire. I grabbed a few, and placed them at my side. I lobbed one, the explosion rocking the ground. I grabbed another, pulling the pin, ready to throw. Suddenly, an SUV burst from the smoke. "Shit!" I yelled, and began running. Zac rolled to the side, diving behind some rubble, noticing that the SUV was bristling with guns and soldiers. It was a small tank. Unknowingly, the driver stopped right over our bag of grenades. One of the the soldiers emerged, clutching a minigun. I dived behind the demolisher, eyeing the masses of body armour the man wore. A heavy helmet covered his face. He was nearly indestructible. I poked my head out from cover, eyeing Zac's position. He crawled slowly along the rubble wall, and jumped up, offloading an entire clip onto the street under the car. The man smiled, beneath the helmet. "Shit, no!" I yelled, throwing myself into the open, lobbing my grenade under the man's feet. Zac stopped firing, a single bullet in his magazine. Time seemed to slow, as the smoke amongst the Japanese ranks cleared. Still in the same essence of slow, Zac vaulted the rubble, rolling, and fired his single shot. The lone bullet sped toward the grenade.

--

The Japanese soldier opened fire. I rolled out of the way, time still in a strange essence of lag. Zac's bullet slammed into the grenade, splitting the green, bumpy edges. In the same instant, another of Zac's bullets ignited the duffel bag, and a stray bullet struck a grenade within. Simultaneously, the duffel bag, and the grenade at the soldier's feet exploded. The SUV exploded almost instantly, as time repaired itself. Hundreds of grenades within the vehicle also blew up, alongside hundreds of pounds of gunpowder. Within seconds, the entire SUV had been blown to smithereens. There wasn't even a scrap of metal left, or a hint of flesh. All that remained was a massive hole rent in the ground, and fire. I looked up, at the Japanese ranks. A mere hundred still stood alive, Almost one thousand bodies surrounding them, and the road was ripped to shreds. That was, I realised, a direct result of the devastation of our grenades.

--

The survivors grabbed guns and started to open fire, the slaves they were. Zac and I dived behind cover. The men near the airport opened fire, devastating their ranks. Zac and I crawled out of cover, examining the scene. It was then that the total devastation took it's toll on us, mentally and emotionally. Physically, we were beyond perfect repair. Our scars would stick with us, for the rest of our lives. My mind suddenly became overcome with the horror this island had faced. I had been brought up in it, but for the survivors, it was devastating. Blood and bodies covered the streets. Guns, bullets and explosions caused no less pain than the traditional swords and shields. Modern technology was founded from war, that was fact. But nothing would sprout from this.

--

In times of war, do not crave honour, pray for amity or surrender. Only hope that you outlast the day. I had read that before, and it stuck with me, as it stuck with me. Zac knelt beside me, two hours after our tough victory. None of the bodies were moved, Japanese or American. "You okay?" He asked, as a tear welled up in my eye, once more. "No, not really." Zac sat. "I thought stuff like this didn't affect you, but you seem to swear a lot." I nodded, the single tear rolling down my face, wiping away the dust, grime and uncleanliness of war. "I swear because of desperation, and I don't enjoy it. I hate it. I grew up among death and language. The bad side of LA, I guess you could say." Zac nodded. "I know the feeling. Australia's not exactly pretty." Nodding, I continued. "My father was the leader of the second largest drug bust in the city. And my mother was involved in it." He was horrified. "And they STILL let you in the Army?" I nodded. "I was twelve-"
"That's horrible." Zac was shocked.
"Twelve months. I was strapped to my mother's back as she was shot in the leg by the police."
Zac sat back, utterly shocked.

--

I stood, watching Zac stare at the ground, trying to contemplate my life. "Don't. It's a waste." I muttered. I quickly cracked my knuckles, the quiet, ensuing sound resonating through the eerie silence that befall the temporary camp. Sweat, dirt, and overall grime had covered my body during the fighting. Blood mingled with the grime in other places, as well, covering my body in a torturous looking mixture. I looked at my many scars, eyeing also the grime. This is the physical evidence of war, I said to myself. The mental evidence was deep. Far too deep. I sat again, dropping myself onto the concrete. Zac stared into my eyes, and opened his mouth to speak. Then, he saw the small glimpse of hope that I held in my heart. It was the tiniest glimmer of light, in the infinite depths of my eyes, yet it was there. He saw it, and I felt it. His moth still gaping wide open, he watched the first of many tears accumulate in my eyes. Overhead, the clouds rumbled, indicating the presence of rain to come. The first drop of rain fell from the sky, as the first of my tears rolled down my face, wiping away the muck covering my face. The single, lone raindrop landed softly on my head. I blinked, the tears covering my eyes, as the rain began to fall. Zac leaned back, intertwining his hands. More and more rain followed the first and, mingled with my tears washed away the dirt from my body. I looked up at Zac. I was new. I was clean.

--

Two Marines, clad in tattered Kevlar approached Zac. I grabbed my gun, and aimed it at them. "Names?" I asked, bluntly. They were both taken aback, the pattering rain invading the awkward silence. One of them stepped forward, nodding at me. "I'm Shawn." He began. "This here, is Alfie." He gestured to the man standing next to him. Alfie nodded. My next question was as blunt as the last. "Your business here?" They were shocked, once again, "We simple wish to join you and your-" I glared at Shawn. "His name, is Zac." Shawn nodded, nervously swallowing. "Zac, here." He finished. Alfie nodded. I smiled, wiping the tears from my eyes, under the veil of rain. I stood, holstering the gun. "You not speak, huh?" I asked Alfie, coldly. "Wouldn't you like to find out." He shot back. I turned my back to him, a smile creeping across my face. "Yea, I would, if I'm to lead you two Marines to war." Alfie stepped back, in line with Shawn. "So, that's a yes?" Shawn asked. I turned to face him. "There was no question. But yes."

--

A man ran around the corner, slipping on the wet road, grazing his knee. He kept running, despite the obvious pain. Blood covered his face, and he slipped once again, as Shawn ran to grab him. The man collapsed into Shawn's arms, breath heavily. "Put him down." I said. Shawn nodded, looking the man in the eyes, as he was lowered to the wet ground. His knee wound was paining him, obviously, and he was covered in water; not rain even. Panting, he begged for water. I ordered for a canteen to be brought to the man, who drank thirstily. He sat, forcing air in and out of this lungs, leaning against a piece of rubble. "What the bloody hell happened here?" He asked, his voice a croaky groan. I knelt in front of him. "Hawai'i is no longer the peaceful tourist destination it ws, a week ago." I began, swallowing. "A war happened. That's what."

--

"Same over..." He began, trying to orientate himself. He kept spinning around, trying to find a location. He found the smoke, and pointed, passionately. "There. There was a huge battle." I got onto my hands and knees, and crawled to his side. "Define." I said, matter-of-factly. He faced me, sorrow overcoming his face. His voice was suddenly aroused to normality; his voice a deep, flowing speech. "I am a Marine." He began. "I was guarding the land entrance to the Marine base. Me and another man. We had killed several Japanese scouts, and we were expecting a land attack; none of our forces were at the rear. Suddenly, we heard an explosion, from behind. All the other men turned to fight, and I ran." The Marine stopped, breathing heavily before continuing. "Hundreds of Japanese soldiers rose from the water like ghosts, as we opened fire. But they were a distraction. The main force flew in from overhead, and we shot the planes down; but too late. They had already dropped the Japanese men, and they were parachuting in. Only one hundred of us were ready to fight; the others were all wounded or dead. Then, more Japs poured in the base, from the sides. Me and two other men fell back, firing wanton together. Then we knew we were doomed. I knew there was a secret tunnel network, that housed most of our bombs. I ordered everyone else to evacuate. Two men turned, and began to run, but were gunned down, from the Japanese men invading us from the front now."

--

The Marine continued. "I ran for the tunnels, as explosions shook the base. Many men were dying, rapidly. We Marines were being overcome. Suddenly, the tunnel entrance burst open, and a small group of SWAT members raced forward." I pressed my fingers against his lips, signaling him to stop. "SWAT?" I asked, stunned. He nodded, shrugging. "I dunno, either." I moved my fingers. "Continue." Silently, he nodded. "I didn't keep watching; all I heard were screams and groans from the men. I kept running, clutching one of my grenades. The tunnels weren't very long; only about a quarter of a mile. I reached the end, and kicked the door at the end down, dropping my grenade." He stopped, catching his breath once again. "Long story short: I detonated the tunnels; along with the bombs, and escaped with my life. Barely. I'm the only survivor. I was crawling through the wreckage, when the rains fell, and I saw it." He stopped again. I fell back on my butt, absorbing the end of the tale. "Wait.. Saw WHAT?!" I asked. He swallowed, and looked at me. "The Japanese barge."

--

I stood back upright, cracking my knees. Alfie looked at me, a sudden wind blowing in the air. "That does THAT mean?" He asked, genuinely concerned. "It means.." I began, searching for the right words. "What we JUST experienced was no war. THAT was a skirmish. The tides of war have gathered against us." Alfie stopped me. "What about everything else? All of the stuff we've been through and seen, just to be standing here right now, alive." I sat again, all eyes upon mine. "I don't know. But, we might all die." Laughing, Alfie sat beside me. "We didn't grab guns, and fight off an army of Japanese soldiers, so that we could just live. We ALL prepared. Think about it." He paused, studying me, momentarily. "You have an army. At YOUR disposal. Decide now." I stood, cocking my gun. "We march. Once and for all." I paused, staring out to the harbour. "To beginning, of the end." Alfie smiled, and thrust his gun into the air. "To the end!!!" He screamed. I turned to face the marshaled army of Marines and soldiers. All were able bodied. They followed Alfie's lead, and thrust their guns in the air. "To the end!!" They repeated. I turned, and began to march.

--

As we marched, I took every opportunity to survey my surroundings; looking for any more Japanese soldiers. After several minutes, I found some. A small group, camped just around the corner, with a sentry standing, like a statue before them. Alfie stopped them too, and Shawn raced to my side as his beckoning. "What to do?" He asked. I looked around the camp some more. "They aren't here to fight. They know we could kill them, all. They're here to bargain." I said. "Or truce." Shawn added, shrugging. I placed my hand on his chest, still looking at the sentry. "Bargain. Stay." I said, stepping around the corner.

--

The sentry stopped me, and began to walk forward. I held my hand out, signaling him to stop. He stopped, folding his arms in front of him, then fidgeting and shifting them behind his back. I kept walking, until i could spit in his face. "Mr Brown." He said, in English. "I prefer Jasan." I said, hiding a smile. "Very well, Jason." He turned to get something from his pocket, and I grabbed his throat. "Jasan. Like Ja-Zan." He swallowed nervously, and nodded, sweat forming on his forehead. "Continue." I said. He swallowed again, reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a note. "I don't have time for notes. YOU read it." I said. He shook his head. "I can not read German." He said, nervously expecting another outburst. Smiling, I responded. "Neither do I, dumbass." The man loosened himself, and I struck. I grabbed the cuff of his shirt and threw him to the ground. "You know the bloody message. Tell me." The men cowered in fear on the ground. "The army comes. Highway, four hours. There it will all end."

--

I looked up, to the camp. Several barrels of oil sat around the tents the men occupied. I ripped a pistol out of my back pocket, and aimed it at the sentry, lying stiff on the ground. "I will be there. You won't." I shot him, and aimed at the barrels, firing. The friction hitting the bullet ignited it, and exploded on impact with the barrel. The men inside the tent were immediately obliterated, and the men in the other tent ran out, hands up high. I ran forward, jumping the flames, and dropped my gun. I kicked one of the men behind the knee, and he dropped to the ground, screaming. Another swung at me with a metal pole, and I sidestepped, grabbing the pole. The man kept going, releasing the pole. Another man ran at me, and I kicked his stomach. He dropped to the ground, winded. I let the pole fall to the ground, before saying, "You know, I only need to keep one of you alive."

--

I stood at the helm of my army, grabbing my prisoner by the collar of his plaid shirt, dragging him along. Blood caked his arm, and his shirt was torn from the battle I had with him. In the end, I had to slice his shirt and cut his arm. The man was squirming like mad, until Zac hit him with the butt of his gun. The man grunted, and stopped moving, still conscious. I had, however, salvaged weapons and ammunition from the remainder of the camp. Four medium sized katanas were found among one of the tents; completely unharmed. Zac had one, I had one, Alfie had one and Shawn had one. Behind me, were almost four hundred fighters, armed and ready to die. The sun began to appear from behind the clouds, and I realised it was now the last day. We had fought on, through the night. Already, we were at a severe disadvantage. But, I wanted to launch a surprise attack. And this was the only way we could, and everyone else knew it. They knew they were now freedom fighters; fighting for an island, not just themselves. I turned, throwing the hostage onto the ground, and he grunted once again. "Today, we fight!" I stepped over the hostage, looking him in the eyes. "This!" I continued. "Will not be beautiful. It will not be fun. Or even amusing. This will be the ugliest thing you've ever experienced." I stopped, unable to resist my urge. "Even worse than this guy's grandma." I pointed to the hostage lying on the ground. The men chuckled, and I smiled. I turned, the smile vanishing, along with the laughter, and a serious aura hung in the air. "We march."

--

The sun was high in the sky, but it was not yet noon when we reached the highway. Several yards away, a Japanese blockade stood before us, but it was vacated. There were several large tents behind it, from which a delicious smell emanated. "They're having their last lunch." I stated, bluntly. "How do you know it's to be there last?" Shawn asked. I smiled, rounding Alfie and Zac to my side. "Get the others to set up camp in the street. We'll hit the Japs early."

--

Zac, Shawn, Alfie and I kept low; crouching as we moved, in an awkward fashion. Zac held his katana, his pistol holstered. I was the most heavily armed of the group; two guns and a sword. We reached the barrier, and my thighs hurt from the awkward motions. "One at a time!" I whispered, more a suggestion then a command. Alfie shook his head. "All at once; that way we stay together." I nodded. "True." The four of us counted down, and vaulted the barrier. Zac stopped a single sentry, leaning against the edge of the bridge. Silently, I ordered Zac to take him out. The young Australian soldier ran up behind him, and stabbed him through the heart, flinging the body over the wall, and down off the bridge. Inside the tent, someone yelled a name. "Shit!" I whispered to myself. "Move!" I yelled, as Shawn, Alfie and I sprinted toward Zac. Suddenly, a gun erupted from inside the tent. Instinctively, Shawn fired a single shot. The gunfire stopped, and we could see a man lying dead, covered in blood. A drunken fight. "They're drunk." I said. Alfie nodded. "Kill them all." I grabbed a grenade, and we raced to the front of the tent. The runks inside all spun around, and looked at us. They knew we were enemies, but were too wasted to do anything. I nodded, throwing the grenade. Two of the men, the two most wasted, looked at the grenade in awe. Until it exploded. Zac, Shawn, myself and Alfie all ran, as the grenade's explosion caught the gunpowder and alcohol inside the tent. It only took a few seconds for us to reach the other side of the bridge, but by then, the damage was done. A gaping hole was burnt into the bridge, where the tent once was. Nothing remained. "It's over." Zac said, Alfie nodding. I shook my head. "It's just begun.

Deacon sat atop his horse, Eudor and Hector at his sides. Together, they watched the rebel formed assemble. Behind them, the Athenians flooded the Acropolis, now nearly fifteen thousand strong. They stood strong, ready to fight to the death. The rebels before them formed up, no Romans to lead their assault. Several minutes of painful silence passed, as both armies psyched the other out. It was the rebels who broke first, as they began to ascend the flight of stairs leading up to the Acropolis. Spears, throwing axes and arrows splintered the rebels ranks as they charged.

Deacon dismounted his horse, and raised his shield, as an axe cleaved into it. A huge dent scarred the shield, as Deacon slew his attacker. Eudor cut another man down; the dead man's axe cleaving through another of the enemy. Swords bristled from the rebel ranks, as Hector deflected one with his sword, and blocked another with his shield. A third burst forward, and punched into his armour, winding the archer. Eudor ran to his side, as he fell to the stone floor, just outside the door of the Acropolis.

Deacon watched his friend fall to his knees, clutching the injured archer. Deacon watched a spear emerge from the rebel ranks, and he ran to his friend's side. Using his shield as a barrier, he sliced the spear in two, as the pointed part dropped uselessly to the ground. Deacon stood in front of Eudor, as he stood. A raider burst froward, clutching a huge axe, running straight for Deacon. An Athenian blade caught him in the side, and the man kept running, blood spilling fom the wound. Deacon turned to face him, as the huge axe came down. Deacon, on impulse lifted his shield, and swung the sword toward the man's face. The axe cleaved through the shield, and Deacon dropped it before the man sliced off his arm. The shield clattered to, as Deacon fell to his keens, avoiding the blow. He swung with his sword again, this tiem at the man's knees, grabbing the other blade that had struck the man. He slashed both knees and was rewarded with a painful groan.

The man dropped to the floor, blood splattering onto Deacon. Deacon held the two swords against the man's neck. A spear came flying from the rebel army, and Deacon pushed the man into it. The huge brute dropped onto more raider's, as the Athenians pushed them back. Almost one hundred Athenians lay dead, the victims of stupid, and mistaken blows.

Hector was standing, his sword in both hands, as the rebels charged again. The Athenians front line buckled, and the entire Athenian front line collapsed. Hector felt a huge spear go into his side, splitting the leather straps on his armor. Blood gushed from the wound, and the archer slowly dropped to the ground, his blood spilling onto the steps of the Acropolis. Hector's sword dropped, as his mouth gaped open. His eyes glazed over, and the last thing he heard was the cry of his name from Eudor's lips. He turned his head, and smiled weakly, in his final act, before the limp body hit the floor, and rolled down the stairs.

The Athenians were losing ground quickly. Hundreds of Athenians had died in several minutes, due to the pounding numbers of rebels. Only mere minutes had passed since Hector's death, but the confined space meant the Athenians could not fight properly. Blood stained the stone of the Acropolis. "Spears!" A raider yelled, and hundreds of spears flew from the enemy ranks. At least two hundred Athenians collapsed to their knees, all around Deacon. Eudor lay behind Deacon, the only survivor of the vicious attack. Deacon dropped his shield, and grabbed a nearby sword, holding them both up, ready to fight. He looked to the horizon, then to the dead around him, and the living behind him.

A rebel stepped forward, fully clad in armour, and carrying a huge broadsword. The entire rebel army stepped back, as the man stayed in his position. The man swung his sword, and Deacon stepped aside. The man shoulder barged at Deacon, dropping his sword. Deacon pointed on sword out, and it broke upon the man's armour, as he hit the Thebian. Deacon was thrown up against the walls of the Acropolis, as the whole building shook. The Thebian dropped to his knees, and found a small gap in the shoes of his attacker. Deacon grabbed a nearby short sword, and rolled won the leather on the man's shoe. He looked up at him. "Achilles." Deacon stabbed the man's heel, and he dropped to the ground, unable to stand. Deacon climbed painfully to his feet. Removing the man's helmet, Deacon thrust his sword through the man's skull. He grabbed another sword, and stood in front of the rebels.

"Forward!" Adelphos yelled, Aristos and Belen also sitting on horses on either of his sides. Behind him , the combined might of Thebes and Corinth. Almost two weeks had passed since the rebels began their assault on Athens. Deacon watched them in amazement, as the Athenian army reformed around him, shields up. Within moments, the Thebians and Corinthians crashed into the flanks of the rebels. Hundreds of thousands of rebels lay dead already, their numbers almost two hundred thousand. Fifty thousand Thebians, and fifty thousand Corinthians, all riding horses, crashed into their flanks, as the Athenians charged them from the tops of the stairs.

The rebels were taken by surprise, as the first few minutes passed. Hundreds lay dead, all Greek, as Adelphos dismounted, and began fighting on foot, soon followed by Belen and Aristos. Cries of pain and death rang out, over and above the clattering of steel upon steel. Deacon held the line single handedly, as Eudor led the defence atop the stairs. The Thebians dismounted, and began reeking grievous casualties on foot. The Corinthians switched weapons, from swords to maces. They formed up, and rode forward, never stopping. In among them, Thebians charged, filling the gaps, and slaughtering every rebel near them.

Within hours, the rebel army had been decimated, but still stood. Most knew that victory was impossible, and fighting was hopeless, but they were surrounded. The rebels all remembered the first day of the assault, when the meager ten thousand strong force of Athenians stood before them. But, none of them had realised how strong of heart and will the Athenians were. Almost half the rebels had been killed, by the time the combat reached the Acropolis. But this, with the combined efforts of Athens, Thebes and Corinth was insane. The rebels lost all hope, the moment the Corinthians broke through their spear wall.

Hundreds of Corinthians had been killed, when they hit the spear wall. The rebels held their weapons, until the Corinthians were almost upon them, at which point they raised their spears. The entire Corinthian first, second and third lines were decimated. The Thebians held their shields high, as they charged forward also. Their axes and swords splintered the lines, as the Corinthians followed after them. Those two attacks broke their spear wall, and punctured a hole in the side of the rebel army.

At the top of the stairs, Deacon rolled, and slashed a man's knees, kicking him down the stairs. He was good to no-one anymore. Another attacker took his place, as a well placed spear pinned him down. Deacon sprinted back to the rest of the Athenians, as another round of spears flew from the rebels ranks. The Athenians shields were useless, and many more men died. The Athenians numbers had been slaughtered. A mere three hundred Athenians stood before the rebels, defending the Acropolis. Both armie stopped, for a split second.

"Like the Spartans before us, charge!" Deacon screamed, as he led the final assault. In front of him, and behind the rebels, the armies of Corinth and Thebes had destroyed the rest of the rebels. Another round of spears erupted from the rebel army, this time directed at the Thebians. Many Thebians dropped to the ground, dead from the spears. The Corinthians charged forward, as the rebels squeezed tight. In the single moment that the Athenians charged from one side, and the Corinthians from the other, followed by the Thebians, the rebels knew they were doomed, but there was no escape.

