[b][u]Beware - Long read ahead YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! DON'T COMPLAIN![/u][/b] [b]Those with unnaturally short attention spans should not read this.[/b] So this is an action story I've been working on for a while now. I've gotten half-way through proofreading and rewriting it, before i continue with the story. Hope you guys enjoy, and gimmeh feedback.[quote]Cairo city was in flames. Thomas was isolated with his squad mates, deep in the heart of the city. Thick smoke filled the sky, and the sounds of distant battle could be heard from all sides. This part of town was quiet, but not for long. Across the street, coalition forces had gathered, and the squad was going to ambush them. Curtains flapped in the windows of the surrounding buildings. An explosion shattered the silence. A nearby building collapsed, and the squad moved as one. The ambush had begun. Bullets flew by Thomas's head as he dove for cover. Coalition reinforcements had just arrived with armour support, and the squad was ordered to hold position and wait for reinforcements. As he took cover inside a ruined restaurant, Thomas fired his assault rifle over the low wall, and was rewarded by screams from the other side. To his left, the rest of his squad hid amongst the abandoned tables. Suddenly, a small black tube flew over the wall, and landed amongst his squad mates. The concussion grenade detonated, sending out a shockwave that knocked everyone off of their feet. Coalition shock troopers vaulted over the wall, and aimed their sub-machine guns- Before they got blown to bits by "Saw", the squad's close assault specialist. He pumped his spas-12 shotgun and blasted the other coalition soldier. Thomas looked right into the dark eyes of his squad leader. The rest of his head was covered by a black balaclava. Saw ran over to the other fallen squad members and pulled them to their feet. The skirmish continued. They had been pushed back. More Coalition armour had shown up, including a main battle tank, and they were forced to retreat. Alliance reinforcements had come to help, including a tank destroyer squad. This small skirmish was turning into a full scale battle. They needed heavy weapons. The squad had been ordered back into a street near to their field headquarters. They ran fast, keeping to the shadows. A large Coalition convoy was moving through the main road, the squad was going to stop them. The squad scurried quietly through an alleyway, and stepped through a door into a decrepit building. They got to the roof and took up positions along the railing walls. Thomas nodded to their heavy weapons specialist, "Johnny", who got his nickname because he looked like a cartoon character. With his slicked back, bleach blond hair; his dark wraparound sunglasses; and his broad chest and shoulders; Johnny really did look like the main character of a late 90s cartoon show. Johnny shouldered his RPG-7, and aimed it down the street and the rear of a tank. Thomas aimed his assault rifle, ready for the signal. The street was filled with men and vehicles, the most notable of these being five main battle tanks. The marched and drove relatively quietly between the red and white buildings. Shadows moved past a hole in the building opposite. Thomas tensed and waited. The signal came in the form of a large explosion, collapsing a building further down the street, which crushed a multitude of men. Several missiles streamed from buildings, hitting tanks from multiple directions. Explosions and smoke filled the street as the vehicles detonated. Bullets ripped into Coalition soldiers, cutting them to pieces. But for all those who were killed, there were two more left standing. They took cover and formed a defensive screen around their remaining tank. A missile screamed forward, hitting the tank. The explosion blasted outwards, killing soldiers and creating a large smoke cloud. The cloud parted- And revealed that the tank had been unscathed. Explosive reactive panels had protected the tank from harm. It turned its cannon towards the building the missile had come from and fired, demolishing it. Thomas fired into the crowd of soldiers. He killed left and right, but more came to replace them. Johnny loaded another charge onto his launcher, and fired at the tank. The missile impacted, and the tank seemed unharmed. The hatch opened, and men and smoke poured out, trying to escape the blaze in the cockpit. Suddenly, the tank exploded, scattering men and shrapnel. Johnny laughed with delight as the survivors scrambled for cover. Without warning, a bullet zinged by and got him in the arm. He dropped his launcher, grabbed his wound and fell to the ground. Liz (Short for Elizabeth), the medic, ran over and checked the wound. Thomas leapt up and shot at the soldiers below, pinning them. 'Belts' the MG man, who got his nickname from the ammo belts he wore around his chest, mounted his gun on the wall and started firing. The gunfire was deafening as it tore through the enemy's cover and ripped them to shreds. He gritted his teeth as he fired a continuous burst, his features lit by hate. His brown eyes were partially hidden behind tinted glasses, and his strong jaw line was tensed as he aimed his gun. The Coalition soldiers began to retreat, and were shot at by the remaining Alliance forces. Grimly, Belts reloaded. Thomas could see in his eyes that this didn't satisfy Belts' bloodlust. It was a small battle won, in a war of huge loss. The armoured car blasted through wreckage as it rampaged down the streets. Saw was at the wheel, with Thomas riding shotgun. Belts was on the gun, and Liz was treating Johnny in the back. They turned the corner and exploded through a wrecked car, sending debris everywhere. They were headed to the outskirts of Cairo, towards the great Pyramids, and the desert, where a huge armour battle was taking form. Several friendly tanks had been destroyed already, and reinforcements were coming from all over the city. They turned down a narrow side road, through a dark alley and into sudden blinding sunlight. It took their eyes a moment to adjust, and before them was a spectacular scene. It was army versus army in the shadows of the Pyramids of Giza. Tanks drove across the sand, firing at enemy tanks. Armoured cars were driving at each other at full speed, and explosions were detonating every few metres. Sand blew into the air, and helicopters and jet duelled in the skies. Saw drove straight into the fray. Johnny got up in his seat, and hefted his rocket launcher. Liz moved to push him back down, but he waved her away. He aimed out of the window, and fired it at an enemy jeep. The jeep stood no chance as the missile screamed through its front windscreen and exploded, destroying it. Belts fired the mounted turret on the roof at other vehicles as they drove by. A tank turned its cannon towards their car, and fired. The near-hit knocked them off course, and Saw fought with the wheel. The car swerved, and juddered into a large crater, just barely dodging the tank's second shot. It collided with some debris, and the engine died. The squad clambered out of the vehicle, just as another car flew past. They took cover around the rim of the crater, peeking over the edge. Thomas crawled up the side of the crater, and peeked over. To his horror, he saw the enemy's tank lumbering towards them. He yelled for Johnny, who ran forwards with his missile launcher. He dove to the ground and aimed the launcher, pulling the trigger- Just as the tank shot that side of the crater, sending Thomas flying and obliterating Johnny. The missile had already left the launcher, though, and screamed towards the tank. It hit just beside the cannon, and the turret detonated. The tank began reversing quickly, but a friendly tank shot its engine, and it was destroyed.[/quote] I'll post the rest of the story upon request. [Edited on 07.16.2011 9:48 AM PDT]