The Sand Dunes (Hara, open)

[sean]

*Watching an endless sea of blinding sand for hours was a horendous job but it had to be done sometimes. Speirs' squad was waiting in this area for an envoy. They had received intel that a Taliban leader was going to be passing with eqquiped bodyguards. It was his job to either take them all as prisoners, or kill them all. He usually prefered to take them prisoners but not today. He was tired of waiting, considering they had been waiting for the past week. On sight, they would quietly surround them, and kill them all. Better a leader dead than alive to make decisions.*

*Two years ago, his squad of twenty men had been formed. The three who he had ressurected that week were still alive, and almost all the others had been ressurected. He had lost one person permenantly after ressurecting him. They had been caught in suppressive fire and LCprl Simmons was shot in the eye. He died immediately, but Speirs got to him quickly. It didn't take him two seconds till Simmons was up and firing away again. Before they had taken the area, another shot caught Simmons in the chest. He had breathed hard and Doc worked hard, but couldn't save him. That was the day they all realized their ressurection could be short-lived.*

*Nineteen men left in his squad, but Speirs did not worry too much. They were all extremely well trained and had all their own unique talents, though none as far as a mutant ability. Speirs was proud of his men, but the war was not over yet and there were still men to kill.*

*His men sat, snacking and chatting as Speirs and Cole kept watch on the route the Taliban should be using. It was another boring day without any luck. As Speirs crept back to the little encampment his men had made to assign the next watch, a sound whistled through the air. All the men stood, afraid it was a mortar. But Speirs could tell somehow it was not an enemy missile. It was something else he did not know. Then, from behind the encampment, a bright flash blinded the men and shook the ground. No one stayed standing and everyone grabbed their different weapons. They all split into teams to check out what had exploded just over the dune.*

[hara]

*Hara stood up from the sand and shook herself off. She looked around and noticed one thing. She did not remember anything that happened right before she fell. No memories of when she was younger, any people she knew, nothing. She felt as if there was one memory, but it would not surface. She rubbed her eyes and looked up. Above her on the top of a sand dune stood twenty men all dressed in military uniforms. How she knew that, she did not know. Hara walked slowely up to the men and the men shied back a bit except for one. He put his weapon to his side and knelt on one knee.*

My name is Sean Speirs. Who are you and how did you get here? Where are your parents?

*Hara cocked her head. This was not her native language, whatever that was, but she understood it perfectly. She must be a mutant. How did she know what that was? Hara looked at the men around her and looked back to Speirs.*

"Star."

[sean]

*Speirs looked closely at the child and nodded.*

"We will take you back to base as soon as our mission is done. Garcia, you are incharge of her till the mission is over. Everyone, pack up. We are heading out to find the envoy."

*Garcia started murmuring that he had to take care of some little kid when he was supposed to be doing the mission, but Speirs gave him a hard look: Do it or leave. Garcia nodded and attempted to take hold of Star's hand. But she quickly side-stepped him and stood next to Speirs, looking in his eyes. She said nothing, which was a little eery.*

"Star, I cannot take care of you. I need to lead this mission... You don't understand."

*She furrowed her brows and a silent conversation was held between the two. Speirs shook his head, defeated, and started helping the men pack up. They headed off to find the envoy.*

*As they walked along the route, Star stayed right next to Speirs but did not do anything that interrupted or annoyed him. If she was going to leave him alone but stay close, he was fine with that. Right before they passed the next dune, Star stopped walking, her eyes zoning to another place. Speirs stopped also and touched her shoulder. At that moment, shots rang out as they found themselves face to face with the Taliban leader and his escort bodyguards. Star quickly regained her bearings and ran behind and stayed behind Speirs. He quickly forgot about her and took cover behind the dune. None of his men were shot, luckily. He issued hand signals, his men nodded, and soon all the Taliban members were dead.*

*Speirs went through the leader's belongings, finding a few papers that looked promising. He stuffed them in his pack and stood. Everyone prepared and they all headed back to the base that was 20 miles on foot.*

[cain]

He had been watching Speirs from a safe distance, though able to remain in sight of the man and his squad. His interest had increased when he realized the man could bring people back to life. He studied the team of soldiers, but his interest was turned upward towards something that seemed to be falling from the sky. As he watched, a came up from the crater that was made, walking up to the Speirs. She seemed attached to the man immediately, and as they continued, they stopped and were suddenly attacked. He scratched his chin thoughtfully as he watched Speirs search the leader and place something into his pocket.

"Hmm...perhaps I will watch this little show for a while. The humans can be so entertaining."

He chuckled, thinking he could help the other side if this group of soldiers didn't join him. His form changed into the likes of the sand beneath him and slowly began to carry him along side the team.

[sean]

*The group walked for a few hours, and eventually reached the base: a rude excuse of a fort. As they approached the entrance, Speirs stopped. He looked down at Star, who had said nothing at all since giving her name. He kneeled down in front of her and stared hard at her. She did not move a muscle.*

"I don't know how I'm going to explain you, but somehow it'll work out."

*Speirs looked at his men. They either shrugged or shook their heads. So, they headed into the base. Stares followed them as they headed inside. Not moments before they were twenty feet into the compound did the man in charge, Major Birkley and his lackeys marched right up to him and pointed a finger at the child. He wanted to know who this child was and why she was with Speirs.*

"Sir, she was wandering the desert and says her family was killed by the Taliban. I thought it best to bring her here so we can take her to a Pakistan orphanage."