As the sun set, Deacon removed his sword from the stomach of the final rebel, as a roar of victory erupted from all victors. Eudor limed down the stairs, to Deacon, carrying Hector's almost unrecognizable body. "It was tough victory." Deacon nodded. "But a victory at least."

Adelphos paced the stone steps of the mighty Acropolis. A single, might Spartan, his veteran war brother of several years, Belen, stood beside him, his hand hanging loosely on his sword hilt. These two men were part of the 10 men legion, ordered to guard the Acropolis. Adelphos and Belen, however, did not believe in the Greek Gods. To them, the Acropolis only stood as a testament to the might and power of Greece, nothing more.

Deacon held his sword tight, as he led a small raid, just over the Athenian border. A group of raiders had breached the Wall of Phaleron, and were besieging Phaleron. Deacon's right hand man, Eudor swung his axe down, catching a man right were the neck and shoulder met, with his weapon. The man screamed in pain, as the warrior stepped over the cringing man. Deacon looked back at his archers, stationed on a hill, roughly 30 metres from Deacon. Several arrows flew over his head, as he turned back, to watch the raiders rank up, inside a nearby house. The house was quite large, and Deacon didn't want to destroy it.

Deacon dropped from his horse, and grabbed his buckler. He led a task force of 5 men to the house, and lowered their shields. Another group of 10 mobile siege-men, carrying roughly 20 small, throwing axes each, a sword and two spears, followed behind them. One of the raiders ran forward, out of the house, and held his spear high. An ax spiralled through the air, striking the man's chest, as Deacon's forces moved forward.

The raiders burst from the house in a single moment, leaving only a small handful of men left to defend their leader, still holed up in the house. Deacon lowered his shield to the ground, as one of the raider's ran at him. Deacon angled the shield at the last moment, and the raider stepped on it, as the Thebian leader pushed the shield up. The raider's entire body flew up into the air, and Deacon caught him with his sword, as the victim dropped, and Deacon's sword went straight through him. Eudor stood next to Deacon, holding his shield still, as a wall. "Formation!" He yelled, and Deacon dropped back, in the centre of the wall, creating a small gap. Two siege-men fell behind Deacon, continuing to bombard the raiders.

Several minutes later, raider bodies littered the small space between Deacon's men and the house. The Greeks stood strong, still, while their shields had taken grievous hits. One of the Greek shields had been splintered, and one had been damaged beyond repair. Deacon readied another group of men to storm the house. He led these men to the front of the house, and had the rest of his siege-men surround the house. He lined his men up in two lines, creating a path up to the archers. The archers then formed into two long lines. Eudor stood at the front of the house, holding his battered shield. He looked back at his field commander. Deacon nodded.

"Charge!" Eudor yelled, as the siege-men threw an ax each into the house, before Eudor charged with his small group of men. The raiders had only a defence of 5 men. Eudor swung in a wide, horizontal arc, as his men charged forward, and slew the five men. One man was left standing, and surrendered.

Eudor dragged the man out of the house, grazing the raider's knees as he dragged him along. Deacon sat atop his horse once again, as his second-in-command dropped the pleading, bleeding man in front of him. "And you are?" He asked, sword held out. The raider looked up the sword blade, making eye contact with his captors. "Panos. I am Panos." Deacon nodded. "Rise, Panos."

"Tell me. Can you fight?" Panos and Deacon sat opposite each other, both on horses. Panos nodded. "I was trained, if that is what you mean, milord." Deacon nodded, in reply, eating a piece of hardened wheat. Panos looked at the commander. He was so relaxed, but ready to fight, at a moment's notice. Men like that usually thrived on war, blood and combat. Deacon was different. He was a leader, and a battle-hardened man. But, he knew what was like to live without war, to live as a warrior in great peace. He was a complicated man.

Adelphos stood again leaning on one of the huge stone pillars that supported the Acropolis. In the busy streets below, he watched people bathing in the public baths, mathematicians pacing, musicians playing their instruments, and people gathering, listening. Belen leaned also, though on a different pillar. He was phasing out, facing the inside of the Acropolis, where the people were gathering, making offerings, and blood sacrifices for their sins. Adelphos followed his friend's gaze. "Fools." He muttered, and walked over to the Acropolis door, holding his spear up, like a statue, the way he was trained. Belen followed him. His Athenian friend looked at him. "Why do we have these spears? They are weak, and not sharp, nor useful, or even used." Belen nodded. He had a point.

Deacon rode into the city, Panos still on the horse beside him, under 'official surveillance'. Eudor walked behind him, holding a spear, from a fallen raider, as was custom. Panos looked around him, unsteadily, as the Athenians eyed him, suspiciously. Several men reached under their cotton garbs, reveaing short swords, a sign of hostility in Athens.

Panos faced forward, as people begrudgingly moved off the streets. Deacon halted Panos, and his horse, and dismounted his own. He strode forward, as Eudor followed him. Deacon stopped several steps later, then turned to face his army. "A victory, indeed." He said. Eudor looked at him, expectantly. Deacon nodded, knowing his second-in-command's action. Panos began to sweat nervously, as slowly, drops of fluid rolled down his face and body. One of Deacon's men strode in front of Panos's horse, and lay his hand on the animal's muzzle. The animal neighed, and lay down, as if sleeping. Deacon drew his sword, and walked toward Panos, thrusting his blade underneath the raider's chin. "You will never take the Acropolis."

Panos smiled. "You know, then." Deacon nodded, sheathing his sword. Panos leaped forward, to Deacon's side, and grabbed his horn, running ahead. He also struck an Athenian, and grabbed the victim's sword, holding it out. He put the horn to his lips and blew. The music that ensued was amazing, like the wind itself was blowing into the horn, and creating magic. The Athenians just stood, amazed at the perfection of the music. Upon completion of the war cry, for a war cry it was, Panos dropped the horn, and it shattered. The raider ran forward, as Deacon stood ready. Panos charged for Eudor's neck, the man completely mesmerised. Deacon stepped forward, and blocked Panos' blow with his shield. Before he could retaliate, Panos felt the cold, stiff steel of Deacon's blade begin cutting into his flesh.

Deacon sheathed his bloodied blade, and watched Panos fall to the ground, his eyes wide open, and a huge gash through his right shoulder, down into his heart. His army suddenly came back to consciousness. "One less raider to deal with." Eudor muttered, as he eyed Panos' body. Deacon looked at him, hearing the words. "He's not in charge. He was a messenger; a weak warrior." Eudor looked at his commander, stunned. Deacon continued. "Nay. That was a war cry. Not music." Eudor shifted his gaze, to the Acropolis. "The Acropolis." He stated, simply. Deacon nodded.

Beyond the Wall of Phaleron, an entire army of raider's were posted, listening for a war cry of any kind. Suddenly, Panos' cry for battle rang out, indicating that the Athenian army was away from Phaleron, and the wall. Aristo, a Greek rebel stepped forward, hearing the call. He kept walking, until he was in front of the assembled army, almost one million strong. "You are my men. This is my mission." He called out, addressing the rebel's, raiders and barbarians. "The Acropolis will burn."

Deacon stood in the gap of the wal of Phaleron, at the path leading up to the Acropolis, and the centre of Athens. He stood watching the Wall of Phaleron, expecting at any moment ladders and ropes to come flying over the walls. Nothing happened for several hours, as his army rested. Suddenly, the ground shook, as a large portion of the Wall cracked. "Eudor! Gather the men!" Deacon yelled. It would take several hours for the attacking force to reach them, judging by the distance to the cracked Wall section. The ground shook again, and another portion of the wall cracked. "It can't take much more of an assault!" Deacon yelled to Eudor, who was standing at his side, the army assembled.

The Wall was struck again, by the huge wooden battering rams the rebel army carried. Aristo stood at the back of his army, spread out along the wall, in four huge rows, two hundred and fifty thousand men in each. He watched, impatiently as the men battered the wall once more. The Wall shook violently. "One more!" His large, booming voice carried across the ranks. One more charge, and a gap began to appear. Suddenly, the battering rams all slammed together, in a single, orchestrated motion. The Wall was too weak to sustain so much damage, and broke, crushing many men. Aristo mounted his horse, smiling. He drew his sword, and held his shield up. "Charge."

Deacon watched in horror, as an army the size rarely seen before, if ever, charged through the gap in the Wall of Phaleron. He turned around, and gulped nervously, as he saw the shocked, and horrified faces of his army, Eudor also. "This, my friends, is what you were trained for."

Adelphos and Belen felt the tremors in the ground. They looked over to the Wall of Phaleron, and threw their spears aside, running inside the Acropolis. "To your homes!" Belen yelled. Everyone inside looked at the Spartan. "Don't believe me?" He yelled, and walked out, pointing to the Wall of Phaleron. He too, was horrified, as he saw the enormity of the army marching toward them. "Go!" Adelphos yelled, before running to Deacon's army. "Adelpos!" Belen yelled. The man truned around, looking at his friend. "To Sparta?" Belen asked. Adelphos looked at him, in amazement. "To Sparta?" Belen repeated. Adelphos smiled, understanding his friend's request. "To Sparta."

Deacon and Eudor led the Athenian army. Ten thousand men stood behind Deacon, and his second in command. The rebels were only minutes away, and Deacon needed to maintain an illusion of unawareness, or unreadiness. The rebels got closer and closer, before a single horseman broke their ranks. The Athenians knew the routine. A single scout, to test the enemies defences. The rider sped up, slamming right into the Athenian ranks. Deacon split the army, as swords and spears splintered the scout. The army then folded back into one solid group, as the rebels came closer. The first of the rebels reached the Athenians, and Deacon slew the first of them. "Phalanx!" He yelled. Suddenly, the rebels stopped for a moment, giving the Athenians that one single chance to form the Phalanx formation. "Swordsmen at the front, and every second row!" He continued to yell, as the rebels charged once more. Spears folded down, in every angle imaginable. The Athenians were now ready. Every man in Deacon's army carried a sword and shield, with the spearman having their weapons sheathed, and the shields on their back. Deacon weaved to the side, dodging an axe blow, and killed his attacker. A horseman rode through the ranks of the rebels, and ran toward Deacon. The young commander rolled to the side, exposing a gap of protruding spears. The horseman noticed too late, and rode straight into them.

Eudor lead a small contingent of men that moved a few metres deeper, into the enemy ranks. Only mere minutes had passed, but already hundreds were dead. Eudor himself was responsible were several of those deaths, but this was war. He held his shield a little higher, and jabbed randomly outward with his sword. He was rewarded several times with grunts of pain. The men beside him broke their circular formation, creating a shaky line of defence. Two horseman broke rank, and rode through the line, killing of one of the defdners, while another sliced the horse's leg, and the rider was slewn by a spear. Eudor lowered his shield, and swung randomly, blood spraying onto his shield, as he realised he had beheaded a man. "Back!" He yelled, and another of the line defenders fell into the dead man's place, as they began to reatreat, back to the army.

Deacon dropped his sword, and grabbed a spear, as he watched an armoured man charge toward him. He held his shield out in front of hi, and ran forward a little, aiming. He took careful aim, and then threw the spear. The long, slender weapon sliced through the air, and penetrated the man's throat. The dead man was thrown from his saddle, and his body landed on three other rebels. Deacon turned and ran back, grabbing his sword once more, before spinning, and killing another man. "Siege-men!" He yelled.

Two hundred of Deacon's siege units rushed forward, to meet him, near the front of his army. "Ready?" He yelled, over the noise of battele and bloodshed. The men nodded. Deacon pushed through his army again, and reached the front, followed by his siege-men. "Fire!" He yelled, as axes began hurtling through the air. Suddenly, the rebels were unable to get close to the Athenians, due to the onslaught of axes. One of the siege -men ran out of axes, and grabbed his spear. He turned to the other siege-men. They nodded, throwing their last axes. "Deacon looked at them all, worried. "What are you doing?" He yelled. No-one replied. An eery silence swept the battlefield. "Charge!" One of the siege-men yelled, as they charged into battle once more.

Deacon watched in horror as his best men plunged into the heart of the rebel army. Their spears broke fast, and they grabbed their swords and shields. This attack lasted several minutes, before the strength of the make-shift attack collapsed. Suddenly, the rebels charged once more, as the final siege unit died, screaming his last words. "Form up!"

Deacon held his shield up, and his sword at the ready, as the rest of his army formed into defensive formation. Eudor stood behind Deacon. "Cavalry, sir?" Deacon nodded at his second-in-command's request. "Riders, charge!" Eudor yelled, as the army broke rank and formation, and the cavalry spewed forth, one thousand in total; a tenth of Deacon's army. "Archers!" Deacon commanded, his powerful voice carrying to the back of his army. An entire third of Deacon's back stepped back, droppingtheir weapons, and grabbing the bows off their backs. The rest of the army continued defensive formation, moving slightly forward. Deacon dropped his shield, as the rebels' charged at them in a single rushing movement. "Break!" He yelled, and the army split into columns. A huge barrage of arrows flew into the air, and landed among the rebels, slaughtering many.

Aristo sat on his horse, watching the slaughter-fest. Thousands of men lay dead, as the Athenians held their ground stubbornly. Many of their men were dead, the revelation of their archers had become a painful hinderance. He rode forward a little, as an arrow pinned the man in front of him to the ground. He turned to face the horizon, where the sun slowly disappeared, giving way to a beautiful sunset. "Stop!" He shouted, at the top of his voice. The loud, powerful command carried across both armies.

Deacon sliced a man down through the torso, as the wounded body dropped to the floor, backwards. He heard Aristo's voice carry his powerful, bi-national command. "Halt!" Deacon yelled, as the rebel army stepped back, revealing the dead. An archer, Hector began pushing through the ranks, to see what was going on. Deacon stepped forward, moving to the front of the army. "Show yourself." Eudor stepped next to his commander, as Aristo emerged from his army, riding on a huge warhorse. "I wish for an overnight truce." Deacon shook his head. "Why? Your men have no need for rest, and neither do mine." Aristo turned, his back to the Athenians. "Very well." Came the man's reply. Deacon turned, to face his army. "Wait!" Hector yelled, as he pushed through the legions. Aristo turned, to face th archer, in front of both armies. "What, archer?" He asked, coldly. "Face me." Hector's reply was brutal and solid. The large leader's eyes burned toward Hector. The archer had his bow in front of him, in typical offensive fashion, the bowstring taut, and an arrow fixed to it. "This is war, is it not?" He asked, quizzically. Aristo nodded. "Yes, it is." Hector smiled, and aimed the bow up. "All's fair." He released the arrow.

The rebel leader barely had time to blink before the shaft shot through his head, knocking him from his horse, and pinning him to the ground. Deacon threw him back, raising his shield, as the rebels charged once more. Eudor ran to his leader's side, shield raised high as blows and swords and maces glanced off it. Deacon felt a large mace slam into his side, his armour taking most of the damage, but the blow still bruised Deacon's side. He grunted in pain, and fell to the ground. "Athenians!" Eudor yelled, cradling the wounded leader. The Athenian army rushed forward, taking casualties to protect their leader. The second-in command helped Deacon to his feet, as the wounded man threw himself into battle once more. Eudor stood with his back to him, parrying blows and attack, then striking back.

Adelphos and Belen sat near a fire, in a great plain. Their horse lay resting for a two hour break, before they would continue to ride toward Sparta. Adelphos looked up, eye to eye with his friend. "Sparta is too far." Belen looked up at his friend, nodding retiringly. "Thebes?" Adelphos nodded. The fire crackled in the desperate silence that followed. "What of Corinth? 'Tis better than nothing." Belen nodded once again, at his friend's knowledge. "I shall head for Corinth. You for Thebes." Belen suggested. Adelphos nodded. "At the break of dawn, we ride."

Hector dropped his bow, for his quiver was empty. He grabbed his sword and shield, and ran to Eudor's side. He was the most powerful of Deacon's archers, trained twice as hard as any other Athenian. The marks of trial and tribulation still physically, mentally and emotionally scarred his body. The young man slashed from behind his shield, as a rebel dropped to his knees, still running, and slid along the ground. He looked up. Huge, grey clouds had gathered, further blocking out the light in the nocturnal battle. Several cavalry rushed ahead of their comrades, slaying a few Athenians. Hector threw his shield sideways, clobbering one, and slashed the legs of another horse. Both riders dropped to the ground hard, as their wounded animals attempted to get back up. Eudor slew the horse with the severed leg, ending it's pain. The rider, however was trapped under the still corpse. Eudor let the man suffer, as Hector cut the other rider from his reins, and killed him, leaving the horse to run free, back it the rebels, before it was slain. The two men ran to each other's side, and stood back to back, another two men filling the gaps, creating a solid circle.

This circular tactic suddenly became the solid defensive point of the entire Athenian defense, and the army lined up with them, the individual groups forming groups of four; in some cases, one archer, one swordsman, a rider and a spearman. This tactic was a powerful one, the assault stretching a day longer. Looking over the Wall of Phaleron, Deacon suddenly realized the extent of this attack. A large portion of the Athenians were still alive, though roughly 3,000 of them were died. That wouldn't be sucha problem, if the rebels were not receiving roughly four thousand reinforcements a night. He stood to his feet. "Athenians!" His entire army dropped from the circular formations, adopted a shield wall. The rebels stopped the attack, and turned away. One of the rebels stepped forward. "Truce?" The man asked. Deacon emerged from the depths of the Athenians. "Truce."

The truce lasted the night and the next day, as the Athenians received a few hundred reinforcements, from the outskirts of the city, most of them strong, capable swordsmen. Deacon's wound had healed enough for him to be able to fight. Eudor had gathered all the damaged shields, and the weapons of the dead, and created a defensive structure of sorts. The builders of Athens had quickly erected large, wooden pillars that the archers could man, creating a much more usable defense for the Athenians. But, if they were to lose, or fall too far back, the rebels could not use it, for they permanently faced toward Phaleron.

Deacon and Eudor stood, leaning on the wall of shields, weapons and armour, as the final hour of peace came to an end. The Athenian army was assembled, ready to fight, as the rest of the Athenian population ran back to their homes. Hector stood in one of the towers, his bow ready. The single rebel walked forward, grabbing Deacon's attention. "Truce ended." He stated, before walking back, as his army charged forward. Deacon rallied the spearman, and they ran to the wall, slotting their long, slender weapons in holes in the wall, at the last second. Hundreds of rebels and raider's were impaled, and slain. "Swords!" Eudor yelled as the swords and spearman took up the arms of sword and shield. Eudor and Deacon held their weapons, grasping new shields in their off hands.

"Forward!" Deacon yelled, several hours after the treaty had ended. Already, hundreds of men lay dead, their wounds numerous, and grievous. At Deacon's feet lay a beheaded man, his sword split in two, and shield ruined beyond repair. Eudor stood still, his shield cleaved in to, and his side bleeding. Deacon looked back in front of him. Another horseman rode to him. He rolled to the side, slicing the animal's legs, before stabbing it's head. The rider was trapped, as one of Deacon's swordsmen slew him. A raider jumped over the barrier, now covered in bodies. Deacon parried his blow with his shield, before stepping to the side, and slicing the man's ribs. The blood seeped onto the ground, before Deacon kicked him into the barrier. He looked beyond the fighting, as the sun lowered beneath the horizon. "Shields!" The Athenians formed up, into a huge shield blockade, hundreds of swords poking out, like spikes.

The raider's slammed right into the Athenian blockade, of reinforced numbers; once again ten thousand strong. The blockade held fast, as the individuality of the raider army crumbled, prompting a quick rebel slaughter, from the Athenians. The rebels formed up into a huge, amassed group, their shields also up, presenting a huge, wooden barricade. The barricade of weapons and armor had been destroyed hours ago. "Hold!" Deacon yelled, Eudor and the Athenians at the front, nervously holding their shields. The rebels charged forward, presenting a huge wall of shields. "Withdraw swords!" Eudor yelled, as the Athenians felt the full force of the rebels slam into them. Hundreds of swords erupted from the Athenian line, killing many rebels. The rebels formed back up, replacing the dead.

The rebels charged the Athenians again, as the archers poured from the towers, dropping their bows. Hector grabbed his sword and shield, and watched as man near Deacon collapsed to the ground, dead. "Archers! Follow!" He yelled, and they formed a new first line, as the rebels pulled back. The rebels charged again, killing off several of the archers, who were unready. Hector fell back into place, next to Eudor, as he cautiously eyed the man's wounds. The rebels charged once more. "Break!" Deacon yelled.The Athenians shield wall broke, and hundreds of individual shields held their own against the entire rebel horde. The rebels broke rank also, and charged forward. Athenian cavalry remounted, as another thousand horses came to aid the Athenian army.

Deacon and Eudor ran to some horses,and mounted them, as the Athenian cavalry unit, was reinforced by additional Athenian troops. Hector ran behind them. "Shall I join you, sir?" The archer asked. Eudor nodded. "We ride." Hector sat atop one of the larger warhorses. From this view point, at the top of a hill, on a large horse, he could see the rebel army, in its entirety. But, something was out of place. There were Romans among the rebels.

"Ride!" Eudor yelled. The Athenians broke rank, into two huge columns on either side of the the battlefield, as the rebels mindlessly charged in. They all turned, as the thundering pound of hoofs pelted the ground. Hundreds of rebels dropped to the ground, mortally wounded or dead, as two thosuand Athenian riders charged forward, the rest of the army falling in behind them. The rebel army collapsed under the powerful assault.

The sun set beyond the Wall of Phaleron, as the fighting ceased, and the rebel army cleaned up the bodies. Thousands of casualties had been suffered. Hector ran to Deacon. "Sir! In their ranks..." He began, as a stray rider charged through the Athenian camp, killing several defenceless men. An arrow quickly laid the horse to rest, and Eudor charged at the rider. The second-in-command fought off the man for several minutes, wishing not to kill the man, but he struck him finally, in the side, and blood came pouring out. The rider looked at Eudor, and drew his blade to his neck. Eudor stood, standing, as the man sliced his own neck, dying almost instantly. Retiringly, Eudor thrust his sword back into it's sheath, casting another quick glance at the body. "Wait. That's no Greek armor." Deacon ran over, and knelt beside the corpse. "He's Roman, sir." Hector stated. Deacon's face was overcome, in a single moment of horror.

