He woke her with a kiss. “Hey beautiful it's time to get up.” Emily blinked awake and looked around. They were still in the hangar lounge. She looked up at David and saw him smile down at her. She felt a warm glow throughout her body.

“I don't wanna,” Emily said laying back down.

He laughed and Emily heard the laugh echo deep in his chest. “We have to get up. Lots to do today. This whole thing will end sometime in the afternoon and we can have the rest of the day to ourselves.” David said gently brushing some of her hair out of her face.

Emily sighed sat up. Looking at him she asked, “You promise?”

David nodded looking serious.

“Fine,” Emily muttered standing up.

He gave her a goodbye kiss and he headed out. Emily headed off to get dressed.

Emily stared at herself in the mirror in the bathroom. Her hair had grown out a lot since it had been burnt off nearly a year ago. It had finally reached her shoulders again. She wound her hair up and stuck enough Bobby pins in her hair to set off a metal detector. She placed the Ranger tan beret on her head making sure that it looked correct. Stepping back she looked at herself in the full-length mirror.

She had four ribbons now. She had gotten two from just completing Basic. She got one for just stepping off the plane in Afghanistan. The only one she really earned was the purple ribbon that sat above all the other ribbons on her chest. The purple heart. She had a single bronze star denoting that she had received two awards. She got the first one for being set on fire by the pyromancer and the other one she got when she almost died from getting ambushed by the tank. She hadn't even known she got them until she had to go in front of the Colonel for NJP. Jan had looked it up and found that she had been awarded them.

She had three metal pins called badges. One above her ribbons and two below them. The one above her ribbons was the Combat Infantry Badge. The badge was an old musket on a blue backdrop with a wreath surrounding it. She got that one for being shot at by the enemy.

The first badge below her ribbons the Rifle Expert Badge she got in Ranger school for machine guns. The badge was an iron cross surrounded by a wreath. Hanging below it on two little chains was a gold medal saying rifle. Besides her Expert Badge was her silver Parachute wings. The badge was silver with a parachute in the middle with wings sprouting out on each side. She absently brushed her badges.

On her left sleeve was her rockers or patches sewn onto her sleeve. The first rocker was a blue with gold letters that said Super School. Below that was her black and gold Ranger tab and below that was her red outline with a black background and white letters spelling out 3rd Ranger Battalion. Her eyes fell to just below her rockers to the E2 chevrons on her sleeve.

Angrily she brushed her sleeve to remove any lint that may have been on her uniform. At least that was what she told herself. She rolled her shoulders feeling Righteous on her back once more. She pulled her jacket down. Then looked to see if she could spot her little black knife on her left hip but her jacket covered it perfectly. She had to turn the sheath sideways so that her little black knife lay on her belt instead of pointing downwards so no one would see it. Taking a deep breath she checked one last time her to see if her uniform was perfect in the mirror before leaving the bathroom.

When she got to the hanger she spotted Rags first. He was dressed in a light brown uniform with a thick black shiny belt across his stomach. He was wearing his red beret. He had a lot of hanging type medals on his uniform. He was sitting in a fold-out chair looking at his Superweapon a Rambo looking knife. His rifle was sitting next to him.

Standing slightly behind him looking out of the hanger was Bubbles. His uniform looked very similar to US army uniform except that he had a big white belt across his stomach. He was wearing a tan beret like Emily's and wore hanging medals instead of ribbons. He had a lot of medals on his chest. He had no Superweapon but he did have his rifle lying across another fold out chair.

Val was standing by the door to the hanger talking to another Marine. Val was dressed in a black uniform coat with blue pants that had a red stripe down the sides. She had a funny looking white hat on that was very box like. She had her rifle strung over her shoulder and was holding her sledgehammer in her left hand.

Emily heard the door behind her open and turned to see David walk out. Emily almost didn't recognize him because he shaved his big beautiful beard off. He was dressed in a dark blue uniform with a wide brim white hat with a black bill. He had a gold anchor emblem on his hat with two stars. His entire left side of his jacket from his breast up was covered in medals with his bright gold Navy Seal emblem contrasting brightly to his dark uniform. On his right lower arm he had a bunch of red stripes. He was walking with his staff in his left hand.

“I liked the beard,” Emily said appraising him.

“Can't wear beards with my dress uniform.” He told her apologetically.

“Hey everyone gathered around I got someone to take a picture of us,” Val said running over to the group. The other Marine, a female, followed her.