*Star looked up at Speirs questioningly, the first emotion shown for a while. The Major shook his head and asked why she was wandering out in the desert miles from the closest town. Speirs did not have an answer. The Major rolled his eyes and handed him a manila envelope then walked away. Speirs immediately opened the envelop and read the first paper. After quickly scanning it, he stopped, his fists clenching the paper hard, then threw them on the ground. He almost burst out, but kept his cool, mostly. His men stared at him questioningly.*

"I've been ordered back to the states." He picked up the papers, calming himself down. "But so have all of you. We are to disburse our group. None of us are to ever cross overseas for a tour again. We are retired."

*He looked at his men who now looked down-trodden. He also looked at Star, whose puzzled look had vanished. He wondered who would have issued this order, but it didn't say anywhere on the papers, which was strange.*

"Star, you'll come with me back to the States. I won't leave you here since you speak english, but when we get there, I'll drop you off at an orphanage."

*She didn't move a muscle or show any sign of understanding. Speirs sighed, stood, and headed to his barracks to pack his things. He was not at all happy.*

[cain]

"Taliban eh?"

Cain once again was standing on the dunes not far from the base. He smirked and chuckled at the thought of one army against another. How foolish and simple humans were to think a threat could just vanish when taken care of. Cain was one of the few that knew that a threat was like a roach. You place a light on it and it runs, but keep it in the dark long enough and it will continue to grow and spread.

"I wonder." he thought to himself, "What would happen if these...Taliban's became more of a threat."

Cain had spent a good portion of his days on earth admiring the Taliban army. He laughed and applauded their work at 9/11. With some studying of his own he had learned their language as well as others. He laughed as he allowed the sand to move him to where the Taliban base was. It didn't take him long to find them either with the jeeps moving back and forth. He walked into the Taliban base, taking down any who tried to attack him until he came to the leader.

In his right hand he carried a suitcase, which he had planned to give to the side that joined him. The leader looked to him curiously, but when Cain opened the case, revealing weapons of unknown origin, the Taliban leader's grin grew as big as his. Cain reached into the case and pulled out a small control and handed it to him.

"Please, consider this a token of my esteem for your commitment to the cause. A press of a button on the controller, and you will have an army unlike any other at your disposal."

The leader and Cain shook hands, forming an alliance that seemed to be in their favor. What Cain didn't tell them, was that after the threat to them was eliminated, then the sentinels would turn and destroy the Talibans.

[sean]

*Speirs was packing his equipment roughly, many things going through his mind at once. What was going on? Why was he, a highly valued marine, being sent home? It just made no sense. Sure he had been here two more years than was issued but it wasn't like he had a family to go home to. His father, a retired General, and mother were proud of him being overseas protecting their rights. He didn't have any siblings, no wife or children. All his childhood friends had dissapeared from his circle after he joined the military. There was nothing left for him in the States.*

*Star sat on the edge of the bunk next to Speirs', watching closely. She understood the situation, but wondered why he would be so mad. As Speirs grabbed a few books off his bed, a photograph floated to the floor. Star jumped off the bunk and knelt down, picking up the picture. It was a gray-scale, old faded photo of a woman from the 40's. On the back there was a note in beautiful cursive signed to Sean. All of a sudden, Speirs yanked the photo out of Star's hands. He looked at her sternly, then placed the photo in his chest pocket. Then he sighed.*

"My mother would not want me to come back without finishing this war. She and my father expect me to receive a Medal of Honor and pretty much end this war myself. My father, a retired general, wants me to follow his footsteps as general... Guess that's not happening."

[cain]

Cain smiled as the deal was done, and the Taliban leader gathered all of his men for one last raid on the American base. Cain chuckled as he watched all the jeeps drive off into the distance. He could tell that the show was going to be an amazing one, so once again he changed his form with that of the sand around him, and allowed it to carry him back to the the American's base.

As his form appeared on the sand dunes far enough away from the base to not be seen easily, yet still see the base from his point of view. He looked over in the distance to see when the jeeps will be coming for it's final raid.

"Humans are so easy. Give them enough taste of power, and they think they're gods."

[hara]

*As the group of men headed for the plane that was to take them home, Star stopped. She took on her distant look as a man bumped into her. He swore at her, telling her to move along. Speirs heard the comotion and quickly stepped in. He grabbed the man's collar and was about to hit him square in the face when he heard a rumble. It wasn't a rumble akin to an LAV, tank, or any of the like. It sounded more like a sand jeep. Speirs looked at Star closer; she had returned back to normal but fear was written all over her face. He understood.*

*At that moment, gunfire rang out. Star jumped at the sounds, but did not grab at her ears like most civilians would. It was as if she had been around it before, but not too much. Spiers grabbed her and told his men to take position. Right then, an explosion brought down the makeshift gate. The Taliban and their bazookas...*

*Gunfire rang out for the better part of an hour, with explosions going every fifteen minutes. (Question, what did you give them Cain? I dun get it...*

[cain]

(mainly weapons created from the alien technology taken from Apocalypse's lab, and a switch to call Sentinels . You can have fun with what the weapons do)

[kitty]

((Ok. Well then Mr. "I'll give them alien technology and let them play around for a while"... I don't entirely know what kind of weapons that would entail, but we shall just skip to the part where they press the Sentinal button ))

[cain]

(awww come on, you can't use your imagination? Ok what about causing things to vaporize?)