Adelphos rode away from Corinth, with an army of Corinthians, all horse bound. The pounding of hoofs shook the ground. "To Athens!" Adelphos screamed.

Belen rode into Thebes, a day after his friend left Corinth. Several Thebians rode down to the exhausted Spartan. Belen pushed his way through, demounting his horse, and running to the Thebian leaders. "I bring news of Athens. And the Acropolis." The word 'Acropolis' caught the attention of the Thebians. "Deacon, thy powerful commander, leads Athenian forces against a horde of Greek rebels and raiders, attempting to destroy the Acropolis. There numbers are huge, possibly in the millions, and their numbers are reinforced by the thousand every night. I fear Athens will burn." Belen informed the leaders. The Thebians shared gazes with the Spartan. Suddenly, all eyes turned to one man. He nodded. "To Athens."

Deacon and Eudor grabbed their weapons once more, as the final hour of the night wore away. Eudor looked over his shoulder, and to his surprise, the smiths of Athens rode toward them, towing carts of armour, and weaponry. Eudor tapped Deacon's shoulder, and showed him the arriving convoy. The Thebian leader ran toward. "The eldest of the smithies dismounted hi horse. "Sir! New armour, and weaponry. All forged the same, to represent an army, sir."

An hour later, Deacon's entire army was dressed in, shining armour, with new, powerful swords, standing ready, behind the huge wooden towers the archers once occupied. The rebel army was reformed, reinforced by hundreds of Roman soldiers. The entire army had grown back to full strength, and Deacon knew that everything they had worked for came down to this, single moment of war, and bloodshed. "Remember this day men! For it will be yours. For all time!" Deacon called out. One of the Romans pushed ahead. "You know Athens will fall. Lay down your weapons." Deacon shook his head at the Roman's request. Eudor stepped forward, and showed the Roman his old sword. He dropped it on the ground. "Take it." The Roman bent to pick it up, revealing a gap in his armor. Eudor unsheathed his new sword, and stabbed the man through. He dragged the body back to Athenian lines with him, and Deacon and his army formed into a shield wall. "Come and get them!"

The Romans pushed forward, to the front of the rebel army. They charged, instantly. "Hold!" Eudor yelled, over the rush of battle. The Romans presented their shields, swords bristling out of their formation, as the Athenians stepped back in uniformity. The Romans slashed at thin air, and Athenians filled the gap, and struck back. The Roman stepped back, breaking formation, and charging individually. The Athenians kept rank, holding back the Roman forces. Deacon looked out, over his shield. Roughly one thousand Romans stood before them. "Strike!" Athenians swords slashed down randomly, killing several Romans. The rebels broke off from the Romans, leaving them to fight for themselves. Hector stood beside Eudor, his spear bloody and sharp. Already, almost 70 Romans lay dead. The Romans dropped back, for several minutes, and the Athenians followed suit. The two, huge towers still stood, and Deacon rubbed his hand along them, a devastating, but risky plan forming in his head.

"On my call, cut the supports. And push." Deacon commanded, leaving several men against each of the wooden towers, entrusted with the difficult task. Huge ropes had been tethered to the ground, holding the now supportless towers in place. Deacon and the Athenians stood, in huge lines, ready for war. The Romans knew nothing of the plan, not being able to see the huge ropes. "Forward!" The Roman commander yelled, and his troops charged forward. "Cut!" Deacon yelled, and his men sliced the tethers.

The two massive towers collapsed, as the Athenians pulled back. Splinters and slivers of wood erupted into the air, as the two huge converted weapons of war crashed down on the helpless Romans. Hundreds were killed in the falling, but even more were slain by stray wood, and only a dozen Roman's broke through, to find themselves outnumbered tremendously by the waiting Athenian forces. The Roman turned and run, the most powerful part of the rebel army absolutely decimated. The rest of the rebellious warriors stood shocked. The Athenians had destroyed the greatest part of their army in seconds.

"Fall back." Deacon stated, as his army turned their backs to the rebels, unable to be harmed, blocked off by the fallen towers. "'Twill take days for the enemy to remove that rubble." Eudor said to Deacon. The Thebian commander nodded. "Meanwhile, we evacuate Athens, and fall back to the Acropolis." Deacon told his second. Eudor nodded, recognizing the plan. "It also gives us time to regroup, and reinforce." Deacon nodded again, at his second's proposal. "But, all we have are the other Athenians armies. They are not powerful enough to hold the line against these raider's at the Acropolis."

Adelphos and Belen met, with the two armies behind them, one a day away from Athens, hanging onto the last shred of hope that the rebels had not overcome the Athenians. "Deacon will not fall so easily." Belen yelled, to the armies. "Nor will the Athenians!" Adelphos responded. Belen turned, as the only Spartan defending the Acropolis. "The enemy numbers in the millions. Those who wish to leave, do so now." One of the Thebians dismounted his horse, and stepped forward, challenging Belen. "If we had cared about the enemy, we would have asked." Belen smiled, nodding. "What is thy name, Thebian?" The Thebian unsheathed his sword. "Aristos." Belen placed his hand on Aristos' shoulder. "Then, together we stand. This war is bigger than all of us. Even the might of all Greece would have difficulty slaughtering this enemy." Adelphos stepped forward, and unsheathed his sword. "With the might of two armies with us, to Athens!" He yelled, as the two massive armies charged toward the Wall of Phaleron.

I watched in horror, as the helicopter lifted, and the car's roof buckled, but held steady. The chopper jerked forward then back, and I went with it. The rope rubbed against my skin hard both times, giving me a rope burn, but it snapped. I freed my hands, and opened up the straight jacket. "Adios!" I yelled, and jumped out of the chopper. I landed on the car, and it rocked. I slammed the window open, and covered my eyes as I entered. Simon was dead. His body was been crushed and run through when the ski smashed the car's roof. I dropped to my knees, and looked out ahead. The chopper was flying away from the road, and the car rocked as it turned. The roof buckled, and screeched. "Fuck.."

--

I sat in the seat, and the car continued to swing back and forward. The chopper flew over the coast, and head a few more miles out. It stopped suddenly, and the car jerked violently. The roof scraped and screeched some more, and Simon's body came loose, collapsing on the seat beside me. I moved to the back seat, and smashed the back window. The glass shattered, and I got ready to jump up. I chopper swung back, and the rook began to buckel, and crumple. The top end of the ski ripped through the roof, and the car tilted. The vehicle rocked at the same time, and I rolled into the back of the passenger seat. I crawled back up, and the car tilted again. I grabbed the back window lining, as the ski destroyed more of the roof. I poised, waiting for that single moment of sheer terror, as the car would drop into the ocean. Then, suddenly, the roof tore away, almost completely. But I waited still, with baited breath. There were single inches separating the car from complete annihliation.

--

The chopper flew higher, so that we were about 300 metres from the water. I grabbed the window lining still. The chopper backed off, a little, and swung forward. The roof buckled, and tore awaycompletely. I pushed forward, off the seat, and up into the air, as the car dropped. I leapt up, grabbing the ski. Nagusa looked down, as he saw the car slam into the water, and watched the body roll around in the car. "Mr. Brown is dead." He said, smiling. I climbed into the chopper, grabbed the gun in the back, and ripped it off the chain it was attached to. I thrust it up against Nagusa's head. "So are you. But, for real." I pulled the trigger, and the bullet sent his brains splattering across the chopper, and out of the shattered windscreen. I turned to the pilot. "Move!" I sat down in the co-pilot's seat, and waited for him to move, before jumping into the pilot seat. "Thanks." I said, nodding my appreciation, before I pulled the trigger on him, and he too collapsed into the water.

--

I flew out over the ocean a little more. There was a small boat below me, and I watched the pilot run into the cockpit. I laughed. Last time I did that, many people died afterwards. The pilot came back out, with a machine gun in his hand. I squinted to get a better look. Japanese. "Bastard." I spun around, as he started to fire at me. The bullets were weak, low calibre bullets, and caused minimal damage. I spun the chopper around the boat, and fired a few warning rounds into the water. The man returned fire, this time with more powerful bullets. The bounced of the steel plating of the chopper, and I kept spinning, not wanting to kill the man. He kept firing, and I had no choice. I opened fire on the boat, and it tore the small craft into pieces. The powerful bullets, usually used for killing masses of people quickly, or destroying buildings or streets were now slaughtering the craft. I looked beyond the sinking ship. And gasped.

--

I sat, suspended in shock, as a fleet of submarines emerged from the water, briefly, before submerging again. I flew forward, and one surfaced, and I opened fire. The bullets slammed into the submarine, and eventually pierced the hull. Seconds later, I fired a missile at it, and it tore the top of the submarine apart, and water spilled in. I watched as the Japanese men tried to evacuate through the porthole. I held the trigger down, firing into the escape route. I watched the Japanese men die, and eventually go down with the sub.

--

I turned the chopper around, and watched the subs come close to the shore. A police blockade had set itself up, and was apparently resisting fire, if my radio was correct. I flew toward them, grabbing my radio, issuing a warning. The police man on the other end affirmed, and I flew over, pushing the chopper to it's limits. Now, the war had begun.

--

As I reached the shore, I noticed the police were heavily entrenched, against a huge mass of Japanese forces, both in buildings and on the streets. I flew overhead, and the police began firing in a huge, single attack. I swooped low, aiming the blades at the ground. I switched the chopper to auto pilot, and it kept going along the ground, slicing up the Japs that didn't get the chance to move. I grabbed a nearby gun, and ran back to the police barriers. I watched as a missile tore it's way though the street, right into the helicopter's blades. The entire vehicle exploded on the Japanese militia. Hundreds of nearby men went flying, burning, dead, or dying. I grabbed a nearby phone, before vaulting over the barrier. I dialed the military. "We need backup." I said, and the man on the other end wrote something down. "When? How soon? Where?" I shook my head, cursing under my breath. "Now and now." I looked around. "Where, sir?" The man asked. I saw the street sign, and told him the street name. He laughed. "Liar." I stood up. "Oh, really?" I threw the phone on the ground, after switching it oo loud speaker. Suddenly, the Japanese men recooperated, and opened fire on us. "Down"! I yelled, and the police force ducked behind their cars. "Cease fire!" I yelled. Several men couldn't hear the order, and watched the rest of their comrades drop to the ground, as they were shot. "Understood." The man on the phone hung up.

--

A fresh round of grenades tore up the nearby tarmac. The Japs kept pushing forward, throwing rounds upon rounds of grenades. Almost twenty police men lay dead, and another twelve were wounded. Two of the police cars were burning and overturned, as I jumped up, firing my machine gun. I was rewarded with several cries of pain as I fell below the car once more. The Japs fired again, as bullets ricocheted off all the cars. Some of the police men started to retreat, clutching their wounds. One of the police rolled beside me. "Permission to retreat, sir?" He asked me. I spun around, looking out of the shattered car window. I fired once more, killing another Jap, but another took his place. The road was decimated, in most places giving way to the dry ground underneath. "No. Give me a grenade." I replied. The man looked at me, in shock, and handed me the grenade. "Get your men to move the cars together, and have the back-up as a cover-fire." I continued, as he looked behind him, watching the back-up arrive. At least 20 cars, carrying possibly 100 officers drove up. The officer nodded. "On my mark, go." I told him, as he ran back to the dwindling defense. He briefed them quickly, as another was killed by a stray bullet. I looked out through the window, firing once again. I had no to see what damage I had caused, and had to move.

--

Once the police had finished shifting the cars, I placed the grenade in the engine of an overturned car. "Run!" I yelled, as the Japs stopped finally, mere feet from the cars. I stood still, my gun aimed the grenade, looking at the Japs. "Come closer. I dare you." I teased, in Japanese. One of them sneered, watching the police get away. I stepped back, slowly, as he began to lead the Japs over, and onto the cars. I turned, pulling another grenade from my pocket. I turned to face them, priming the grenade. In a single motion, I spun around, and threw the grenade toward them, and it rolled up against the car. AS I ran off, I watched the grenade explode, detonating the other grenade, the police cars and the Japenese grenades the Japs had on them. My only sympathy was for the two buildings devastated so much they collapsed, upon the Japanese group.

--

The police had stopped, and were watching in amazement, as the two buildings collapsed, fire and smoke covering most of the scene. Now, hundreds of bodies, barely recognizable as human littered the street. A chopper flew over the building ruins, and I recognized it as the one that chased me off the Sheraton. I sprinted. "Move, move, move!" I yelled, and many of the police just stood, waiting for rescue. Th ones that followed me turned and shot at the chopper. The bullets pounded holes into the craft, and as it landed, some of the police ran over to it. One man attempted to climb aboard, as a bullet blasted through his head.

--

"Run!" I screamed, as the men near me turned and ran. The police at the chopper opened fire on it, killing one of the men inside. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets erupted from a mini gun in the chopper, slaughtering the police men. The chopper lifted off, leaving one police man to bleed to death, slowly. The police in the cars sped toward us. "Get in!" One yelled, as we clambered onto the back of the ute. I turned, and opened fire, shattering the windshield. The helo stopped for a split second, long enough for the rest of the police to follow my lead. Another barrage of bullets followed mine, as one of the police killed the pilot.

--

The chopper was angled dangerously low, it's blades slicing up the sand, only feet behind us. I shot the helicopter blades, and it spun around, throwing a man from the window. One of the police fired his pistol at the man, hitting his chest. One of the chopper blades it the sand, as the vehicle kept moving forward. The blade hit the sand once more, as did the helo's skis. The helicopter stayed suspended for a second, before toppling over, spinning around on the blades, thrashing sand about. Within moments the chopper exploded.

--

We kept driving along the beach, looking for any unmanned streets. We found a single one, almost half an hour after the chopper had been downed. A building about halfway down the street was empty, and I ordered the police to follow me. Bodies littered the street, as did bullets, and explosion debris. The police sprinted inside the building, only to find hundreds of bodies; the victims of a massacre. "Keep moving!" I warned, my gun strapped around my shoulder. I cocked it, just in case. I ran ahead, and climbed the stairs, reaching the second floor. I noticed an open elevator, staring at me, as I walked out of the stair case. I tapped a few of the men on the shoulder, and pointed toward the elevator. "Up." They followed me in, and I hit the button for the 20th floor. As the doors began to close, I watched in horror as Japanese men stormed up the stairs. "Fire!" I screamed, as I opened fire within the elevator. Two Japs dropped to the ground, dead, as the others opened fire with their pistols. Most of their bullet missed me, and the men with me in the elevator, but one landed a head shot on the man next to me.

--

The elevator door shut, right as I emptied my clip. The other man with me stood in the corner of the elevator, while I stood in the middle. We reached the 20th floor, as we heard a grenade tear the building apart. The elevator door opened, and Brain, the other police officer, and I stepped out. I looked out of one of the huge panes of glass encompassing the room. On the street, more police officers were trying to stop another advancing Japanese horde.

--

I watched as a Japanese man was shot, and he fell to the ground, clutching the trigger of his gun. The bullets slammed into the window, shattering it, as another Jap fired a rocket toward us. The missile missed me by a few inches, and slammed into the floor above me. The glass started cracking, as the floor above started to angle down, it's support weakened. I looked down at the buildings below; a scaffolding the closest structure. "Brian!" I grabbed his arm, as he ran next to me. "On my count, run, and jump onto that scaffolding. I'll cover you." He looked out at the scaffolding, swallowed and nodded.

--

He sprinted up, and jumped, sailing over the street, 20 floors below, as I opened fire, at the nearby buildings. Time seemed to come to a halt, as a sniper fired, from the floors above me. Brian landed on the scaffolding, as it buckled, and then the platform he was on split. The sniper fired again, and the bullet slammed into the back of his head, throwing him through the window in front of him, the blood splattering all around.

--

I ran toward the stairs, as the elevator door opened again, carrying as many Japs as it could fit. I turned around, and opened fire on them. Two of them stood at the window, looking out at the scaffolding, as my bullet slammed into them, and they fell to the ground. The other seven ran toward me. I grabbed a grenade from my pocket, and wedged it in the stair door, as I ran up the stairs. The Japs cluttered around the door, as the grenade exploded.

--

I reached the top of the stairs, as I heard gunshots twenty one floors below. On this floor, there were several bodies, and overturned furniture. A sniper emerged from the shadows, and aimed at me, smiling. I faced him, my gun ready to fire. The sniper cackled, and began to speak. "I will kill you before your finger pulls that trigger." He sn****red, as I backed away, against the window. "Yes, do." He taunted. "You will be dead before this island collapses." I shot a glance at him. "Collapses?" I asked, stunned. He nodded. "This island is set to explode in three days, starting midnight." He laughed. I looked down to the street below. I could jump, and land on one of the lower floors of a nearby building, the one Brian's body lay dead in. The sniper held the gun up. I smiled. "You said you could kill me before I shot. But can a bullet defy gravity?" I turned, and jumped out of the window.

--

The sniper ran to the window, and fired. The single bullet missed by head by a mere inch, and I spun around, cocking my machine gun. The sniper looked at me, horrified. I opened fire, and my bullets slammed into his gut, throwing him back, as he feel to his knees, and collapsed, his head poking out of the window.

--

I turned around, as I hit the wall of the building. The scaffolding was several feet away from me, and I pushed off the wall. I dropped my gun, as it plummeted to the street. I grabbed onto a piece of the wooden scaffolding, as it began tilting. I swung back, and it tilted back with me. I swore under my breath, swinging forward, trying to pull myself onto the wooden plank. The scaffolding creaked, instead of tilting, and I felt it shift immediately after. "Oh god." I said, as it began to fall.

--

I clambered onto the platform, standing on the side of it, as it slammed into the ground. I was thrown off the wood, as it splintered in thousands of pieces. The Japanese attack had been mostly quelled, at the cost of almost 100 lives, in a single street. Even innocent bystanders had joined in the defence for their homes, and the scaffolding landed on the Japanese survivors. I grabbed a nearby gun from the wreckage, as the Japanese recovered, slowly. I opened fire on anyone that showed their head, as the wood flew up into the air around me, and fell back down.

--

I sat in the back of the police car, surrounded by a vanguard, as I was driven to the police station, apparently wounded, but now heavily defended. The driver laughed as he continued his story. "Yea, and the Japs came forward, charging up at us. I fired with my gun, killing ten of them." I shook my head in the back seat, and he caught my reflection in the car mirror. "What? You don't believe me?" He asked, looking at my reflection. I smiled, and shifted my legs. "You didn't kill ten Japanese soldiers." He shrugged, peering once again out of the window. "How'd you know?" He asked me, expecting a simple answer. I chuckled. "It's not easy, living with murder. For two days, I've been running."
"Running from what?" He asked.
"Them." I said, looking out the window, as the police station came into view. Hundreds of bodies littered the streets, as the Japanese pushed forward. The building had been damaged severely, and I saw my father lying amongst the rubble. Blood was pooled around him. "Let me drive." I told the driver.

--

I sat in the driver's seat, clutching the steering wheel, as the police officer that had escorted me sat behind. The convoy had stopped, as the police left the cars, and piled onto the streets, firing upon the Japs. I revved the car's engine. "Feel free to get out." I teased. The cop behind me shook his head. "I'll go down fighting." He replied, and I nodded. "Good man." I accelerated, and sped toward the Japs, priming an explosive. The cop looked at me in horror. I sped past the police convoy, and into the Japs. I grabbed the machine gun in the seat next to me, stuck it up against the door and fired. Many screams and cries of pain and agony reached my ears, as I kept driving, eventually forging a path through the Jap army. An American chopper flew overhead, and opened fire with a heavy duty mini gun, inflicting heavy casualties.

--

I emptied the machine gun, as a rocket exploded from within the Japanese ranks, and slammed into the helicopter's side. The chopper spiraled out of control, and slammed into the ground, exploding on impact, killing several other people. I kept driving, through the path. Bullet splintered the car, but the bulletproof windows helped protect me and the cop. "What's your name?" I asked, yelling over the noise. He smiled. "Nick!" He called back. I nodded, and accelerated. A bullet slammed through the door, hitting my right thigh. I grunted in pain, as blood began to flow onto the seat. "Bitch!" I grunted, under my breath. I grabbed the wound, blood covering my hands quickly. "Shit!" I yelled, as a Jap jumped in front of the car. My natural impulse was to stop when I hit him, and I did. The Japanese soldiers quickly surrounded the car. Nick dropped to the floor of the car, priming another explosive. "You get out. I'll stay behind." He said to me, as I was dragged out of the car.

--

A soldier grabbed my hair, and threw me onto the ground, and another started dragging me along the ground on my knees. Blood flowed down my leg, and onto the ground, as the bitumen grazed my knees, before I fought to stand. I turned around, to see the Japs reach into the police car, almost twenty yards behind me. Nick's head popped out, before he activated the bomb. I looked away, as the Japs around him were incinerated. The car exploded into flames. I looked down at the explosive in my hand, and wrapped int up in my shirt, following the Japanese soldier in front of me.

--

The soldier behind me tapped my shoulder, and I spun around, the blindfold covering my eyes. I was standing, but I couldn't see. The soldier punched me in the face. I fell onto one knee, as another kicked my stomach. I was bleeding in a lot of places. Bruises covered my face; I could feel it. My knees were weak, and blood covered them. Most of my body was strapped up, covering many bruises, and a few scars. I felt a piece of wood hit my knee, and I fell onto my hands.

--

A seat slammed into the back of my knees, as the Japanese soldiers held me up. They dropped me onto the chair, and it rocked backwards. I kept my feet planted on the ground, and stayed upright. I heard a door swing ajar, and then slam shut, a few seconds later. A rough hand grabbed my blind fold, and ripped it off. I looked around, and saw several armed Japanese soldiers standing in the corner of the blood-soaked room. As my vision returned properly, I saw a man that was vaguely familiar. "Remember me, Mr. Brown?" I smiled. "Of course I do. Nagusa."