They all gathered around and stood at attention while the Marine took the pitcher. “Ok now relax poise,” Val said holding her hammer across her chest. Bubbles smiled and lifted up his rifle behind his neck while holding on to either side of the rifle. Rags slid a folding chair in front of him and put on leg on it leaning down to rest his forearms across his knee. He held his knife in his right-hand point down. David held his staff in his right hand and rested his left arm on Emily's shoulder. Emily took out righteous and her little black knife. While holding her weapons she crossed her arms. Emily tried to look serious but started giggling right before the picture was taken.

“Ok, I'll send them, so check your emails,” Val said taking her phone back from the marine.

“Ok, people it's time to go to work,” David said waving his hand.

The ceremony was taking place at the end of a runway. The runway was blocked off with cement barriers about a hundred feet from they had set up a bunch of folding chairs with soft green seat covers. The stage was a large raised platform with a podium in the middle with a bunch of microphones sticking out of it. There were twenty seats on the stage split in the middle leaving some room for the podium. Behind the seat was a bunch of flags from a dozen nations with the blue NATO flag directly behind the podium. There was a white canopy off to the left-hand side of where they had set up the chairs with buffet food tables. To the right-hand side was a bunch of golf carts with extra seating carts hooked up on hitches looking like a small train to Emily. She guessed that was how they were going to pick up VIPs and bring them to the ceremony.

David told them to find their stations and stash their weapons then meet up for a security briefing with the other security guys. Emily dropped off her rifle into the box but kept her pistol under her uniform jacket. There was a slight bulge in her jacket and if she raised her right arm it would be exposed but until someone said something she was keeping it there.

When she met up with the group that was going to be conducting security Val gave her a smirk when she looked at the bulge on her right side but didn't say anything. They sat through a long boring pep talk from a Captain before he let his First Sergeant take over. The First Sergeant placed Emily and her group into an usher group. They were to pretend to be ushers but stay at the back behind the real ushers so no one would recognize them. They were handed radios without the shoulder mics attached and told not to use them unless of an emergency.

As the First Sergeant was giving out other people's assignments when ten Navy EXO's came roaring up and parked behind the stage. Emily wondered if her friend EXO was there but no one got out of their suits. Emily ended up heading back to her post just as a bunch of low ranked soldiers that were being used as ushers arrived. Emily stayed back behind everyone as they got situated.

“You one of my ushers?” Asked a Sergeant.”

“No Sergeant, just pretending for security,” Emily said patting her pistol on her side.

“Ok stay back there and no one should bother you.” The Sergeant said before he started sorting out his people.

Emily ended up waiting nearly forty-five minutes before the first of the press arrived. Instead of sitting down they started to do introductory shoots with their camera crew. Emily caught at least six different languages being spoken that she could identify but there were several more that she had no idea where they were from. Interestingly there were no local reports there yet. She did have to do something when one of the camera crews tried to use her black box to stand their camera on. The camera crew spoke some broken English with a Scandinavian accent so she was able to get across that they couldn't use her box. They were fairly nice about it and moved off looking for a better shot.

Five minutes till the hour the golf carts started to arrive with the VIPs. Some were wearing suits and others were wearing uniforms. The ushers went to work. Emily played a game with herself as she tried to identify what country they were from just by looking at uniforms. Soon the seats were mostly filled up and the big wigs started to take the stage. Once everyone was seated someone came on the stage requested everyone to stand for the Hymn of the United Nations.

“Didn't know the UN had an anthem.” Emily thought to herself as everyone stood up to a prerecorded classical song.

The Anthem ended and the speeches began. They boring Emily to tears. After the fifth person to give a speech, Emily was starting to pick up some phrases everyone was using. One was 'for a new Afghanistan” and another one she noticed was 'To keep Afghanistan free.' The funny thing Emily noticed about the speeches was no one mentioned the OCS by name. She wondered why.

The Old General was just starting his speech about leaving his command in the hands of the amazing new guy when Emily, bored out of her mind, turned to look down the runway and noticed a white bus driving towards the ceremony. She frowned and debated reporting the bus on the radio. After a few seconds, she gave up and grabbed her radio from her waist.

She paused because she had no idea what she was supposed to call herself over the radio. Shrugging she made up a name on the spot. “Usher post one I have eyes on a suspicious white bus coming down the runway.”

“That’s the local reporters are arriving late please leave this channel free.” Came the reply. Embarrassed Emily put her radio back on her waist and did not reply.