--

Nagusa sat down, on a leather recliner he had brought in. We were sitting a white room, surrounded by Japanese soldiers. Nagusa pulled a hand gun from his pocket, and stood. He removed a machine gun from his trenchcoat, aiming at the soldiers. He spread his arms wide, and opened fire. Spinning around completely, he stopped firing, and dropped both guns. All of the soldiers dropped to the floor, dead. Nagusa frowned, and grabbed my hair, throwing me onto the floor, not noticing where his handgun fell. He rolled me over, and faced the wall. He grabbed another gun, and pointed it behind him, right at me. "Don't move." He commanded, his voice chilling the air. I shifted my arm slightly, dragging it back behind my body. Nagusa stayed staring at the wall, a tear forming in his eye. "You fucking bastard!" He screamed at me. "You killed my brother!" He continued. Turning to face me, he asked a single question. "Any last words, bitch?" I shook my head, still lying on the floor, holding the gun slightly to my side, under the folds of the bandages. "No." I replied, and he cocked the gun. "Good." He aimed, ready to fire. I smiled, slightly. "What!?!" He spat, noting my smile. My reply was simple. "Yippee ki yay, mother fucker."

--

Nagusa turned to face me, as I pulled the trigger. The bullet left the gun, and sliced against my skin, leaving a red, bloody scar. Continuing, the bullet tore through my shirt, and hit Nagusa in the temple, as blood sprayed out all over the floor. I stood, as pain overcame my leg, and I fell back onto the floor. Blood was pooled all around me, and covered most of the room, as I was surrounded the Japanese soldiers Nagusa had killed, and Nagusa's body. A chopper flew over the building. It began to lower itself, as guns erupted from either side. Many rockets were fired, but all missed. More guns erupted, as the I noticed that the chopper was American. I heard a nearby whistling sound, becoming more and more high-pitched. I looked past the chopper, as I clambered into a corner. A fighter plane zoomed past overhead, offloading several missiles. One struck the Japanese soldiers surrounding the building. The others slammed into nearby buidlings, as steel and glass erupted into the air.

--

The chopper landed, as almost one hundred Marines bailed out. The chopper took off, sailing over the building, the pilot the only man inside. A rocket flew up and hit the chopper, as the guns opened fire automatically, not aiming. The Marines charged out of the building, as the chopper spiraled, guns stilled firing. The helo slammed into the ground, exploding. The guns fired until their final moments, killing one or two of the Marines. "Move!" Another yelled, as they pushed through the door, machine guns firing, some firing off their rockets. Other pushed forward with riot shields, holding their position. "It's suicide!" I yelled to them, as they stood, their numbers dropping slowly. One of them turned to face me, sadness overcoming his facial features. "We weren't sent here to survive." A bullet quickly ended his life, as grenades rolled under the riot shields, all exploding simultaneously.

--

"Fuck!" I yelled, as the Marines bodies flew into the air, distracting the Japanese soldiers just enough for me to escape. I grabbed two riot shields, and sprinted, tearing up the scabs on my legs as I ran. Blod began seeping down my legs once more, as I broke free of the Jap army, bullets bouncing all around me, deflecting the others with the riot shields I had. I kept running, and as I turned the corner, dropped the riot shields, and kept running. Pain overcame my body, and I slipped into an alley. A dog was huddled up at the end, and I slowly walked over, hushing it, as it barked at me. I knelt next to it, blood pooling around my knees a little. The dog winced, as I stroked it's blood-dried fur. The dog had suffered. "You and me both." I whispered to it, lying on my side next to it, and fell asleep.

--

I woke to the dog barking, a gun laying at it's feet. I crawled over to it, stroking it's fur. The dog smiled, and lay down. I grabbed the gun, and began walking out of the alley. Only then did I realise it was raining, as the water mixed with my wounds, stinging, but cleansing them, washing away the blood. A group of several Marines past me, and I began to follow them. The dog scampered after me, and I knelt beside it, stroking some more. The Marines rounded the corner, lobbing several grenades, and opening fire. Behind me, a small SWAT team carrying two riot shields followed them. One of the Marines dropped to the ground, clutching his chest, trying to crawl over to me, his eyes huge with pain. Blood was pooling around him. The dog ran forward to him, and I watched in horror as the dog was shot. It's limp form was thrown through the air by the force of many machine gun bullets that hit it.

--

I ran forward, clutching the poor animal's body. The blood covered my hands, as I stood, gently lowering the body onto the street. I held the gun up, and looked beyond the two Marines still standing. A group of about twenty Japanese soldiers was running toward us, their numbers rapidly declining. I fired the gun, and a single shot came out, and I pulled the trigger again, but nothing. "Shit!" I yelled, throwing the gun at the Japs. It fell just short, and I grabbed the gun of a dead Marine. I fired at the Japs once more, as a car accelerated behind them, plowing through them, toward us. "Move!" I yelled, rolling out of the way. The car hit the Marines, killing them both instantly.

--

I ran, as the car skidded on it's side. I fired at it, killing the passenger. The driver accelerated. The car was right behind me, when I jumped. I landed awkwardly on the car's windshield, as I fired at the dashboard. I broke all the dashboard's gauges, and hit the axle underneath the car. I rolled onto the roof, and hit the spoiler at the back of the car. It ripped off, slamming into the road, as we accelerated to 80 MPH. Jumping now would be suicide. I held onto the roof with the tips of my fingers, as the pain of being dragged ripped through my body, and I thought I was being slaughtered. I pressed my gun against the back window of the car, and shot. My bullet killed the driver, as hi leaned forward, his head hitting the steering wheel, and sfalling off the side, spinning the wheel, and in turn, the car.

--

I lost my grip, and flew onto the trunk. My gun pulled from my grip, and rolled onto the road. The dead man's foot was still on the accelerator. The car began skidding, and started to tilt onto two wheels. "Shit!" I yelled, as a building loomed up ahead. I pulled myself back onto the car, as the vehicle fell onto two tires. Blood began seeping from my wounds, when the cars' tires exploded, and we flipped. I held on for a single second, before letting go. I hit the tarmac hard, grunting in pain. I watched the car hit the ground, the windows shattering, and metal tearing. The car bounced, a huge crunching sound wrenching the atmosphere. I clutched my ears, unable to hear as the car slammed into the building, and exploded.

--

I stood, the pain racking my body as I did so. The rain was getting heavier, and began to sting me, as I limped slowly, and painfully, away. I reached another ally, with an old umbrella, still intact, lying in the corner. I covered my bruised and bloody face, and lay beneath the umbrella. I spent the waning hours of the day beneath it, watching the rain slam into the ground. I heard several gunshots, of the period of hours I lay silently. Search and rescue groups frantically began searching the streets, looking for survivors of the Japanese attack. I watched the first team run past the ally, and stop, looking, seeing my body, and assuming I was dead. I smiled to myself, and dozed off to sleep.

--

I woke several hours later, feeling slightly refreshed, my legs locked up. A search and rescue team had just entered the alley, as I began to stand. They ran forward, and grabbed my arms, holding me up, as my legs gave way. I stood once more, leaning on one of the team, as we left the alley. Hundreds of bodies had been collected, some of them still living men. "Shit!" I groaned. "How many miles are these bodies from?" I asked. The team member I was leaning on looked at me, saddened. "Not even one. These were in just six blocks." He responded, mumbling at the end, trying to forget it. I nodded, remembering when Nagusa shot the Japanese soldiers. The memories came flooding back to me, for an unexplainable reason. That, I remember the sniper, and his apocalyptic words. "Three days!" I yelled, suddenly.

--

The rescue team member's grip weakened, as I stood by myself, the strain difficult to bear, but I knew I had to fight to save the island. The Japanese don't make hollow threats. "How long has it been, since that skyscraper collapsed?" I asked. The rescue team thought for a second, and one of them responded, bluntly. "A day." I nodded. "Good."

--

Behind me ran two Marines, who had survived the slaughter fest. Dry blood covered most of their faces, cleared only around their eyes, nose and mouth. Around us, bodies were piled. Almost one million people must have died. At least. The two Marines clutched their machine guns, as we rounded a corner. "They'll have left the island." I said, poking around the corner, the street empty apart from death. An eerie atmosphere covered the entire island. I saw the water several minutes later, and we were surrounded by boats. "Shit!" I yelled, hiding. The two Marines followed my lead, as we spotted a nearby car. Suddenly, a plane flew overhead, dropping several bombs. A man left the building opposite us, the only sign of other life. I looked up at the plane, carefully watching It was a US plane, attempting to clear the streets. At least I knew that the military base was safe. "The base is safe." I muttered. One of the Marines sheltered behind several bodies, as the man was killed in the blasts. "It better fucking be." The other nodded. I leaned against the wall, watching the man's body. "Collateral damage."

--

I broke free of the shelter, dodging the potholes in the street. "Run!" I screamed, as several Japanese men broke their own cover, bullets missing us by inches. A grenade landed in front of me, and I stopped, turning around. One of the Marines opened fire, forcing the Japs to hide. "Cover fire!" He yelled to me, as I ran to the building with the other Marine. The Marines covering us kept firing until we were safe. He began running, as I opened fire from the doorway. The three of us ran further into the building, finding a large conference lobby-like room. Three chairs were over turned. "Behind them!" I ordered, and we ran behind them, using them a shields.

--

Two Japs stormed into the room, as we opened fire on them. Bullet proof armor covered their chests, and helmets protected their faces. I shot one in the knee, setting my gun to single shot. Blood exploded from the wound, as the soldier dropped to his other knee, and I shot the top of the helmet continuously. I shot the other soldier in both feet, and he dropped to the floor, unable to stand. I stood, pressing my gun against the soldier with the wounded knee's neck. The two Marines removed their helmets, and one of them aimed at the second Japanese soldier.

--

We grabbed both men by the hair, and dragged them out, whimpering behind us, onto the street. We held our guns up in the air, as we stepped onto the beach. The Japanese men in the boat directly in front of us, all clambered to the front. I pressed my gun against the neck of my hostage. "Is that ALL of them?" I asked in Japanese, still looking out to sea. He nodded, sweat pouring from his brow. "It's not, is it?' i asked, bluntly. He shook his head, and I pressed the gun harder, my finger hovering over the trigger. "How many more?" I asked. "Two." I threw him face down into the sand, my gun against his back. "Call them out."

--

The two men sprinted to the bow of the boat, as my hostage cried out. "Fire." I said, and the Marines began to fire upon the boat. The Japs stood no chance, and they all dropped dead. One of the Marines threw his hostage on the ground, and cuffed him. "Cuff mine." I said, and began to walk toward the boat, strapping my gun to my back. "Come, wade." I said, wading toward the boat. The two Marines raced to the water, splashing wildly. I began to swim, my foot brushing against something. I grabbed some goggles hanging from my pack, and pressed them against my face, and swam down. It was a hand, poking up from the sand. I clawed away at the sand, and pulled a drowned corpse up. I saw more, and resurfaced.

--

I showed the two Marines, letting the body lie on the water. "There's more below, at least one hundred. This is for them."

I ran to the trolley's railing, and rolled out, ripping it from the weakened, black sockets. I grabbed a nearby body, and used it as a fleshy shield, as I moved forward. Another Japanese man threw a grenade at the trolley. The entire vehicle exploded, and debris and blood began to rain down. I used this to my advantage, and threw the body against the mantlet they had re-erected. The Japanese soliders stopped the mantlet from collapsing with their shoulders. I ran forward, using the debris as cover, and grabbed the body again, and again using it as a shield, ran straight into the mantlet. Several of the Japanese lot focus, and the entire mantlet collapsed on it's defenders.

--

I lay flat on the ground as the smoke of the two explosions cleared, and made the body crouch, as if ducking. The Japanese mistook the body for me, and they shot it. Well, destroyed it. Almost seven machine gun clips were emptied on the body, in exchange for all the damage I had caused. I also noticed that all the surviving Japanese militia had no ammunition. But, they had swords. I jumped up, and began shooting wildly. The entire Japanese group of soldiers charged at me, while on man pulled a gun from the mantlet. He began to shoot at me. I rolled, as he caught one of his own men in the back. He dropped dead, and I shot the man with the gun. The two bodies collapsed instantly, and I rolled away from one of the men with a sword. He swung at the ground, and slammed his blade on th tarmac, as I grabbed the dead man's sword, and threw my gun up in the air.

--

One of the Japanese men ran forward, stretching out his hand to reach for the gun, and I swung my sword. I slashed my gun through the middle, rendering it useless, and, as the Japanes eman's momentum carried him forward, sliced through his arm, and shoulder into his skull. The man dropped, and I spun the sword around. I stepped back, as a few more men ran at me, and my gun fell on the road. I knelt, and grabbed a small rock. I threw it at the tarmac near where my gun's gunpowder was spilling out. The rock hit the tarmac, and created sparks, and the powder caught fire, and exploded. Three Japanese men dropped to their knees as their bodies burned horribly.

--

The other men, five of them ran forward. The first man to reach me swung in a wide arc, down low. I jumped over it, and side-swung at him, and my blow was blocked by a second man. I swung down low, and sliced a third man's knees, and he collapsed, and I ran him through. The other four closed me in, and I found myself back against a building.

--

I side-stepped the first blow, and it glanced off the wall, as I drove my blade into the heart of the man that atacked me. I rolled behind one of the Japanese men, and grabbed a plastic explosive from his pocket. I got back up, holding the explosive up. "In a line!" I yelled at them, in Japanese. None of them moved. I propped my arm back into a throwing position. They looked at me. I hit the began countdown, and set the countdown to infinite. "I'm deadly serious." I told them. "Just look around." They looked at all the bodies of their comrades. One of the men nodded, and urged the others to form up behind him. I took a step back, to the man with the gun, and grabbed the gun. Immediately, they formed a line. "Good."

--

I threw the explosive, and it hit the pavement, bouncing up into the first man's face. I brought my gun up, and shot it, diving backwards. The small weapon exploded in a fireball, massive for it's size. The men did instantly, as their bodies were torn apart. Flesh and blood splattered on the building behind. "Nice." I stood up.

--

Several police vehicles drove up behind me. My father got out of one of them. "Jasan! The hell are you doing here." He ran over to me. I looked at him, eye to eye. "YOUR fucking job."
My father glared at me. "My job? What the fuck just happened here, because you were doing MY fucking job, huh?" I turned around, and punched his gut. "Yea, your fucking job. Wanna know what the fuck happened? Almost 20 innocent people died, because fucking Japanese militia killed them. Get them out of the fucking country. Got it? Good." I began to walk away. "Oh, by the fucking way, I'm taking one of your fucking cars, to replace mine. Dumb fuck." My father just stood, staring at me, as blood covered my arm, and my white shirt was covered in black ashes.

--

I sat back in the police cruiser my foot on the accelerator, pushing the seat back, and leaning into it. I grabbed a nearby Sprite and chugged it. I wound the window down, and threw it out the window, and it bounced off the pavement. I turned onto the highway, and flicked the sirens on. Cars dodged out of the way, as I sped down the highway, as I had been taught by my officers.I looked down, to try and find another Sprite, and leaned on the wheel, turning into the far lane, as the traffic going the opposite way zoomed past, separated only by a small bump in the middle of the road. I sat back up, unable to find what I was looking for. I flicked my hair back, and looked up again. "Holy fuck."

--

A huge SUV slammed into the small separator, and busted it's tire. That didn't stop the maniacal drivers. They spun violently to the right, toward me, as sparks erupted from their broken tire. I turned around in my seat, flicking cruise control on. I grabbed a small machine gun from the back, and opened fire. My bullets peppered the SUV's hood, but glanced off the bullet proof engine. I turned back around, and took control again, turning cruise control off. I spun the car around, and dived out, rolling onto the separator.

--

The SUV passengers looked at me, seconds before the car slammed into the police car, crushing a grenade that was accidentally left on the floor, and both vehicles exploded into thousands of pieces. I ducked as glass and debris landed around me, cracking the highway. I stood, realising too late that the highway suspended, 50 feet up in the air. "Fuck."

--

I looked down. The forest spread out in every direction. I also noticed a wrecked car that looked like it had been there forever. I looked back over, as the bridge kept cracking, and it could be heard easily. I ran back up the bridge, as it began to tilt and slide backwards. 'Fuck!" I kept yelling, as I ran up. The cars on the bridge struggled to get up the bridge, and began to slide back, as it kept tilting. I watched as the entire portion of bitumen I was on collapsed. I jumped, and caught a few small cables from the part of the bridge still hanging on, as the other portion slammed onto the forest floor, with the cars and their drivers. A Japanese man came forward, a machine gun in his hands. "Time to die, Jasan Brown." He said, in plain English, with a slight accent. I looked down at him. He thought I was among the injured and dead drivers. He opened fire, and one thousands more guns erupted into fire. Hundreds of thousands of bullets, from either side of the wreckage pile, slammed and peppered the wreckages and bodies.

--

"Bastards!" I muttered to myself, sitting on the bridge. I had a nearby rag in my hands from somewhere, probably fell out of the window of a car, and got carried by the wind. It's history was beyond me, and it didn't care. I wiped the blood of my arm with it, and cleaned my face with the other side. I looked back over the side, and dropped the rag. There was no wind, almost in an eerie memory of the lost. I turned, and began walking to the other side of the bridge; a good 7 miles. "This is gonna be a long day." I looked up,nd three military grade helicopters flew overhead, and shot past me. One turned around, and began flying side on, jesting me to get in. I walked closer, as the other two choppers descended into the forest. Immediately, gunfire erupted, and an American popped his head out from the chopper, and told me to get in. I ran forward, jumped in a grabbed a machine gun. We lifted off, and circled the forest, and one of the helicopters landed, and about 50 Marines spilled out, opening fire on the Japanese. i watched from above as several grenades flew through the air. The grenades exploded, tearing the Marine defense to shreds. 20 more Marines spilled from the chopper, and began firing.

--

A rocket finally spiraled from the from the forest and slammed the helicopter side on. A grenade bounced on the other side, and ripped the left side to shreds as it exploded. Most of the Marines survived, with the exception of a few brave soldiers. The Japanese men still held their ground. "Fuck!" I yelled. "They're all gonna die!" One of the Marines looked at me, and nodded, sadly. "Let me drive." I ran to the cockpit. "Let me drive!" I yelled at the pilot, and he landed the chopper. I took his seat and headphones, and smiled at him. "Time to go." I took off, and circled the forest, grabbing my radio. "Oi!" I yelled. A response came quickly from the other helo. "What?" I smiled. "Circle the forest below us, then land, and send your men in groups of ten. Then, open fire with the on-board machine guns. So, leave some men behind. This is gonna get messy."

--

The Japanese men watched, temporarily ceasing fire, as two helicopters landed in the clearing, just alongside the first. Thy began firing again, as several of their men collapsed, bullets in their heads. I sat back in the helicopter seat, as the first group of men spilled out, reinforcing the originals. "Guns, guns, guns." I said, standing up, and looking around. " I need a machine gun! A big one" I looked around, and my eye landed on something else. "Or a rocket launcher will do." I grabbed it, and set it up on the window. "Someone shoot this window!" One of the Marines ready to leave stepped back and shot the window, and it shattered. "Thanks. Now, go!"

--

The Marine nodded, and ran out of the chopper. I watched him duck behind a piece of debris from the injured chopper, and fire carefully. "Good man." I muttered. I took aim again with the rocket. Napalm.. "I turned around, to the remaining Marines. "You guys got napalm on board?" I yelled, over the roar of gunfire. One of the Marines nodded, and looked to the back. I took the rocket down from the window, and ran to the back, ripping the door open. I found small package labelled 'Napalm' and ran back out. I strapped it to a nearby rocket, and loaded the launcher. "Time to roll."

--

I looked around. Only one group remained, and the rest, bar a few lost men, were still fighting. I aimed the rocket launcher for the last time. "Go!" I yelled, a the men spilled out of the chopper. I fired the rocket deep in the forest, where I thought the Japanese shots were coming from. I watched as the rocket exploded, burning everything around it. Including Japanese soldiers. Men ran from the forest into the clearing, their bodies burning, and some just in surrender. I stepped out of the helicopter, grabbing a gun. "Flesh it out!" I yelled, and the men swept the forest area with a barrage of bullets. Several screams erupted from the forest. "Job well done."

--

"Sir! The other chopper!" I looked behind me, as explosions tore up the clearing, and bodies scattered the ground. "Take position behind the chopper; fire through the gaps!" I yelled. The men piled through the chopper, past the middle one, and the ugly bodies of the destruction, and to the second chopper. "Get in!" I yelled, running forward, and slamming the outer door. I watched our men pull back to the helicopter, and we lost many troops in the retreat. "Get it open a little!" I yelled to one of the Marines. He nodded, ran forward and opened it slightly. A few men started climbing a board, and firing through the gun slots. More than 30 men stood outside, holding off the Japanese forces. One of the men turned, and slammed on the door. "Get out of here! We're trained for this!" He yelled to us. One of the Marines looked at me. I started the chopper, and began to lift off. "You're leaving them?" I shook my head. "No." I'm killing the Japs. I flew the chopper over, as the 30 Marines ran back into my first chopper. I spun the chopper around, and flew around the back. I lowered the chopper, and men climbed into the machine gun turrets. "Let's roll!"

--

THe guns started firing immediately, and the Japanese forces were split in two, fighting off two foes. One, a group of strong willed Marines, ready to die, and a huge, metal chopper, descending on them. The chopper was side on now, facing the Japanese, as they were slammed by bullets and huge flak shells. The flaks tore through their steel defences, and the other group of Marines remounted the assault. I lowered the helicopter's angle, and the blades started slicing the ground. "Forward!" One of the Marines yelled to me. I thrust the chopper sideways, cutting up trees, bodies, and weapons. The Japanese lines were thinning. Blood littered the ground, in splats on the trees, and vehicle shields. The entire Japanese force, of about 50 now, backed against a small bundle of cars. I grabbed my radio. "Stay back!" I yelled, trying to reach the other Marines. I watched one of the Marines grab his radio, and nod. The group began to run back to the choppers, and dived behind the broken one. I nodded. The chopper sped up, as bullet slammed into it, shattering the glass, killing one of the Marines, and injuring another. I sped up more and more, and the blades cut up the ground as we went. "Forward!" I slammed the chopper's speed up to max, and smashed into the barrier.

--

Metal, oil, blood, flesh, bodies and guns went flying, among the trees and grass and leaves already spiraling around. The blades ran a few Japanese troops through, slicing others in half, and killing the others as the cars and steel and bullet slammed into them. I angled the chopper properly, and landed, slowing the blades. The Marines shoved the door open, and ran out, embracing the others. Most of the other survivors were bleeding, and some had no feeling or movement in some of their limbs. I stepped out of the cockpit, but stayed inside of the chopper. I looked around at the dead, not the survivors. They would return home. The others won't.

--

I rounded the Marines up, and loaded them into the chopper. I sat back down in the pilot's seat, and took off. "Hey, guys?" I asked the Marines. "Yea?" One of them came into the cockpit. "What happened to this pilot?" I asked him. He shrugged. "Good question." I looked forward, my eyes opening wide. "Holy fuck!" I stoo dup, and the chopper dropped to the ground. "Get out!" I yelled, and I heard a Japanese man begin laughing over the radio. "Am I dead, Jasan Brown?" He continued to laugh. "Damn that bastard!" I yelled, as I pushed the Marines out. "Who is he?" One of the Marine asked me. "A man named Nagusa. The bastard. I killed him though." The Marine shrugged. "Or not." I pushed him out, and checked for the others. I jumped, and the group ran into the forest. The chopper explodes behind us, tearing up the clearing. Smoke and dirt flew up in the air, as we were hailed on by bullets. Again. "Into the forest!" I yelled, and the group split.

--

I ran to the west, to the left of the ambushers, in their position to the south. I watched the group that head north suffer heavy damage. Most of their soldiers were injured by the time they reached shelter, and at least three were dead. Two men from the east group were injured, one dad, and no damage to my group. Suddenly, mines exploded in front of us, and one of our men was killed. Hundreds of mines exploded all over the forest, and a lot of men died. "Keep running!" I yelled, grabbing two men around me's wrists, and sprinting into the smoke. Guns erupted, and the bullets bounced all around me, and the five men behind me.

--

"Down!" I yelled, and the Marines dived onto the ground. A huge line of grenades and hidden mines exploded, tearing the ground up, and creating even more of a shield for anyone that would survive this ordeal. I jumped back up, waiting for the Marines to do the same. I reached for my hand gun, strapped to my pocket. "Shit!" I yelled. One of the Marines crawled over. "What is it, sir?' I turned away. "Don't worry. Keep moving!" The Marines jumped up, but not before a barrage of bullets swept across the trees. One of the Marines died instantly, as a bullet penetrated his skull. Another was paralyzed on the spot by a bullet splintering his spine. I held my gun at him. He nodded. I shot him, to end his life quickly, before the Japs tortured him. "Good to go?' I asked the others. They nodded. "Let's move!" WE began running again, an army of three Marines and an FBI agent.

--

We reached the edge of the forest, and a huge mountain loomed ahead of us. "Up!" I yelled. The other Marines had caught up with us, forming a group of 20 in total. "Losses?" I asked, over the roaring of Japanese guns and motors. began climbing, and reached a crevice. "30 roughly, sir."
"Fuck! We'll just have to keep moving."
The Marine nodded. "Or.." I began. "Follow me!" I got up, and ran down the mountain, carefully. One or two of the Marines tripped over rocks on the way down, and dust shot up behind them. Japanese guns blared at their position, killing them quickly.

--

I kept running, as bullets littered the path behind us. We re-entered the forest, leaving the Japanese clueless as to our whereabouts, temporarily. A Japanese sentry spotted us running, and opened fire on us. "Keep moving!" One of the Marines dropped to the ground, screaming, as blood flowed from his knee. He grabbed his gun, and shot the sentry. He then turned the gun on himself, and pulled the trigger. "Damn!" I yelled, as we moved along. We left the forest, as the Japanese vehicles plowed into it, smashing over trees, over turning rocks, and crushing the two bodies we left behind. A cliff loomed ahead.

--

"Jump!"Almost 30 Marines plunged over the cliffs, Japanese war vehicles noticing the cliffs far too late, and following us over. "Bend your knees!" I yelled, before we slammed into the water. I watched from under the water, as two huge tank like vehicles slammed into the water, killing several Marines, and slamming others in the rocks. I dived under the waves, and they threw me against the rocks. I grabbed the rock, as the waves pulled me back, and I let go. The salt water burned my scars, as I looked around, to find the Marines swimming over to me. I began swimming over to a msall boat, about a quarter of a mile out.

--

I grabbed the rungs of the ladder, hanging off the boat. They were slippery, and covered in algae. I climbed on board, and rolled. No guns were fired, and I waved the Marines up. They climbed board, and one threw me his pistol. I held it up, reaching for my drenched badge. I moved forward, making my way to the deck. So far, no-one. I gestured for five of the Marines to go to the back of the ship. Five men nodded, and ran around the back. "Umm, sir?" One of them yelled, as I reached the bow. "We have a problem." I turned around, racing through the other 10 Marines guarding the ladder.

--

I reached the back of the ship. " A bomb. A huge, fucking bomb." The Marine nodded. "Get back!" I yelled. One of the Marines grabbed my arm. "Don't shoot it. That's insane." I lowered my gun. "Fine." I ran back to the bow, and forced my way into the cockpit. "You can drive boats, sir?" One of the Marines asked me. I nodded.

--

I accelerated, and the boat gathered speed. The Marines grabbed onto nearby railings. I spun the boat around, and headed for shore. The bomb started beeping. "Sir!" One of the Marines yelled. " I can hear, it dumbass!" He nodded. I braced myself, as I readied to go diagonally across the sea, and slam into waves. "Brace yourselves!" The Marines grabbed whatever they could, as violent waves slammed into the boat. The small craft bounced off the waves, and it was thrashed around, being flung into the air. Rain began falling hard, as I tried with difficulty to control the craft. "Everyone up front!" All of the Marines ran up to the front of the boat. The bomb's beeping was louder, and more high-pitched and more frequent. "Bail!" I yelled, driving the boat as close to shore as possible. We were about half a mile out, as I pushed the engine to the limit.

--

We bounce over a few more waves, and the pitch of the bomb dropped out of hearing range. "How far out?" One of the Marines yelled. "About a quarter of a mile!" He nodded. "Marines! Wait for Mr. Brown, and then jump!" I nodded to myself, breathed in, and dropped a brick on the accelerator. The boat kept going, with no-one controlling it. I slammed the door open. "Jump!" I yelled, running to the edge of the boat, and vaulted over the railing. The Marines followed suit, as the boat sped away. It bounced over a final wave, and exploded, tearing itself to pieces from within, as two other explosion ripped the boat completely. "Three bombs. Three bombs." I repeated to myself. "Swim!" 16 men began swimming toward shore, as a small dinghy started to row over in our direction.

--

The dinghy reached us, and offered to get us too shore. I nodded, and the Marines swam beside us, switching in and out every few minutes. I eventually climbed out of the dinghy, switching with a Marine, and I swam a little out. The waves carried us further, aiding our mission to get to shore. I looked up, at a huge building, most probably a hotel. My expression then turned to horror, as the middle floors exploded in a cascade of glass, steel and wood. "Holy!" One of the Marines muttered. "To shore!" I yelled. We all swam for shore, as quickly as possible.

--

The moment I could touch the sand I began limbering through the water. My knees came clear, and I began running. Bodies littered the beach. There were almost 100 corpses. A few of them were police men, and one or two looked Japanese. They hadn't died without a fight. Or had they? I shook my head, and ran to the police corpse. He had two guns; a machine gun, and a handgun. I took both. The Japanese men were outfitted with weapons; grenades, pistols, shotguns, machine guns. "They didn't expect war." I said, looking at the police corpses; about 5 or 6 of them. The Marines nearest me nodded, solemnly. "But, we do."

--

We stormed up the street, guns at the ready, two grenades each. We reached the intersection, and the Japanese men greeted us. We opened fire immediately, as they dived behind cover. Their 50 men suffered losses of about 15 from bullets, as several grenades left Marine hands. They all exploded nearly simultaneously. Several Japanese bodies rolled out of hiding into the street, as bullets pelted their position. Several Marines moved into a flanking position, firing into the cover. The Japanese quickly surrendered, as we slew an entire flank. Seven men stepped out of hiding. I nodded. The Marines fired on them, and they died, almost instantly. I conducted a Marine head count. No losses. I smiled. 'Nagusa, I win." I thought to myself.

--

Huge buildings stood around us, and we knew Japanese militia were most probably inside. We kept moving, still in porcupine formation. "You nervous?" I asked, as a general question to all the Marines. Some nodded, others verbally responded, all their answers indicating they were. "Good. Means your instincts are turned on." They nodded. "Sir?" One of the Marines asked me. "What if we lose? You know, what if the Japs win, and we all die?" I looked ahead, staring blankly. "Then we take a shitload of them down with us." The Marines smiled. We neared a large office building. "in." I ordered, them, and we entered the building quickly and quietly, in single file. "Double file." The Marines folded into two lines, and I stood between the lines. Several bodies dropped out of the doorway, and gun shots resounded around us. "Fuck!" I yelled. The Marines nodded again. A Japanse man ran past the door, and I shot him down. "Up!"

--

The Japanese troops spun around, as 50 Marines tore their ranks apart with their own machine guns. One man tried to crawl away, and a bullet from my handgun pierced his brain. "Keep moving!" We heard the loud slamming of the footsteps of hundreds of men storm down the stairs. They must have emptied Japan, I thought to myself. "The desks!" The Japanese men stormed into the room, several seconds after an army of 50 Marines and myself had dived behind the desk, lying on our stomachs, guns ready. I nodded to the Marine next to me, and he yelled out. "Fire!' 51 machine guns opened fire across the floor, splintering the wooden desks, glass windows, and the flesh of Japanese legs. Almost simultaneously, the entire Japanese force screamed in pain, as the Marines jumped up, and pounded the Japs with even more bullets. At least one hundred Japanese men were killed in the first assault. "Down, to the left!" The Marines dropped to the ground, squatting, and started moving awkwardly to the left side of the building. We were two floors up. I stopped, reloaded my gun, and shot the window. It shattered, and I stood. "Move!" I yelled, and fired on the Japanese group. The Marines jumped out of the window, onto a now bustling street, filled with civilians, panicking and screaming. I kept moving backward, still shooting. One of the Japanese men grabbed his handgun, and fired, just as my bullets killed him. The bullet slammed into my stomach, and got lodged in my spine. I stepped back, and hit the street, the blood oozing from the wound.

--

I stood, as the Marines shoved through the crowd towards. "I'll be fine!" I yelled. "Spread out!" The Marines disbanded, spreading out amongst the crowds, losing their armour, and stowing their guns, so that they blended in. I ripped the Kevlar I stole from a Japanese man, and ran, covering my shirt. I held my gun in my hand still, hanging it at my side, ready to use. "Several people watched as I ran, staring in horror at the blood seeping out of my back. I kept running, and the Marines saw me running for the end of the street. They followed me, their guns lumbering around in their pockets. One of the Marines failed to hide his shotgun, and therefore had to carry it around. One of the Japanese snipers picked him off. The Japs suddenly noticed a pattern. Roughyl 50 men were running, all in the same direction, one carrying a gun. The Japanese militia then sprawled onto the streets, guns brandished, and opened fire. Hundreds of dead and injured civilians dropped to the ground. Silently, I reached the end of the street, and jumped behind the corner. One of the Marines stopped, urging people to follow him. Suddenly, the entire civilian cohort began running for the end of the street. The Marine stood his ground, urging everyone forward, as the Japanese guns focused on him. One hundred Japanese handgun bullet slammed into him before he dropped to the ground, dead.

--

"Keep moving!" I yelled over the roaring and yelling and screaming of the crowd over their loved ones. I sprinted forward, to the front of the cohort, leading the charge. The Marines forced their way forward also. 50 men leading a group of possibly thousands, considering the losses. We grabbed our guns, and charged forward, firing at any and every doorway. Hundreds of Japanese men collapsed under our barrage of bullets. "Split!" The Marines and I spilt into two groups, on either side of the road. The civilians caught on, and did the same. Suddenyl, I watched as cars slammed through the building on the opposite side of the road. The Marines on my side opened fire, as several vehicles exploded, from the grenades of several now dead Marines. Three vehicles rolled over to my side of the road, and the other two cars stopped, and the driver fired at us, killing one or two Marines. Suddenly, an army of Japanese men charged through the building opposite us. Thier bullets killed every person on the opposite side of the road. One of the Marines clutched his trigger thight, and yelled to me. "Sir!" I held out my machine gun in one hand and handgun in the other. "Take one fucking shitload of them down with us."

--

The Japs poured through the buildings wreckage. "My name, sir, is Simon. Don't forget me." The Marine said, in the final moments. The Japanese guns tore through everyone but Simon and myself. Several of the Marines, in their final moments threw grenades at the Japs. As the smoke cleared, I watched every person but Simon beside me collapsed, their bodies peppered with bullets. Simon dropped his gun, in pure shock. The Japanese foreces stopped moving, and I emptied my clip at them. I then dropped my machine gun, and hid my handgun. The Japanse army then continuted coming forward, and surrounded Simon and I. Several Japanese men came forward, and hit me to the ground. Then they shackled my hands, and dragged me away. "I will never forget you." I said, as I disappeared into the Japanese ranks. Simon sprinted away, down the street, and the Japanese army turned and walked away.

--

I sat now in a helicopter, my mouth covered and my hands and legs bound, and a thick rope tied around my stomach, attaching me to the seat. I shuffled around alittle, but it only made it worse. There was no one else in the helicopter, and my bullet wound had been cleaned and covered. The pain hadn't fully subsided. I thought back to the events prior to the chopper. I suddenly found myself dozing off.

--

As I was dragged away I looked around, and saw that many many Japanes men had been. hundreds, bordering on thousands. But then, they had no armour; just weak, stupid, measly little guns. It was merely there sheer numbers that had killed the Marines, and the attack by the cars. They dragged me through the broken glass, but my clothes stopped the glass cutting and slicing into me. Then they threw me into a car, my arms still bound, and I watched Simon run. I knew he wouldn't forget about me. That was all I could remember. I had been blacked out ever since.

--

I woke to find that we were up in the air, swooping over the highways. I looked at all the widespread destruction and death. "Horrific, isn't it, Mr. Brown." I shook my head. Nagusa sat in the front sea, next to the pilot. He was clutching his chest, where, I remembered, the knife had slammed into him. "But then, so are you, Mr. Brown." I yelled at him, my voice muffled through the cloth. He leaned back, and ripped it off. I bit his fingers, and he screamed. The pilot pulled a trigger somewhere, and a bullet shot past my head. I let go. "Bitch!" I yelled at him. He turned back, and faced the front. "You left me for dead. I survived; the knife only pierced my skin, no organs or muscles. "And you expect me to care?" I asked him. I began wriggling my wrists around. I will kill this man, I thought to myself. I kept my poker face on, and he kept talking, not paying any heed to me. "Mr. Brown, you should be dead. That army you fought in the forest was at least 500 hundred strong. " I nodded. "And with the help of 150 Marines, about 3 men each, not hard. And that aren't all dead, remember." He nodded in return. "True." He nodded to the pilot, turned back in his seat and knocked me out.

--

Simon looked back. The army turned back, and he watched as I was carried away amongst the dead. There was a car nearby, and he jumped in, the keys still inside.He turned the car on. "I won't forget you, either. Sir."

--

I woke up, again, in a straight jacket. "Welcome to three hours later." Nagusa said, in a failed attempt to humor me. I sat back, and again I was strapped into a seat, still in the helicopter. Thejacket only kept me warm in the already hot weather, and I was sweating heavily. We were on a bridge , and the pilot still sat in the front seat, still as ever. The chopper blades were spinning, meaning a quick stop. Nagusa nodded to a nearby man, and climbed back in. He nodded to the pilot, and sat down, kicking my knees. I groaned, and he smiled.

--

The chopper took off, and Simon came up speeding up behind us. He leaned out of the window, and freed a machine gun at the chopper. Nagusa flinched as the bullets ricocheted off the choppers plating. I sat smiled. Simon drove under us, and Nagusa leaned out of the window to see. We were low, and he was close. Suddenly, the chopper jolted back, and the bullets shattered the windscreen. Nagusa kicked it, and the entire pane of glass shattered, and collapsed onto the roads. Simon was ahead of us now. He leaned back inside the car, and dropped back, underneath the chopper. Nagusa grabbed a heavy machine gun, and fired, through the floor. I watched as a few bullets pierced the car's roof, ans Simon kept driving. The chopper dropped back, and down suddenly, and then forward, and it's left ski slammed into the car, picking it up by the roof.

Prologue:

"My name is Jasan Brown. I am the sole survivor of an attack on the Hawaiian island Oahu, leaving the 900, 000 dead residents behind me, floating. This is my story."

--

I moved my sunglasses off my face, and placed them on top of my head. "Boo-yah!" I yelled, as I turned the boat's wheel left. The boat swerved left, bouncing off the top of the waves. I spun around again, 360ing. I ran down the stairs to the cooler, and grabbed a Sprite. I turned to the left, and jumped onto the leather chair. "This rocks."

--

I stepped off the boat, onto the wooden dock, my flip-flops slapping the wet boards. "Welcome back, Jasan." I told myself. I heard a small tinny nearby rev it's engine, and speed off, bouncing violently off the waves. I squinted, using my hand to blot out the sun. There were two Japanese people inside. One driving, the other...

The second passenger turned, a machine gun in his hand, and opened fire. The bullets ricoheted off concrete marina. Other bullets splintered the wodden ramp. I held my arms up, and sprinted onto my boat, reaching into the cooler, and grabbed my hand gun, running up to the boat's wheel. I spun it around, and accelerated.

The Japanese passenger screamed at his companion in Japanese. "Drive!" The gunner screamed, in Japanese. The driver looked at him, accelerating. The gunner turned around, and starting firing again.

I ducked, as the bullets ricoheted off the metal bull bar on the bow of my boat. I jumped back up as the Japanese gunner reloaded his gun. I aimed my hand gun at him, and fired. My bullet bounced off the metal side of the tinny, just below the gunner. I fired again. This time the bullet went straight and true, and slammed into the gunners chest, pushing him backwards, into the driver.

"One more!"

The driver screamed at me in Japanese. "I hate you!" The Japanese driver screamed at me. I laughed. He swerved his boat, and turned toward me, accelerating. "Bastard!" I yelled. The Japanese driver smiled, as he jumped in the back of the boat. I vaulted over the front of my boat, into the Japanese boat. I grabbed my gun and shot the man. He fell back into the water, inhaling as much water as he could. I jumped onto the stern of his boat, and turned around. "Oh damn..." I muttered, as the two boats collided. I jumped as they crumpled, and the tinny began to sink. I grabbed the Japanese man's collar, my gun in his face.

Under the water, he clenched his fist, and swung at me. I evaded his first blow, but his second hit my jaw, and my natural reaction was to pull the trigger. So I did. The bullet shot through his skull, and he died instantly. "Fuck.." I watched the small tinny submerse completely. I also watched as my boat tilted backwards. "No one else's." I said, and shot the engine. The boat exploded and sank into the water. I shook my head, and swam off.

--

I climbed onto the dock, and ran and grabbed my towel, spraying the salt water all over the small marina. I flicked my keys around my finger, and unlocked my Lotus Excige, opened the door, and climbed in. I turned the car on, and began to drive.

--

I heard something roll around in the back of the car. I grabbed my gun, and placed it at the back of my seat, leaning forward, and pulled aside. I fired, and the shell exited the back of the car. I fired again and again. Ther third shot hit something, and I heard a loud thump in the car's trunk. I got out of the car, and ran to the back. I opened up the trunk and saw a dead Japanese man with something in his hand. It was beeping. "Oh.." I said. I jumped over the railing on the road, and grabbed it, my legs falling off the cliff. The man was holding a bomb, and it exploded in the car's trunk. The front of the car spiralled in a 2 ton fireball, and ripped a huge part of the road railing, burning the neaarby metal and vegetation.

--

I climbed back up, and onto the road. "Damn!" I yelled. The charred body of the Japanese bomber lay on the road. I stared at the body, and grabbed his collar. It crumpled, and fell apart in my hand. I moved the body with my feet, and kicked it over the cliff.

--

I ran along the highway; five miles, until I got back to Waikiki. I could see the Sheraton, and I ran forward. The light flashed red, and a Chevrolet sped through huge groups of civilians. The Chevrolet slammed into several of them. "What the hell?" I yelled, and sprinted acorss the road. I had my right hand in my pocket, and held my gun. I sprinted after the Chevrolet. I ripped the gun from my pocket. "Stop!" I yelled. A Japanese man turned around in the back and smiled at me, showing his ugly teeth. I fired, and the window at the back shattered. The Japanese man dived behind the trunk's door. I jumped onto the pavement, and jumped onto a construction site. I kicked one of the metal rods holding it up, and I jumped back. The entire metal rig collapsed, and the Chevrolet stopped, the brakes screeching. Hundreds of metal poles slammed and bounced around the street. The Chevvie's bonnet was crushed and obliterated as the poles slammed into it, pounding the entire vehicle.