She watched the bus come to the cement barriers and stop. A security officer stepped out to meet the bus. Emily watched the door open and a guy in tan robes and white head-covering step out of the bus. He raised his right hand in greetings. A Chill ran down Emily's spine. Something was out of place.

As she watched, the man in tan robes pull a handgun out from behind his back and unload into the security officer. The gunfire was really loud and startling. Emily found herself running for her black box pushing the ushers out of her way. She reached her box and opened it as something exploded like an artillery shell in the sky. She grabbed her rifle and looked up to see what looked like smoke trials falling to the ground. Emily spared a second to wonder if someone had just set off a chemical or biological round before turning towards the bus.

Emily crouched and lined up her rifle sights on the crowd of people getting off the bus. Taking a deep breath she pulled the trigger at her first target who was just walking through the cement barriers. He was firing his rifle into the crowd. Emily knew that she hit him but he didn't seem to notice getting hit. She fired several more times but he didn't even stop walking forwards.

She picked up her radio and yelled into the radio “They are supers. I repeat they are supers.” No one replied.

Emily stood up and fired at the people behind her target but no one went down. Cursing Emily stepped forward and taking careful aim and fired one round at each of the men coming towards her. No one went down. They were all supers. Emily cursed.

Above her, she saw Bubbles race above her with both generals. Emily dropped her rifle and pulled out Righteous and her little black knife. She paused to take a breath before running forward. She had to buy time for everyone else to escape. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rags follow her. She was faster and reached the enemy first.

The first guy was a man in tight-fitting blacks clothes and a black head wrap. He was holding a long spear that looked like a lance from a medieval knight. Emily deflected the spear/lance thing with her little black knife and she brought Righteous down on his head. The tomahawk buried itself into his head. Emily spun and ducked a sword that came out of nowhere. She buried her little black knife in the sword wielder chest as she stepped past. Ripping Righteous from the dead body behind her, she brought it around to stop wide bladed ax that was coming towards her head.

She kicked the ax wielder in the chest. Knocking him backward and into a couple of guys following him. Several others dodged around the ax guy to come at Emily. She dodged a knife and someone who tried to stab her with what looked like a stick. She stepped past the stick guy and brought the little black knife across the side of his neck spraying blood like a fountain behind her. She turned to the knife guy only to see Rags holding him around the neck and stabbing the enemy in the side of his chest with his Rambo looking knife.

Emily turned back to the crowd to see an unarmed guy charge her with his hands outstretched like he was going to strangle her. She ducked under his arms and put her shoulder into his legs lifting him up and over her as she launched him into the air. The move left her wide open though and as she stood up she saw another guy running at her swinging a sword at her head. Emily had no time to move. She looked at the sword descending towards her head trying desperately to get her little black knife up in time to stop it but she knew she was too late.

Just as the sword was about to hit Emily the guys head exploded. Emily looked up to see Val standing between her and the dead guy with her hammer buried in the guy's skull. She used her body to check the guy's momentum causing the sword to fall short. Emily stepped past the dead guy and Val to swing Righteous upwards striking another super who was about to bring a wide bladed butcher’s knife down on the side of Val's head. Righteous entered in the guy's stomach and swept upwards to exit out of his chest. Emily turned and used her shoulder to knock the dying man backward away from Val. Emily paused as she looked around but there were no more enemies running towards her.

Turning around Emily saw David defending himself against two men with his staff. She ran towards him and raising Righteous up and brought it down on the back of one of the enemies head driving Righteous nearly to his neck. David, freed from fighting two people spun around and struck the last guy across his face. The enemy staggered and David brought the other end of his staff around and into the guys face. The guys face crumpled inwards and he dropped.

Emily looked around to see Rags on the ground holding his arm with a dead guy laying beside on the with Rag's Rambo looking knife buried in his chest. Val was standing over another guy who was protecting his head with his arms as Val was trying to hit the guy in the head with her hammer. Val changed directions and brought her hammer down on his chest crushing it. The man's hands dropped to his chest leaving his head wide open. Val landed the final blow to his head. Looking away from the scene Emily looked around but all the enemies close by were dead.

Emily turned her head to look at the bus. By the bus, she saw one last enemy standing next to it watching them. Emily spun around Righteous to get a better grip. She took a step towards him. The guy raised something in his hand and screamed: “God is the greatest!” in Arabic.