--

I ran over to it, through the mess of metal. I held my gun out in front of me, in my right hand, and my military badge in my left. It read 'Sergeant'. I opened up the Chevrolet's right front door, and a dead driver rolled out. I shot the body to make sure. It whimpered, and jumped a little. The police surrounded the vehicle. "They aren't dead!" I yelled. I heard a Japanese man inside yell out, "Aren't we?" in Japanese. I smiled, and yelled back, in Japanese. "If only I didn't understand Japanese." I smiled again. Gunfire suddenly erupted from inside the Chevrolet. The machine gun bullets tore through several police officers. "Move back!" I yelled, putting my badge back. I grabbed a small bomb from my pocket. I ran back and threw it. It bounced beneath the Chevrolet. I held my gun up, looked the Japanese gunner in the eye, and shot the bomb. It erupted into a huge fireball. The massive explosion ripped the Chevrolet apart, and I dived behind a nearby car. Three nearby police cars were flung into the air. "Move!" I screamed, above the roar of the crowd.

--

One of the three cars smashed into a nearby building. The car exploded, and ripped the building apart. The second exploded in mid-air, it's two parts flying side ways into the busy streets. The third spiralled through the air and smashed into the street behind me, leaving debris and destruction behind. I shot it, and it exploded, so it wouldn't kill more people.

--

I walked into the police station. "I'm gonna need a new boat. And car." I said, as I slammed the door to the Sherriff's office. He looked up from his paper work, saw me and stood. "And why the hell would I do that?" He asked. I smiled, spinning a chair around, and faced it at him. I sat. "Becuase, only three of your officers are dead. And only one injured." The Sherriff looked at me. "That was you?" I nodded. "You better freakin' believe it. Why? Couldn't you tell?" The Sherriff sat back down. "Just making sure, son." I shook my head. "I am no longer your son. Not after what you did!" I yelled. "Give me my damn boat, and I'll leave!" I slammed my fist down. "And my car." My father looked at me. "Fine. Just get out."

--

I drove away from the police station. The Lotus Excige felt just like my old one. My seventh one. The boat would come next week. I placed my gun on the left seat. The Sheraton loomed ahead. I drove into the parking garage. I opened the door, and jumped out, kicking the door closed. I spunt he keys around my finger, and slipped it into my pocket. I ran over the bus station, and into the lobby. I ran over to the elevators. I ran into the elevator, and went up.

--

The elevator stopped halfway up. "What the hell?" The door opened on floor 6. "Get out. This could go bad." I told the others in the elevator. One Asian man tried to stay in. "Out!" I yelled in Chinese. I kicked him out, shutting the door. "Idiot." I said to myself. The elevator went up a little then stopped again. The elevator sped up, and went up three floors at a time. It suddenly stopped, at the 23rd floor. The door opened. "Welcome, Mr. Brown."

--

Floor 23 was scarred. The walls were charred, burned, slashed and wrecked. Bodies were scattered, and huge holes led to shattered windows and sacked rooms and suites. It was a mess. I stepped out of the elevator. Two Japanese men grabbed my arms as I stepped onto the floor itself. "We have you now." They jeered, in their own language. "Do you?" I asked them, in Japanese as well. A well-dressed, obviously high ranked, man walked in the area. "Well, Jasan Brown. I never expected YOU to speak our language." He sneered at me, in English. "Neither would I..." I muttered. He smiled, and chuckled slightly. "You are funny man, Mr. Brown." I shook my arms. "God, I hate your accent." The man grabbed a gun and aimed it at my face. "So would I." He smiled again, taunting me. I spat on the ground. "You probably guessed right already." He told me. "I did do this." I looked him in the eye. "Ah-why?" I asked, sarcastically. He lowered the gun. "Very well, funny man. I tell you, because you die soon. I did this, so I could hide myself. Soon, elevators no go to 'dis' floor." He put emphasis on the 'dis', mocking the Americans. I smiled to myself. "Very well."

--

I grabbed the wrists of the men holding my, and twisted them, pressuring their veins. "Shoot," I began. "And they die." The business man looked at me, raising his gun again. He fired. I threw them both in front of me, and the first fell to the ground, the bullet in his body. I wrapped my now free hand around the second man's throat. The man with the gun spat. "Bah! They mean nothing to me." My hostage looked at the other man in horror. The business man smiled. I looked away, hearing the sharp gun shot, and the low grunt of the other man. I grabbed my own gun, and fired at the living man, before diving behind a large pot. "You think you've won?" The man yelled. He spat again and shot at me twice, before he ran off. "Damn!" I got up from behind the pot, and ran to the dying victim.

--

"Not quite what you had in mind?" I asked the dying man, in Japanese. He shook his head. "Don't blame you." I inspected his wound. Deep. Real deep. His appendix had taken a hit, and it was almost penetrating the skin on the other side of your body. I grabbed my gun, and asked him a question. "Slow? Or fast?" The man looked at me, raising two fingers. "Fast." I said. I shot him in the head, and he died instantly. I stood up again. I heard a phone ringing. A cell phone. I ran to the first man's body, and pulled his phone out from his jacket pocket. It was a call. I answered. The man on the other end was the man who had killed the man I was beside, and wounded the man behind me. "Hello. I knew you couldn't resist." He paused. "Neither could I." I hung up, and threw the phone into an elevator, and hit down. I heard the beeping as the countdown continued. The elevator began to slowly creep down. "Damn this!" I shot the elevator cables, and it plummeted. I closed the door, and listened for the explosion. It fell for several second, and then exploded.

--

Stairs. A lot less lethal than falling elevators with cell phone bombs in them. But, it was nice to go a little slower for once. This was supposed to be my holiday. And, my house was a suite in the Sheraton Waikiki. "Why?" I asked myself, turning and running up the stairs, to the 27th level. Everything there was fine. But it was quite. I ran out of the stairwell, and to the elevators. Still no sounds, no noise, no distraction. "That could be bad.." I slammed the 'up' button, and the elevator behind me opened up. There was no ding. I ran inside, and pushed the 29 button several times. The elevator shot up, too fast. "What the hell?" I heard the PA above my ding, like a bell, before saying, "Have a nice day!" As it always did when you reached the 29th floor. But I kept going. "No!" I yelled, and shot the control panel. The elevator stopped, momentarily. I shot the door open button a few times. "Damn!" I yelled, when nothing happened. The elevator began rising again. Faster. I aimed up. The elevator's familiar bumping sound stopped. I'd gone too far. I looked back up. And fired. I fired again, and again. Nothing. "Ah!" I yelled, kicking the door. It buckled slightly, and I shot it. It opened, and the elevator de-pressurised. I watched as the elevator shot past the last floor, and the cables collapsed. The elevator kept going, on it's own momentum. "Smart bastards." I jumped out of the door, as the elevator shot through the roof. I landed on the roof and rolled. I grabbed my gun, watching a small light began flashing. It started flashing faster and faster. "Bomb!" I shot it, but it exploded first, and my bullet was engulfed by flame. "The Japanese have time on der hands, Mr. Brown." I turned around. It was the business man. "Yea, they do." I answered. "It wasn't a question! But, I have a client to please, not a stubborn sergeant." He ran to the edge of the roof, and jumped. "Idio-?" The man reappeared, clutching a helicopter's skis. "Good-bye." He jeered, as he climbed in and flew off.

--

I sat on the edge of the roof, with nothing but my clothes, my badge and a hand gun. "Fantastic!" I yelled, out to the streets. "I could risk a jump." I said, to myself, sub-consciously. There was a small construction site just below me. It was, really, a small part of a complex construction project, also around the Sheraton. The view was nice though. It was just the sitting duck part of it that had me worried. But, I asked myself, why the Japanese? Honestly.. I shrugged. Oh well. I ran to the edge of the building, where the Japanese man had jumped, and caught the helicopter. "How the hell could you not notice a massive freaking helicopter JUST outside your damn room?!" I yelled. "900, 000 of you people LIVE here! Wouldn't you at LEAST notice a huge-ass chopper?" I shook my head. "Forget it."

--

I jumped onto a small section of scaffolding. The workers looked at me, stunned, that a sane man would fall 30 feet onto scaffolding. "What?" I asked them. A Chinese man ran up to me, and pushed me. I shot the floor underneath him, holding my badge up. He held his arms up in surrender, and walked away. I watched ahead of me, as a huge military chopper flew up, aiming it's guns. On me. "Move!" I yelled to the man, and tackled him to the ground. He started yelling at me in Mandarin. I jumped to a lower level of scaffolding, as the helicopter's gun ripped through the one above. I heard several men collapse and die. "I gotta off here!" I yelled at the workers. "Move!" They retreated to the edges, not noticing the chopper until too late. "Again!" I yelled. The guns tore through everything. Wood, steel, concrete. Flesh. I jumped from the scaffolding onto a building, and sprinted across the roof, diving behind a huge air conditioning vent. The chopper stopped, tempting me. The guns stopped momentarily. I slipped my gun through a piece of vent ducting, and took a fairly poor aim. I fired twice, both bullets cracking the chopper's windshield. I pulled my gun free, and ran again. The chopper's machine guns started to fire at me again. I jumped off the building, onto a pile of old, used tires. I fell inside one, and kept falling until I hit the ground. I watched the chopper fly overhead, as it's pilot looked around. I tried to take aim, and I fired my gun, but it hit the tires. "Damn!" I put my gun down, and crawled my way out, through the back of the pile, to inside the building I was on top of. Sunlight filtered in through the thousands of bullet holes, and a few bodies lay on desks, or on debris or the floor. Computers were torn up, and their wiring frayed, and sparks cascaded around me. I kept running, until I reached the back door. It was locked. I shot the hinges, but the lock held the door in place. I had to hurry. The pilot would figure it out soon. I ran back to the bodies, and huddled them together. I looked in all their pockets, and sleeves. Nothing. I ran around to the desks, looking frantically through the papers. I kicked a computer a off a desk, creating a cloud of dust. I coughed, and continued searching. I ran to the far side of the room, and something glinted in my eye. I ran over to it. "Keys!" I picked them up. I heard the door bell ring, and I dived behind a desk. "We did good." I heard, in Japanese, from the doorway.

--

"Scavenge the bodies! Find that key!" I looked at the keys in my hand, closely. I almost swore, slamming my fist against the ground. They were broken. The bullets had ripped them to pieces. I heard an explosion nearby, and ducked behind the desk again, as tires flew in through the windows, rolling around the office. "This is the police!" One of the Japanese men dived behind a desk, as his comrade was shot by the police. I dived out from behind my desk, and used the tires as cover. I fired a few times, hitting one of the five men in the head. Three left. I stood up, and kicked a tire at the leader of the party. "Oi!" I yelled, and fired at him, missing on purpose. "You missed!" He jeered. The police group came closer, and jumped in through the windows. "Cover fire!" I yelled at them, as the leader dived behind the other side of the desk. I grabbed another tire, and threw it at the desk. It bounced on the ground, just in front of the desk, and the desk flipped up, and the computer slipped off, just in front of the leader's face. I shot the computer, and it exploded. The desk caught fire, and slammed into the ground, burning everything in it's way. I dived behind a desk, as the burning one slammed into the printer, lighting the thousands of pieces of paper alight. The printer burned, and exploded, as the flames gripped the cords. The second last Japanese man dropped to the ground, as a grenade tore through the building. The other fled the building, and police shot him.

--

I left the building. The police surrounded me. I shoved them out of the way. "Some peace force you are." I told them, sarcastically, as the office building began to burn. "Might need the fire guys, too." I shook my head, and drove off in one of their vehicles. The city was nice. Much nicer than having an entire building collapsing around you, and a helicopter tearing up whatever you stepped on. But they were all Japanese. "This place has been bombed before." I told myself. I nodded, and drove toward Pearl Harbor.

--

I arrived just in time for the SS Missouri tour. I paid the fee in cash, as I got there, and noticed that several of the people in my group were Japanese people with large backpacks. We got to the security, and they brought out a lot of Fanta and Coke bottles. "Good to go?" They asked in Japanese. The security personnel waved them through. I got up to security. They saw the gun in my pocket and pulled me over. I showed them my badge. "Fair enough." They said.

--

The ship was big. But that wasn't my concern. The Japanese tourists kept dropping their bottles, and leaving them there. I watched them closely. They were smart. One of them dropped his bottle, and picked it up again, attempting to clear all suspicion. One of the pulled back, and walked alongside me. "You just can't leave alone, can you?" I looked at him, in the eye. It was the business man. "If you defuse those bombs, and leave here, no one will die. You've lost enough men." I told him. He nodded. "Yes, there have been several losses since you showed up. "But, even if I did defuse those bombs, that wouldn't save your precious Harbor." He smiled. "It's much more complicated than that."

--

I pulled him aside. "You stop whatever is going to happen to this place, and I'll let you leave this place alive." He spat, again. "I already told you, it's much more complicated than that." I grabbed him by the shoulders, and threw him against the wall of the boat, hard. The boat swayed a little. I heard the tour guide in the distance tell everyone it was the waves. "If only it was the waves." I told the man. He looked at me. "Please, call me Nagusa." I dropped one hand, and laid my entire arm over his shoulders. My other hand grabbed my gun, and I aimed it at his stomach. He smiled. "You think you can win? Just by killing me?" I looked at him. "Maybe." I readied the gun. "I can shoot, and I can kill you." Nagusa looked at me. "I know you can." I pushed the gun against him harder. "But I'm not scared." He told me. Even with me dead, the entire operation will go ahead." I spat. "You're an evil poet." I replied. I looked at him again. "Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you." Nagusa looked at me. "I can't." I held my finger on the trigger. "We both know this bullet will penetrate this entire ship, and take seven innocents with it." Nagusa nodded. "But, that won't stop the destruction. Only I can." I glared at him. "Call it off. And you live." He swallowed, clearing his throat. "I would die anyway. So, either way." I heard an explosion rock a part of the ship we'd been through. Nagusa smiled. "So it begins." I threw him on the floor, and kicked his temple. His unconscious body sagged to the ground. I ran after the tour group. They were about 100 metres away, clutching the hand rails. I looked at the Japanese people, shooting them all. The tour guide looked at me. "National security." I told her. He grabbed a whaling spear and pointed it at my heart. "Prove it." I held my gun. "Move, or I will be forced to kill you." He stood still. I held out my badge. "Counterfeit!" She hissed. "You're in on it too, it seems." I told her, smiling. She glared me. "I warned you." I fired. Her body collapsed, and I grabbed the spear before it hit the ground. "Show time."

--

"Everyone! Get off this ship. Get out of this harbor. You still have time!" I yelled. I shot a nearby security door hinge, and pulled the open with the spear. "Go!" I yelled. I turned and ran to the bow of the ship. Another explosion shook the ship violently. As of yet, no structural damage had been done. We weren't sinking. I looked out of a nearby window. "My god.." A submarine was floating in the harbor, firing at the ship. I knew where the bottles were. Then I realized. The bottles weren't bomb, they were reactants. I turned around, also realizing that security door led to an outside walkway. 12 people were using that walkway. One torpedo, and they would all.. I watched the sub fire two torpedos. One tore the security walkway from the boat. The other circled the submarine, until one of the tour people were almost ashore. The torpedo exploded on the walkway, tearing it from the shore, and the 12 people began to fall into the water, 40 feet below. They huddled together, trying to keep the walkway straight and centered. "Damn!" I yelled, as a single piece of wiring stopped the walkway from completely plummeting. The bottom of the walkway slammed into the water, and four people collapsed into the water, where a mine caught them off guard. The mines explosion shook the ship, slightly tearing the hull. The water began rushing in, and the ship slowly began to tilt and tip. The waves slammed against the walkway, and the two children lost their grip and fell, killed by another mine. The ship was rocked again, and I fell, dropping the spear. It fell down the side of the ship, into the engine room, bound to cause more damage. I ran back, battling the waves and shaking of the ship. I grabbed all the bottles I could find, and turned back, to find a huge hole in the side of the ship, and waves spilling over, into the boat. I held the bottles carefully, and put my gun back in my pocket. I sprinted toward the bow again, as the submarine tore another hole in the ship. This hole shook the entire boat, and the survivors of the tour group fell into the water, where a third and final mine sought them out, and killed them. The final explosion tore a huge hole in the side of the ship. The SS Missouri was sinking. Fast. Waves and wind spilled into the boat. I ran over the wet walkways, and made it too the bow, as the boat began tilting. I locked the door behind me, and left the bottles lying against the door. I picked one up and opened it. The liquid spilled out, revealing a small plastic explosive. I threw it into the water. The bomb shorted out, and became useless. I did the same with the others, apart from one. I took it with me. I ran up the ship, and began climbing the railings, and walkways. I threw the bottle up, and it went through a small gap between the door and the wall. "Done."

--

I climbed up to the door, as the Missouri became almost vertical. I stood on the very bow of the boat. I ran to the other side, grabbing the bottle, and ran. I could see the submarine. It couldn't see me. I reached the far side and jumped. I sailed through the air, as the Missouri sank into the water forever, it's fragile metal twisting and buckling as it hit the ocean floor. I leaned next to the submarine. I swam over, and climbed on top of it. I placed the bottle just above the cockpit, and jumped off. I swam away, and the waves carried me closer to shore. The bottle moved a little. I grabbed my gun, and shot it.

--

The bottle exploded, ripping the front of the submarine to shreds. It stood no chance against the powerful concoction of liquids in the bottle. Water immediately slipped into the submarine, quenching the flames, allowing the survivors to escape. But it was a Japanese sub. The moment there was a breach everything would shut down, to ensure survivors, in most occasions. But right now, not quite. Three men emerged from the sub, their bodies burning and melting. They collapsed into the water, the smoke rising from their bodies. I sat back on the shore, as the two security personnel looked at me, their mouths agape. I stood up. I put my gun in my pocket, and walked over to them. I looked behind them, and saw Nagusa climb out of the water. He had his gun in his hand, and he shot the two personnel.

--

"You happy?" I asked him. "Hell no!" Came his response, quick and deadly. I aimed my gun at his head, but he fired first. I rolled to the side, and fired again, my bullet slamming into his ankle. It shattered the bone, and Nagusa dropped to the ground. "No one deserves this. Call off whatever the hell it is you have planned for this place, and I will never bother your organization again out of my own will." I told him. I extended my hand out to help him, and he tried to cut my hand with a knife. I jumped back, and shot his elbow. "Never!" He screamed, his wet hair covering his blood shot eyes. He got up, and ran at me. I sidestepped him. He came back, and I dropped my gun. I grabbed his elbow, and his wrist and pushed his entire arm backwards. He screamed in pain, and I dropped him. He got up again, and charged at me a third time. I grabbed his wrist, and his fingers, and pried them away from his knife. He dropped the knife, and I knelt, holding it up with my other hand. "This is a nice knife. Shame to have some blood wreck it." I warned him. "Bah! It will be yours!" He screamed at me. I dropped him, and moved the knife. He fell next to it. "I don't want to have to kill you." I warned him again. "Arhh!" He yelled at me, as he ran forward.

--

I side stepped, and tripped him. He landed on his face. I turned, and put my back to him. He ran at me, and dived onto my back. I grabbed his wrist again, and twisted it, and twisted his entire arm. He screamed in pain, and fell off my back. I ran to my gun, and dived for it. Nagusa ran back to his knife and ran at me. I hurriedly reloaded my gun, missing the magazine slot, wasting precious time. I turned around, as Nagusa jumped and flew through the air at me. "Die!" I slammed the magazine in the slot and fired.

--

Nagusa overshot me, and I got sprayed with a small amount of blood from the wound. Nagusa, however kept going through the air. My shot hadn't hit his heart. I wanted him alive. It was my war now. He still clutched the knife, and landed hand first, breaking his wrist and fingers. I grabbed my gun again and shot just behind his kneecap. "Tell me what I want to know, and I will let you go." He just lay on the ground. "Nagusa!" I kicked him, and he rolled over, blood spilling from a wound in his heart. A wound that didn't go the whole way through. His eyes were wide open and glazed over. He was already dead. I looked around. He couldn't have shot himself; his gun was behind the two dead security personnel. His knife. It was still in his fingers. I looked at it. It was covered in blood. He had stabbed himself. Accident or on purpose, it didn't matter. He was dead.

--

The sniper climbed up the hill, and made it to the crest. Finally. It had taken him three hours to get where he was now. He pulled his rifle from his backpack, and laid it out. "Show time." He lined his eye up to the scope, and swivelled the rifle on it;s stand, trying to find me.

--

I looked around, as I stepped into my Lotus. I looked back, at the burning wreckages, and the spurting water. I knew that at least 20 people sank to the bottom of the ocean with the submarine and the SS Missouri. Nagusa lay dead on the shore. I sat down in my Excige, and shut my door. I turned the car on, and drove off.

--

The sniper watched as I drove off, staring at me, in shock. He was a profesional. And he failed. He folded his rifle back into his bag, and walked off.

--

I watched as a Japanese man stood up and walked down the hill. I spun my car around, doing a 360, and drove toward him. I slammed through a fence, and the car's bonnet was ripped to shreds. The fence bounced through the air, and slashed at my windshield. My car slammed into another fence, and it shattered my windshield. I ducked behind the dashboard, and left my foot on the acclerator. I kept going, and my car slammed into the side of a hill, and it began spiralling out of control. I kicked at the door, and the hinges snapped, as the door slammed into the ground, and buckled and shattered. I rolled out, as the car kept spinning, and smashed into another hill, and crumpled up, before exploding.

--

I stood up, to find a sniper running toward me, with his gun in hand, aiming at me. I rolled to the side, and shot his gun. The barrel broke, and he dropped the rifle, and grabbed a handgun. I rolled again, and shot him. He dropped to the ground, bleeding, as his pistol bounced down the hill. I ran up, and shot him in the head.

--

I looked over at my car's wreckage, and the glass and steel at the gaps where I had run through the fences. I looked down at my arm. "Crap!" I yelled. Blood flowed from a wound in it, where a piece of the fence had obviously sliced it. I ripped part of my pant's leg off, and wrapped it around my arm, and ran back to where I had come into the harbour from.

--

I sat back in the trolley, looking back. I slid my wallet back into my pocket, and turned around. No-one on this particular trolley was Asian, or more particularly, Japanese. I stood up, as we turned a corner, to face a scene of horror.

--

The intersection was blocked off in every direction, except the south, the direction I came from in the trolley. There were at least one hundred Japanese militia, all carrying machine guns, piling bodies and forming mantlets of debris. I stood up in the trolley, and grabbed my gun. I aimed up, at one of the Japanese men, and fired thrice. Two of my bullets glanced off the mantlet, and the third struck one of the support beams on the mantlet, and it toppled to one side. "Down!" I yelled at the trolley's passengers. One man stayed standing, and one of the Japanese men ran over and began to shoot him. Hundreds of bullets peppered his body before it finally dropped. I jumped back up, and shot the man in the head. The Japanese retaliated, and opened fire. Thousands more bullets slammed into the trolley, killing numerous people.

--

I looked around me. Everyone, bar myself and the driver, was dead, bullets leaving grisly wounds on their bodies. The driver was clutching his seat, quivering. I crawled over to him, and helped him off the trolley. "Now run." I told him. He nodded, turned and sprinted. I turned back, and looked through one of the many bullet holes. One of the Japanese men was preparing something. I squinted. "Oh god!" The man threw the grenade, and it rolled under the trolley, on the far side. The explosion flipped the trolley, and the bodies fell out, one getting caught next to me, with his head ripped apart from the gun barrage. "This is it. I guess." I said to him, as the trolley landed upside down. "They die, now." The head limped down, as if nodding.

Penboy fell to the ground. Qweety turned around. "What is it?" Penboy clutched his stomach. "Dr34m3r.. is dead." A look of shock came across Qweety's face. "It can't be." Penboy shook his head. "Yes, it can be."

The submissions clawed at my body, at my stomach, and my dead arms clutched it. Blood poured freely from my wounds, and my chain lay shattered near me. The submissions had clawed it too pieces. It was useless, even if I had survived.

Penboy looked up, as thousands of blood-stained submissions poured up into the sky, and landed around them. "See?" Qweety was in denial. "Could be anyone's." He stuttered, unsure. Penboy looked at him "Let's go get him?" Qweety looked at the tousands upon thousands of submissions surrounding them. "Argh!!" craigalan collapsed, his stomach torn in two. POIZIN turned to tend to him, but too late. A submission latched onto his back, and attacked him from behind. Pain racked his body. Vikram-V turned and killed the submissions, narrowly avoiding POIZIN's skin.

POIZIN lost his balance, and fell. "POIZIN!" Penboy screamed, and he jumped up. Qweety ran to the egde, and looked over. He watched POIZIN hit the ground and roll. "Woah!" Qweety fell off the platform, and rolled, followed by Penboy. Qweety ran over to POIZIN. There was a huge, bleeding wound in his back. Penboy grabbed Qweety's shoulder. "It's too late."

Vikram-V looked around as Splurda and e-lord fell back, blood spilling from wounds. "Dammit!" Vikram shouted. "Pull back!" He roared, over the battle. hijackreaper ran to his side. Slapdamonkeyaz collapsed, lifeless behind him. JediKiller1 dropped to the ground, watching blood seep from out of his hands, and down his leg from his knee wound.

Vikram-V looked down from the platform. 'Time to go,' he thought. He jumped off the platform. hijackreaper looked over to. "Argh!" He screamed, as a submission clawed at his back. He threw it off, and followed Vikram-V, limping as blood rushed freely from his wound.

Vikram turned around, wincing as hijackreaper just dropped to the ground. "Oh my god!" He yelled. "Run!" He grabbed Penboy and Qweety by the shoulders, and pulled them into the tunnel the submissions had dumped my body in. "Down!" Vikram dived to the ground, and Penboy dropped to his knees, and pulled hijackreaper with him.

The living threads of the platform began tearing, and pulling apart. Submissions slipped through the cracks. Some of the threads exploded. The defenders bodies rolled down into the abyss. Blood splattered around the Old Portal.

Vikram-V looked over at my corpse. There was no way I could've survived. Penboy walked over. "He's definetely gone." He turned away. Qweety jumped back. "Umm.." He said, pointing.

"Gone, am I?"

I walked up behind Penboy. "Not quite." He replied, smiling. Vikram-V nodded in my direction. I smiled. "Hello to you too, Vikram." Qweety stood look-out at the cave entrance. He turned to face me. "Nice to have you back." I laughed. "It's nice to BE back." He nodded, smiling. "What now?" Penboy asked. I looked around. "Fight back?" Qweety hit me on the back of my head. "There are four of us." He shook his head. "There are thousands of them." Vikram-V finished. "True.." I acknowledged. There was a strange silence, as Qweety watched the hordes reassemble themselves. I peeked out the cave door. "I have an idea."

I ran my hand through my hair. "Show time." I stepped forward, and turned back to face them. "Coming?" Qweety, Penboy and Vikram-V followed me. "Let's roll."

The four of us sprinted forward, and smashed into the ranks of submissions. They went flying, severed and bleeding. Vikram cleaved submissions apart. Qweety used his martial art skills to hold them off. Penboy stood between me and Vikram, creating wide arcs of space.

I sprinted forward, slashing through the thousands of entries. One jumped up through the air. I looked back at Penboy. The submission grabbed onto my face, and slashed my forehead. I clutched at my forehead, the blood seeping through my fingers. I hit the ground, and rolled over. The submissions circled around me.

"Argh!" I groaned. One of my hands clutched my forehead, while the other held my chain tight. Penboy leaped through the air, his arm also bleeding. Vikram-V soon followed. They held back the submissions around me. "Qweety..." I moaned. Vikram shook his head. He looked at his legs and feet. "That ain't my blood." I dropped my head on the ground. "Damn.." I groaned again. Penboy leaned down. "You okay?" He asked me. I shook my head. "No, not really." I struggled to say.

"Damn." Vikram-V backed up to us. "You better get ready soon. It's time to roll."

I struggled to my feet. Penboy extended his hand too me, and I grabbed it. "You're right. Time to roll." The three of us stood up. I stretched. Penboy loosened his muscles, and Vikram-V kneeled. I looked forward, at the assembled submission army.

"Let's roll."

We ran forward, and slammed into the army. My head was throbbing with pain, and the cut was still bleeding heavily. Penboy leaped to my side again. "Dr34m3r! Run!" He screamed at me, looking at the very centre of the Portal. I nodded, and sprinted forward, while my energy was draining fast. I jumped up, empowering my chain. I lashed it down. A huge burst of light slammed into the battle field in a ring, and a circle, creating a sign of peace. The submissions collapsed, as their best warriors strode into the white fire. The flames caught onto the submissions, and began decimating their ranks. "Holy crap." I muttered, still sailing through the air. I flicked my chain back up.

Penboy looked up at me, and gasped as my chain hit the ground, and created the mass of white flames. He began to run, screaming out for Vikram-V. Vikram jumped over to him. They ran together, swing outwards and forward with their weapons. They reached a wall of flame that suddenly burst up. Penboy flinched, and Vikram-V grabbed his arm, and they both ran straight through it.

The power of light slammed into them, and they became far more powerful. Many submissions chased them in. The submission's bodies began to burn, as Vikram-V and Penboy turned around. Penboy's chain shortened. In a sudden burst of light, it became a flick knife. He felt far stronger, as the light aura poured through him. Vikram's axe came longer, and almost rusted, with a stone-lookng blade. He knew that his new stone axe was far more powerful. He hacked through the submissions with ease.

I watched as Penboy and Vikram-V disappeared into the flames. "Oh my go-!" I began. I watched as Penboy and Vikram-V sprinted out of flames, with far more powerful weapons. The flames around me began to spiral higher. I watched as they began to circle around me. One of the flames wrapped around my ankle, and began softly spinning me. In the flames I could see memories. And the dead. I saw Qweety lying on the bottom of the Old Portal, as the sole warrior killed there. I also saw some warriors trying to grasp the last thread of life they had, as their wounds overcame them. I winced. No-one deserved this.

I heard something powerful. Not audible, but I felt it telling me something. I watched as the flames came closer and closer, and eventually engulfed me. The voice told me something.

"You die. They live."

The flames ripped my mouth open, and poured in, filling my body with power. They dropped me, and I rolled, spiralling down to the ground. My chain fell beside me, shattering. I looked at it, mouth agape in shock. But, the two pieces of my chain became erect, and sharp on both sides. They grew hilts, and became two katana. I got up, the ground cratering underneath the power in my body. I grabbed the two swords, and sheathed them.

"Time to go!" Vikram-V screamed to Penboy, as he bone axe cleaved through many of the dead submissions. Penboy flicked his knife back, and followed him. They ran for the centre of the Old Portal, where sudden bursts of energy erupted from a huge crater. That was where it would end.

They both ran harder, and breathed a sigh of brief relief, as the horde finally ended. There were no more submissions ahead of them, no more struggle to survive. But they had to keep going.

I jumped, and the ground smashed, and crumpled backwards, forcing huge portions of the ground backwards, cracking it. I began flying, and the wind slammed against me. But it was different. It wasn't the winds of war. It was the winds of peace, life, resurrection. Not death, or struggle, or battle, or war. Just peace. I landed, and rolled, slamming into the ground, and created a huge crater.

Vikram-V and Penboy looked back. All they saw was a massive crater with smoke rising out of it, as I stood and walked over to them. "Oh my god.." Vikram-V said, reaching his hand out. "Let's roll." I said, not looking at either of them. I began to run, and grabbed their hands, pulling them along.

We began sprinting, and I left the ground, leaving trails of smoke behind me. I stopped, suddenly, and we hit the ground. I looked at the both of them. "Before we go inside, I have one question." Vikram-V and Penboy looked at me. "What question?" Penboy asked.

"I die. You live." They looked at me, shocked. "Would you," I grabbed one of my swords, and held it in my hands. "Would you kill me?"

Penboy shook his head. "You've died once. Wasn't that enough?" I looked at the ground. "I know." Vikram-V held my shoulder. "You are asking me to kill the man who led us through a war, with, maybe, millions of casualties. I won't do it." I sheathed the sword. "Follow me then." I forced out of my mouth, before a tear escaped my eye, and fell onto the floor of the Old Portal. I looked up, and noticed that the rain had stopped, that I was dry. I also felt heavier, like a huge weight had been burdened on me. I knew what it was. Penboy, Vikram-V, Qweety, Splurda, everyone. All their lives.

The rain began to fall. I began to run. Vikram-V and Penboy followed me. The tears started to flow, faster and faster. I muttered to myself. "This ends now." I jumped, and left Vikram-V and Penboy behind, and fell into the centre of the Old Portal.

Vikram grabbed Penboy and pulled him along. They both ran after me. The Old Portal engulfed me, and the energy that had been exploding caught me, and bought me to the the very centre of Newgrounds itself. "I said," I heard the voice again. 'I know!" I yelled. I watched as a huge throne in the centre of Portal's energy turn around. There was a man sitting in it, He was created by energy. "You live, they." He paused, smiling. "DIE!"

Vikram-V and Penboy collapsed to the ground, searing pain racking their bodies, slowly killing them. Vikram-V stood. "This is what he was talking about." Penboy nodded, blood slowly seeping from his nose. "We have to do it."

I grabbed my katanas, and aimed them. The energy created a barrier, so I couldn't throw them. "Damn you!" I screamed to the man in the chair. "I am already am." I shook my head. "Pathetic bastard." I stoodon one of the strands of energy, and sprinted up it, slicing it as I went up. The barrier came closer. "Bastard!" I screamed louder, running my swords throught it, and prying to open. The strands of energy slowly closed the hole back up, covering the damamge I was inflicting. "Screw you!" I screamed again. I pulled my swords out of the barrier. "Die!" I yelled, and spin kicked the wall. The barrier shattered, and I rolled under it, as the strands of energy reco-operated. They began to chase me. I jumped.

Vikram-V looked up at me, as I shot up from the centre of Newgrounds itself. "Do it now!" I yelled at them. Penboy's mouth widened, in complete shock, as he watched what seemed like an explosions from the very centre of Newgrounds itself. I threw my katanas in front of them, and landed behind my katanas. "Fucking do it!" I screamed, as the energy spiralled towards me. Vikram-V crawled forward, grabbing one of my katanas. He collapsed as his hands wrapped around the hilt. "I'm dying." I kneeled. "I know. But, I can save your life." He looked at me. But, he was too late. The energy slammed against me. The skin on my back was torn off, and spilt. I screamed in pain, but I heard the voice again. "Once they are dead. You will never die. Only be in eternal pain." The voice laughed. "Do it Vikram!" I screamed, looking at him. He looked up at me, dying faster and faster. "Do it!" He pulled the katana from the ground. "Wait!" I said. I grabbed his hand, and pulled him up. "Penboy! Grab the katana!" I screamed. He crawled over and grabbed it. Blood seeped from my back, racking my entire body with pain. I pulled Vikram-V and Penboy onto my shoulders, my weapons in their hands. I ran toward the centre of Old Portal, away from the energy beams.

I stopped at the very edge. I put them down. "Hurry!" I screamed. I watched the beams of energy come closer and closer, aiming to tear me apart, and have me live in endless pain. "Do it!" I screamed. They were both nearly dead, and had their hands wrapped around the hilts of the two swords. I grabbed their wrists, and aimed the swords at my heart. "Push!" I screamed. I let go of their wrists, and they pushed the swords. They both pierced my heart.

My eyes widened, and I felt the heavy burden wash away, as the rain started to fall. The energy beams slammed into me, tearing me apart, and my skin was shattered and torn. They knocked me backwards, and I fell into the Old Portal, the very centre of Newgrounds itself.

The man in the throne watched in shock and horror as my body descended into the depths of Newgrounds. He stood off his throne. "Bastard." He said.

Penboy and Vikram-V stood up. They were.. alive. They could feel again. They felt no pain. No guilt. Only, peace. They looked into the Old Portal. They watched a shining man made of energy and power sit back down on a throne. It was over they realised. They turned around. "holy.." Penboy stepped forward, holding his arm out, as he saw the millions of submissions lying dead on the ground, permanently. There was no more war. No more death. It was over. Vikram-V looked in the distance. "Who's that?" He asked. Penboy squinted. "That... That is Qweety."

Qweety looked behind him. "Well, we are home." Splurda put his hand on Qweety's shoulder. He looked behind him at the amassed army of defenders. "We all are."

I sat at the edge of the Portal, watching as brand new submissions were coming through, holding my blam gun, ready to fire. Penboy came up behind me. We looked over at the Submission Factory. It was working overtime. That could either be a good thing, or a bad thing. Penboy sat down to, and he continued to stare at the Portal. It was so new. So damn new. I told Penboy, and he nodded.

Suddenly, the Submission Factory went silent. I looked over at it, and Penboy stood. I held my blam gun up, finger on the trigger.

Penboy pointed to the tunnel that connected it the Portal. A tiny file was lying stationary.

I jumped up, and we ran forward. The brand new Portal was somewhat difficult to navigate, considering it's being new. Plus, the polished floors didn't help. There were only a few submissions zooming past us, and I took a quick shot at one, and it collapsed onto the Portal floor, and it's obituary was created. We kept running, and watched as the tunnel leading to the Submission Factory was disconnected, leaving us stranded. We watched in horror as potential submissions fell into the abyss that was the Old Portal.

Penboy couldn't handle it. Beign the higher level, he grabbed his chains from his back, and moved slowly forward. I grabbed my whip, and followed him, silently. We looked down. Something exploded, emitting masses of power and energy. The New Portal shook. Penboy fell to the ground, trying to recooperate. I looked back over.

"Holy shi-"

I jumped back, mouth agape, as I watched the thousands of dead Old Portal entries swarm from the depths of Newgrounds. Penboy stood, and grabbed his chains with both hands. I fried my blam gun. Nothing. The dead entries took it. Penboy jumped forward, swinging with his chains. Several entires collapsed, permanently destroyed. "Help!" I sceamed, as Penboy fought alone to protect the New Portal. He was sweating, and his muscles were tired and sore. I handed him ym whip, and he swung with both hands, desperately trying to stop the approaching hordes.

I sprinted to the edge of the New Portal, and peered up the cliff. "Help!" emochild ran over to the cliff's edge. He grabbed his flick knife, and ran towards Penboy. "emo?" I heard from over the cliffs. Basspro55 came forward, and watched in horror and dead submissions began crawling over the edges of the abyss. emochild was already with Penboy, fighting off the hordes. Basspro55 jumped onto the polished new floor, and sprinted to help his allies, and friends. Penboy dropped to the floor, sweat dripping from his forehead, dehydrating!

SHIT came to the cliff's edge, where he saw my screaming for help. He pulled his lollipop from his pocket, and ran to Penboy's aid. I looked back at the cliff. A shiny piece of mettal and leather flew across the Portal. Rebel-V-Elite bounded from the cliff face to retrieve his wrist band. By now the hordes were being pushed back, but not far enough.

Six of us couldn't hold them for much longer. We needed reinforcements. Now.

I ran back over to where the battle was taking place, and found Penboy re-energised, and fighting, and SHIT falling back, to help the other tired fighters. We needed everyone we could get.

"Hold the line!" I ordered, and immediately, the submissions charged forward. Penboy bought the five fighters into a line. They stood there, swinging their weapons, adn holding back the dead Portal entries.

"This is our Newgrounds!" 749-Pi charged into the hordes of submissions, nkocking them all over the Portal. The-Swain followed him, more carefully, picking off those few who passed our lines.

I saw Matt come up with his two sais, aiming for The-Swain. I grabbed my whip from Penboy, who resumed single handed fighting.I swung at Matt, and caught him in the air, as he jumped for his intended victim. My whip wrapped around his ankle, and I pulled him back. He landed hard on the dirty surface between the two Portals. I spun around, dragging him with the whip. In mid-air, he sliced the whip, and went flying. I watched as he dropped his two weapons, and was fung into the abyss of the Old Portal.
"SHIT!" I yelled, as he ran to my side. "Do your thing."

He strode forward, twirling his lollipop in the air. He slammed it into the ground, and knelt, smiling. The ground cracked, and all the Portal's defenders moved back, as a single bridge was formed, and the surface between the Portals fell away. He stood again, pulling his weapon from the ground. You shall not pass."

SHIT held his lollipop in front of himself, smiling. To Penboy and I, it was as if he was beckoning for the submissions to attack him. Severeal dead entries rushed forward. SHIT slammed his lollipop back into the ground. "I already told you. Your not passing." He smeered, smiling still.

The ground shook a little. "That could be bad.." I said. SHIT's smile disappeared. The dead entires all fell back. He all watched in utter silence. The ground shook again, more violently than before. SHIT's bridge cracked. "SHIT!!" I yelled. He turned to face me, expressionless. "Oh god..."

Penboy stepped forward, the chains leaving tiny scratches on the surface of the New Portal's floor. El-Duego came sprinting down the cliff face, ready for action, followed by Hardcoded Ham.

I turned to face the defenders. SHIT stood, facing me, preventing the contamination of the Old Portal from reaching us. "Move the ruins of Old Newgrounds to this area, create a chokehold."

I turned to SHIT. "How long can you hold it for?"
"Few hours."
"Good. It's time to roll."

SHIT stood dutifully, holding back the amassing hordes of dead flash.

I sat at the bottom of the cliff, waiting for more reinforcements. I heard the shuffling of feet overhead, and watched as Slapdamonkeyaz, FluffyBunnyMan and Splurda jumped onto the New Portal's surface. I looked around, as they approached me. Only now I wish we hadn't used those blam guns so much. The bleeding corpses of thousands of fresh submissions littered the surface.

Everything was moved, and in position. We had two huge pillars blocking off most of the New Portal's surface, protecting it from possible harm. Penboy walked over to me. "We are done."
"Good." I replied. "Gather everyone around."

I stood, encircled by the Portal's brave defenders, and addressed them. "The Portal is everything. The capital of Newgrounds. Without it, NG would crumble. We would be left with nothing. This has hapened ONCE before. And it will not happen again! Rise, warriors."

craigalan slipped off the cliff, and landed near me. We shared a moment of looking at each other, before I helped him up. "Rise."

craigalan drew his glove, Rebel-V-Elite his wrist band, Basspro55 his black, quartz nunchuks, ny whip, as too with Hornby's. 749-Pi fitted his glove to his hand. SHIT stood at the bridge, raising his hand in agreement. emochild sharpened his flick knife, and The-Swain polished his knuckle busters. Penboy grabbed his chain, and swung it over his head. Hardcoded-Ham punched the air, with his bare fists, while Hitman threw his flick knife skywards, catching it again. Kuro slammed his chain on the ground, and whipped with it. El-Duego slipped his boxing glove on. FluffyBunnyMan's rusted iron weapon was brandished. Piss rubbed his hand gently over his sharp, pointed knuckle spikes.
Slapdamonkeyaz held his knuckle busters high, and Splurda practicec his fighting skills.

We were ready.

"Guys!!" SHIT yelled. I turned to look at him.

Blood was dripping from his nostrils from the effort. "Dr34m3r!" Penboy called. I looked in his direction, and followed where he was pointing. "Oh my god!" The dead submissions were charging SHIT. "SHIT!!"

It was too late. The submissions, and old entires slammed into SHIT's shield, and shattered it. The thousands upon thousands of entires poured over the dead soldier's corpse, and tore it to pieces.

SHIT's lollipop fell from the bridge, and tumbled into the Old Portal. Penboy and I watched in horror. "Charge!" I screamed, running forward. I was swinging my whip over my head, and smashed into the Old Portal's ranks. My whip smashed one of the entries head on, shattering it's simple form. Penboy rushed to my aid, and swung madly. His chain cracked like lightning, as it rent submissions in two, and split them down the the middle.

Splurda, Qweety, Slapdamonkeyaz, Piss and Hardcoded Ham vaulted the small barricade, and smashed into the horde. Slapdamonkeyaz was slashed, and thrown aside, reeling in pain, his arms torn open, and leg ripped off. Piss spent the rest of his precious life watching Slapdamonkeys flying through the air, until the horde devoured him. His neck was broken, and his throat slashed. The body simply collapsed.

"Pull back!" I shouted. Qweety ran toward the barricade, but was stopped just before he could reach it. I stretched out ym whip, and struck down two submissions. This gave Qweety the time he needed to reach us. "Hardcoded!" I screamed. "Where's Splurda?" Hardcoded Ham began sprinting back, carrying a body on his shoulders. I winced as I saw what had become of the body.

"Tonight, you dine in the Old Portal, you dead bastards!" I looked behind me. JediKiller1, with his glove on, jumped into the middle of the horde. His shockwave sent those near him flying up into the air. "Jedi!" I yelled. "Get back here." JediKiller1 ignored me. "This is my town."

I watched as Hardcoded-Ham brought back the lifeless corpse of SHIT. "Quick!" Hardcoded jumped the barricade, as Penboy and I lashed away at the attackers. Then I saw something.

It was mine. An old Flash, that I submitted to the Old Portal. That hurt me alot. iI stopped attacking as it came closer. But it was evil now. It was trying to kill me. I couldn't.. couldn't do.. do it. I couldn't bring myself to kill it, even if I was threatened. Penboy followed my gaze. He lashed out with his chain, and shattered the old file. Permanently. My hold was broken, and I was dazed. I heards creaming come from the cliff top. "They will never take our Portal!!!" Vikram-V flew off the cliff, and landed right in front of the barricade, swinging his axe. Many dead submissions fell at his hands. e-lord and POIZIN followed Vikram-V into the battle. JediKiller1 watched as the three freidns plummeted into battle. He began to run, but his leg was caught, and slashed. "Argh!!" He screamed.

His calf muscle was torn and bleeding. He dived for the barricade, but slammed against it. Penboy reached over, and gradbed his collar, as Vikram-V killed the flashes trying to kill him.

I watched as the horde kept growing. But, I had an idea. And I would need everyone.

Penboy!" I shouted, as he ran back to me. "We have to cut our way through. Now." Penboy nodded.

He sprinted back over to the weary men. "Get the bodies!" Hardcoded Ham gave the body of SHIT over to me. "Everyone! Follow my lead!" I jumped onto the barricade, whipping and slashing at the dead entries. Penboy followed me, carrying the body of Splurda. "Someone! Get Slapdamonkeyaz!" Penboy ordered.

Vikram-V sprinted for the area where Slapdamonkeyaz was thrown. His moans were still fairly audible, making the task somewhat easier. His axe was busy swinging, cleaving through several stupider, unlucky entries. One submission grabbed his axe, and began crawling up it, carefully.

Vikram-V was shaking his arm intensely, trying to pry the climbing dead submission off. It wasn't doing anything. "Damn!' He said too himself. He continued to swing at attacking flashes, to no avaiul. "Screw this!" He said, throwing the axe forward, and into a wall. The dead submission on the axe slaughtered; the axe sliced straight through it, and Vikram jumped. He hit the wall, and grabbed his axe, and pushed off, sailing through the air.

Slapdamonkeyaz watched as Vikram ran toward him, only to jump away, until he hit the wall. The strong man landed, and rolled, army style, swinging his axe as he came up. He jumped over to Slapdamonkeyaz, and grabbed him up with one hand. Vikram began runnign again, swinging his axe wildly. Slapdamonkeyaz attacked when and where he could.

ManMadeKing jumped down the cliff, and ran over the barricade, weakly finger laser-ing the submissions. Penboy jumped back to help him. "Damn!" I yelled.

They were poruing over th bridge too quickly. We neede everyone in one spot. "Pull back!" I ordered, and everyone began running back.

Vikram-V, with Slapdamonkeyaz, jumped over the heads of some of the sbumissions, and resumed his endless run-slaughter mission.

The submissions watched as their tragets regrouped to hit them hard again. The submissions pulled back tot he bridge, leaving hundreds of metres between the two armies. The enemy had onyl taken three casualties. That wasn't enough.

The submissions fell back once more, across the bridge. I watched them turn their backs, and we feigned to fallback. Quietly, I leaned on the barricade and issued a single command. "Charge."

Quickly and quietly, the Portal's brave defenders climbed the barricade, placing the wounded and dead behind it, sheltering them. I was beginning to feel stronger. It was s trange sensation. Suddenly, my whip exploded in a burst of white light. I was thrown backwards, smashing hard against the cliff leading to the other areas of Newgrounds. The cliff collapsed, and three new defenders ran forward. BrAddErZ958 ran down, followed promptly by hijackreaper. kingdarkeyes followed them both down the cliff. kingdarkeyes' lollipop reminded me immediately of SHIT. He was a brave man.. Lost?

I looked over to where the dead and wounded had been lying, and saw them standing, weapons at the ready. I also noticed that Penboy and the others had reached the bridge. "Charge!" I screamed, looking for my whip.

Slapdamonkeyaz began rushing, as his arm was enveloped by a white aura, and regenerated. Splurda's body was healed, as he stopped limping, and began full out sprinting. SHIT stood, and walked over to me. "Hello. General." He turned, and ran for the dead submission army. "hijackreaper, BrAddErZ958, kingdarkeyes? Let's roll."

kingdarkeyes, BrAddErZ958, ManMadeKing and myself stepped over the barricade. "You ready?"

"Wait!' i turned around. Diphallia rolled down the path I had left in the cliff, and onto the New Portal floor. "Come on Diphallia. Let's go." The five of us sprinted toward Penboy and the other defenders, who had stopped about ahlf-way across the bridge, hiding. Diphallia, kingdarkeyes, BrAddErZ958, myself and ManMadeKing ran past Penboy, and trhoguh the other defender's ranks. "Charge!" I screamed, as we all, 28 of us, ran for the army of hundreds of thousands. Penboy's, Kuro's and my chain slashed through many of the dead submissions, permanently deleting them.

"Stack the bodies!" I ordered, as Penboy, Kuro and I stood at the forefront of our men, slashing with our whips. Hardcoded Ham began stacking the piles and piles of dead submissions nearby, while craigalan and The-Swain ran back and started piling up the dead we killed earlier.

At the same time, Basspro55, Hornby, emochild, Hitman, FluffyBunnyMan, Vikram-V, e-lord, and POIZIN jumped toe forefront, with Penboy, Kuro and I.

Hardcoded Ham ran up behind me. "General, we're done the stacking!"

"Good. Get the rest of the defenders behind the-." Mario5789 rolled down the cliff to the Portal as well, and ran over. I looked around. "We need something more powerful." I said, still swinging my chain. " Mario5789 overheard me. He and Hardcoded Ham looked around, while kingdarkeyes, Piss and Splurda helped the other defenders get behdin the stack of bodies.

Mario5789 tapped my shoulder. "Sir. I found it."

I looked at Mario5789. "Look." It was huge. A turret. A blam turret. "Good job." Everyone! Pull back. SHIT!"

"Yes, sir?"
"Shield?"
"Just for you." He stepped forward again. SHIT satbbed his lollipop back into the ground, and formed the shield once again. Everyone gathered around SHIT, holding their weapons. "Charge!" Penboy leaped into action, leading 27 brave defenders into battle. I ran toward the blam turret, used for raids and spammers. I lashed out with my chain, and grabbed the turret's barrel, and flipped onto the seat.

"Show time." I turned the turret on. But it didn't work. "Damn." I pulled my chain back toward me. I tried again. Still nothing. I looked over at the battleground. Penboy was leading a quick skirmish. Vikram-V jumped onto the back of the turret. "Vikram?" I asked. "Yep. Let's get this baby going."

I fired it up again. It flashed to life. "Let's go." Vikram-V ran towards Penboy and the defenders. "You first." He winked.

I followed Vikram-V with the turret, and looked over at Penboy. "Oh my god.." The dead submissions were piling on top of each other, and jumping on the defenders. Penboy's chain was swinging around, through the air, knocking submissions flying around everywhere.

I jumped from the blam turret, and called out to Vikram. "Vikram! Wait!" He couldn't hear me. "Dammit!" I chased after him. He reached the bridge, and jumped onto the pile of dead submissions. "Vikram!" I called again. He turned to face me.I stopped running. "Pull everyone back, off the bridge. I have an idea." Vikram jumped off the front of the pile, and ordered for Penboy and the defenders with him. Everyone heard the command, and sprinted back, defending themselves as they went. Penboy stopped at the pile of bodies we stacked. " I'll do it!" I yelled to him, running for the gun. He nodded, and sprinted back.

I jumped into the turret seat. The submissions were slamming against the barricade of bodies we stacked. "Die!" I fired the gun. It's huge, powerful guns opened fire immediately. The bridge was hit hard. It's sides were battered and smashed, and the body pile we created was set alight from the plasma bullets. The submissions began to burn, as I decimated their front line. I aimed for the bridge once again, and continuted my barrage. Beep. Beep. "Oh, god no." The blam turret was low on energy. Once it's energy was expended, it would explode.

I jumped outta the turret seat, and attached a line piece of cable to the trigger. I pulled it lightly, and it fired. The bridge finally gave way, and the hundreds of dead submissions on it fell into the Old Portal's abyss.

I turned my head away from the blast, and pulled the trigger, accidentally, expending the last of the turret's energy. The seat exploded, and the barrels themselves flew through the air, as the remainder of the turret burst into vicious tongues of flame. The cable burned. I watched the turret barrel spiral through the air, and land in the gap between the two Portals.

I stopped, and stared, as floods of dead, blammed submissions, swarm across the turret wreckage, over to the New Portal.

"Why now?"

I stood behind the turret's burning barrle, and watched as countless sawrms of dead, failed submissions crawled across it, towards me. "Penboy!" I shouted. He loked over at me, from the ruins of the bridge. Then he nodded, and sprinted towards me. Chain in hand.

The others stood and watched, shaking their heads. "They'll never survive." hijackreaper looked at them. "Huh? But.. we....we..didn't we?"
"Yes, we fought with them, but that was all of us, not just two. Two will never be able to beat back that entire force. Let alone defeat it."
hinjackreaper's mouth was wide open. "Fine. But you never said anything about three."
"Wha-?"
hijackreaper slid his wristband onto his wrist, and followed Penboy.

"Ah!" I screamed, as the submissions surrounded me. I was standing in the middle of the barrel. It was extremey unsteady, but I couldn't unlodge it. And that would kill me. One fo the submissions hit me in the back, and I fell. "Argh!" My nose was bleeding, and I tried to get up, but I was pushed down. One of the submissions came forward, and stood over me. It smiled, evily, grinning to itself. "Time to d- Augh!" I watched a huge metal chain smashed it head on. The submission split in two, and went flying. I looked around, and saw Penboy standing near me, holding off the impending forces. Then I saw it. A green, glowing rod. A fusion reactor.

"Down!" hijackreaper sprinted next to Penboy, and beganto attack the submissions. He looked at me, lying on the ground. I got up, slowly, and began attacking again, wiping the blood fom my nose. I ran back to Penboy and hijackreaper, and began swinging my chain around. "Guys!" I puffed. "I... have... had an.. idea." I muttered. "Yea?" Penboy asked. "hijack! Come closer." He ran oward me, and stood on the other side of me, punching the submissions as they came closer. "I need to hit that fusion reactor, and destory his barrel once and for all. Got it?" Penboy nodded. "I think so."
"Me too." agreed hijackreaper.
"Good. Now, I'm gonna neeed your weapons."

Penboy handed me his chain, and hijack gave me his wristband. "Now, cover my back!" I srpinted forward, again, toward the fusion rod. Penboy threw some submissions off the turret barrel, and into the abyss. hijackreaper kicked some down some of the old entries. I dropped to my knees, sliding tackling a few enemies.

The others stood and watched as Penboy, hijackreaper and I defended ourselves from thousands of dead submissions. Vikram-V stepped forward, ready to help us. Splurda stopped him. "It's their fight now." Vikram nodded. Still, he thought to himself, they might need some help.

"We neeed more help!' I screamed over the rush of battle. Penboy's constant grunting, as he punched and kicked back submissions, and hijackreaper's panting. I wrapped the two chains around the fusion rod, pulling a little hard. My grip slipped, and I slid my hand along the fusion rod. "Argh!" I cried, as it burned at my hand. Penboy looked over at me. "You okay?" He asked. "I'm fine, cover your own back." He nodded, and continued to defend himself. I spat on my hand to cool it, and grabbed the chains again. I wrapped it around, and tied them together. Small explosions of green power kept erupting from the rod. I shielded my face, and grabbed hijack's wrist band. I slid it over the two chains, and onto the fusion rod, and tightened it to hold the two chains in place.

"I'm done!" I screamed, to Penboy and hijackreaper. "Let's move!" I pointed in the direction of the others. I wrapped the longer chain around my wrist and, grabbed it. "Run!" Penboy and hijackreaper bolted, as I stood on the bridge.

I looked at the fusion rod, as I followed Penboy and hijackreaper. "Say goodbye." I pulled the chains, and snapped the wristband. The fusion rod split, and exploded slightly, tearing a hole in the barrel. I turned around, staring in amazement at how terribly that had worked. I swore, and pulled our two chains apart. "Dammit!" Penboy said, coming closer. "Was that the plan?" hijackreaper asked. "Not quite." I replied, still in shock. We watched a few more careless submissions tumble into the abyss below. "Wait..." Penboy held my shoulder. "I have an idea." I looked at his in surprise." "What is i-..." He was already running toward the fusion rod. He jumped. "No!" I screamed, and caught his leg with my whip. I pulled him back. "I'll do it." This is my fight now."

Penboy lay on the ground, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and hijackreaper stood, mouth wide open in shock, as I ran forward into thousands of dead submissions.

My chain felt even more powerful now. I sprinted forward again, feeling strange energry flowing through me, as if coming from Newgrounds itself, wanting me to save it. The energy was giving me power, as I decimated the .swf hordes. I jumped up, and whipped with my chain.

The fusion rod reacted, and exploded in a huge explosion of gas, liquid, flame and energy. It was the most insane thing I'd ever seen, and I was in the middle of it. I swung around, amidst the thousands of submissions clinging onto life. I swung at them with my chain, putting them out of their misery. A huge tongue of flame licked at my body, and singed my singlet. "Argh!" The smoke cleared for a half aasecond, and I watched myself plummet into the Portal's abyss.
"Fuck."

Penboy looked over the edge. "He's falling!" hijackreaper ran to his side. "Dammit!"
"POIZIN, Kuro!" POIZIN and Kuro ran to Penboy. "Weapons. I'm going in after him." POZIN, a little shocked, handed Penboy his weapon. Kuro gave Penboy his chain. "Careful with it."
"I always am." Penboy winked. "See ya when I get back." Kuro shook his head in amazement. "Bloody Aussies."

I looked down. There was a huge white platform. I ht it, and army rolled onto my back. I was puffing. My nose was still bleeding, and a cut near my ribs had been opened, and was bleeding. My chain hit the platform hard. It bounced, and landed on my chest, and spiralled around my heart.

Penboy gave one end of POIZIN's whip toVikram-V, who had gathered the legions of defenders. "Hold on tight." Penboy eased himself over the edge, and let go. He fell, catching up to the end of the chains, as they unraveled. "I'm coming Dr34m3r."

I stood up, and let the chain loosen itself, and collapse onto the platform. The platform was glowing. That was strange. I looked around, and a white, glowing bridge extended from the platform, almost as if in anguish from pain, as if it was alive.

"So we meet again, Dr34m3r."

I stared into the bright light. The man emerging from it left it tainted with his evil. The bright light suddenly became unbearable to look at, as it radiated extreme pain. "Do you feel it, Dr34m3r?" The man let his hand slide down to his belt. "That was what I felt. When you threw me, you worthless bastard!'
"Dr34m3r!" I looked behind me. It was Penboy. "Who are you?" He asked the man that stood before us both. "I am you. Only, more bizzare." He charged at us, swinging his two daggers. I flicked my chain up, knocking of his strokes sidewards, and Penboy deflected the other. "Oh my god.." I said, briefly catching a glimpse of his face. "You survived?"

Matt nodded, obviously in pain. Penboy stood, momentarily suspended in shock. "I.. killed you. No-one could've survived that." He smiled; a distorted twist on the scarred remains of his face. "You're right. No-one did." He charged forward at us. I jumped back, opening my mouth slightly. "Obviously. "

He charged at us both again. I flicked my chain, and whipped his wrist, har.d He flew back through the air in a somersault, and landed perfectly. "If that was supposed to hurt, then ouch." I looked at him, in amazement. "I swear I killed this guy, Penboy." He nodded. "So would I."

We both ran forward, swinging our chains into his stomach. I thurst mine up, into his chin. He tumbled over and landed on the edge of the living bridge. The pain emanating from the empty shell of a man caused the bridge to squirm. He was slowly being pushed backwards. I walked over to him, as he struggled to hold on. "Surrender, and your death will be swift." He spat. "I will never give you that pleasure. Fool." He grabbed his daggers, and sliced the bridge. One of the recoiling pieces spiralled backwards, and slammed me in the face. "Argh!" The wound in my nose was re-opened. My nose began pouring blood.

I stood up, wiping my nose for the third time. "It shouldn't be this easy." Penboy tapped my shoulder. "It isn't." The rain began pouring down.

"Oh my frickin' God.." The entire cliff face collapsed before us, and the tnire might of the dead submissions army descended with it. "Umm.. Now what?" Penboy shrugged. "We fight?" I just stared at the army. "Mkay." We charged forward, our chains flying. "Cover my back!" Penboy jumped behind me, and we fought off the hundreds of thousands enemies that threatened our lives.

Dr34m3t emerged from within the small cave that Matt had come from. "I am a weapon." He said, looking at Penboy and I. "Fools. Dead fools."

He rushed at us, twirling his.. lollipop? I looked over at him. That... was too familiar. "SHIT!!" I screamed. That was his lollipop, tainted by the extreme aura of evil that emanated from Matt. "What? You surprised to see me?" I looked over in one of the corners of the transforming, now square platform. Matt stood, waving and smiling at me.

"How many times do you have to die?" I screamed, as I ran at him, trusting Penboy with the task of surviving the endless hordes. I swung my chain rapidly and violently, and Matt blocked my blows with ease. He knew they were coming. He knew how I fought. Dr34m3t reached me as well, and Matt struck him in the stomach. "I said, AFTER I'm done!" Matt yelled at the wounded man.

The rain was pouring harder than before. The platform was wet and slippery. I stood still, swinging my chain, forcing Matt to keep shfiting his position, depending on my attack. I knew that one single slip-up would force him to surrender. Or die. I struck at his knees with the middle section of my chain, and flicked it up, toward his face. Matt blocked both blows, but I struck again. He didn't have three hands, but I had enough chain length. The last blow caught him in the crotch. I hit again and again, and again. I kept slamming his crotch, until he collapsed onto the ground.

Matt's eyes were wide open, and I had slammed the air out of his body. He was dying. Finally. "It didn't have to end like this, you know." I said, staring at him. He nodded, drooling in pain, and trying to get air back in his system. "But, it did. I told you, surrender, and die quickly. Now, do you surrender?" Matt nodded. I raised my chain high in the air, and brought it down, shattering the bones and organs in his neck.

He died instantly, and permanently. Dr34m3t clutched his stomach, stopping the blood flow. He stared at me with wide eyes, shocked that I could slay his master. "I..I.." He tried. "Come here." I urged him. "Come closer." He stood up, and I put my arm around his shoulder. I reached across his torso, and grabbed my chain. I pulled it up to his throat, and tightened, and then twisted.

His body collapsed, and I turned to check on Penboy. He jsut about collapsed, but stood up again, ready to die for me. I grabbed the two bodies, and carried them toward Penboy. I threw them down on the ground, and immediately the submissions' assault stopped.

"This," I shouted to them. "This, these two men were the epitome of destruction in these place. They are dead, and now what? You drew your power from them, you relied on them. You LIVED off them." I spat, ridding my mouth of blood. "Now what?"

"We know."

I turned around. The entire army of Portal defenders stood, ready to battle their way through the hordes, for the final time. I laughed. "So do I, now." I spun my chain around. Penboy nodded. "You guys, take the front." I said. craigalan stood forward, with Kuro, POIZIN, Vikram-V and e-lord. "Time to fight.

I watched as almost 30 brave men marched toward that horde of thousands. Vikram-V's axe was sharp and ready to kill. e-lord had blunted his wrench, and POZIN's whip was wet, and ready to use. Everyone was ready to fight. Vikram-V stood right to the front. "This has happened twice before, and both times we retreated." He spat. "Not this time."

"Holy..." Penboy managed to squeeze out of his gaping mouth as the two armies descended on each other. craigalan punched around, but was killed by a barrage of blows. His body was thrown into the abyss of the Old Portal. I stood up straight, smiling, suddenly. "Umm, Dr34m3r? What are you thinking?" I looked at him. Then, I frowned. "Possibly, suicide." Penboy grabbed my shoulder. "What?" I pushed it off. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."

I ran. "Dr34m3r!" Penboy yelled out. The fighting stopped, and every single warrior watched as I plummeted into the Old Portal's abyss. Vikram's mouth fell wide open.

As soon I fell below the platform, I felt power emanating from the Old Portal. "So, that was what drove Matt mad." I said to myself." I landed, and rolled. I felt my light aura intensify. It was insane. I ran toward the centre of the Old Portal. Submissions continutede to spew out, but up, and couldn't hurt me. My chain was emanating strength, and light.

"Time to end this."

I sprinted forward, and jumped into the emerging submissions. They clawed at me, but I held them off as I fell. Hundreds of submissions attacked me, as I descended into the very essence of the Old Portal. I swung with my chain, as though we were one being. I felt my light aura become intensififed again, but this time in extreme proportions. It was overwhelming. I couldn't stop it...

I...I tried to stand up. But I couldn't. .I.. tried again. I failed again. I.. I died.