Prologue

Ted turned his head to say something to Ken and saw the grimace of pain come to Ken's face, as well as a thump as the bullet hit him. Then blood exploded from his back and front. Before Ted could say anything or move, Ken hit the ramp and started rolling towards the bottom.

Tina heard the loud crack of the bullet, and looked around, her eyes settle on Ken as he stumbled and went down. She screamed his name as he hit the ramp.

"KEN!"

His body started rolling down the ramp to the ground as she shouted his name again.

"KEN!"

Slipping out of her father's arms, she ran to the base of the ramp. At the top of the ramp, she saw Ted move towards the edge.

Moving quickly, Ted jumped off of the side off the ramp, and as he did, he felt a bullet graze his back, as he was still in mid-air. The bullet traveled through his uniform and along his back burning him as it went. Kneeling behind the massive ramp, he moved towards where his best friend lay. As he peeked over the edge of the ramp, he saw Tina curled up protectively over Ken's bleeding body covering him from any more bullets.

As he watched, another bullet hit a marine as she was running across the apron towards them. Her feet flew out from under her as the round punched through her head killing her instantly.

"Damn it," Ted said as he switched on his com unit, "Washington primary is down, find the sniper and capture him. Do not kill him, we need him alive, this could be a conspiracy."

Ted took a quick peek around for the sniper, and he saw one of the Bengals running across the airport towards one of the three story buildings down by the Air National Guard buildings. Ted ducked as he heard another crack, and he heard someone cry out. Looking around he saw another one of his marines lying on the ground, a puddle of blood forming around his head.

"Damn it, get that sniper."

Starting to raise his head again, he was shoved back down.

"Stay down, Sir," ordered Sergeant-Major Allen as he shoved Ted to the ground and stayed above him.

"Sir, you're in command, if the Admiral is dead that makes you the highest ranking officer."

Lieutenant Anita Gomez was running a diagnostic on her scanners when she heard Commander White's voice come over the com unit saying the Admiral was down on the tarmac. Bringing her scanners online to full function, she detected the third round fired. The onboard computer quickly triangulates the shooters location. She was moving even before the sound reaches the people at the shuttle.

"This is Gomez in Bengal one-seven. Target is on the roof of one of the Air National Guard buildings, and I copy your orders that you want him alive."

Jeff felt the building shaking as he fired his fourth round. Turning, he started running. As he swings the rifle over his shoulder, he jumped to the smaller building below and scrambled behind cover. Taking a deep breath, he ran to the end of the building and quickly reloading as he went. Pulling the long slender rounds out of his pocket, he fed them into magazine and settled behind a new air-conditioning vent. Looking through the scope, he saw a huge machine running towards him with the traitors on the ground. Sighting on the officer he shot before, he saw a small figure covering him and then movement. Quickly, he fired, but knew he rushed the shot. It smashed into the ramp of the strange flying machine.

Anita watched her scanners and detected one life form on the building roof.

"I have one life form on top of the Air National Guard building ... wait a minute."

Then the target was moving and to her surprise was on the next building.

"Wait, target has jumped to the next building and heading for the corner."

As she got closer she, flipped on the extended scanners and she saw a boy kneeling there trying to load the rifle, he then lifted it and fired again.

"I have the target in sight, it's a kid, looked like he has a high powered rifle, I am going to try and disarm him."

She flipped on her external speakers and turned the volume to max.

"Drop the weapon, and stand up with your hands on your head."

To make her point, she pointed her left hand plasma cannons at the boy.

Jeff jumped when he heard the female's voice ordering him to drop the rifle. Raising the rifle, he looked up at the giant mechanized robotic arm that was pointing at him. The rifle tumbled from his fingers, as he wet his pants, seeing his death there. Suddenly, he was thrown to the ground, and someone handcuffs him, then a voice whispers in his ear, and he peed his pants again as he shouted out.

Anita smiled as the boy dropped the weapon and she saw the marines come up behind him.

Sergeant Major Anderson was tending to some wounded when he heard the warning of the Admiral being shot. His blood went cold as he looked up at his marines who were looking around, he shouted out three names, and was off and running.

"Jenkins, Wilson, Holt! You're with me! Now!"

Running across the parking lot, they head for the guard buildings. Coming to a stop at the door, he yanked it open. He was moving through the building towards the stairs. Being stationed here for two years had helped him for he had a map of the building in his mind, as he slammed into the door to the stairs. It popped off its hinges. Recovering his balance, he ran up the two flights of stairs to the roof exit and was soon out onto the hot roof.

Sneaking along the roof, he looked around one of the giant air-condition units and saw a young boy drop a bolt-action rifle. Sneaking up behind the kid, he dropped him to the roof and cuffed him.

"Boy, if the admiral dies, you die."

Jeff looked over his shoulder at the big man and gulped, and then his courage came back to him and he shouted out, "Death to all collaborators of alien invaders!"

"Kid you're daft. We're human. It looked like you killed several marines, and possibly killed our admiral." Looking over at the rest of the squad he said, "Get this garbage out of here."

Bending down Tim picked up the beautiful rifle that possibly delivered death to the very man needed to save this world.

Corporal Jamie O'Neil was at the top of the ramp entrance and she grabbed the medical kit and charged down the ramp as Tina lay on top of the Admiral trying to protect him.

Tina lay over Ken's body trying to protect it from any more bullets. Several had just missed her.

She whispered the whole time, "Don't die," repeatedly.

She held her hand tightly over the wound, trying to stop the blood from flowing out. Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands grip her waist and try to move her off of Ken.

She cried out, "No! I have to stop the bleeding."

Jamie dropped to the ground next to Tina and the Admiral. Ripping the case open, she started pulling out the items she needed as she spoke to Tina.

"Tina you're doing good, But let me get this bandage over the wound." she said as she placed a nanobandage over Tina's hands and the chest wound. "Tina, pull your hands out now."

Tina looked at her friend Jamie, tears running down her face, and said, "Okay." Sliding her hands out, she watched as Jamie pressed the bandage over the wound where it sealed itself to the bloody hole in Ken's chest.

"Now what do I do?" she asked.

Before Jamie can say anything, two medics rushed up, dropped down beside them, and while one pulled two poles out of his pack about twenty inches long, the other joined Jamie to check on the Admiral. Sergeant Wade Marsh stretched each pole to six feet long and when both poles were adjusted properly, he flicked a switch that activates a force field, connecting both poles together, forming an instant stretcher. The second medic with the name 'Wilson' on his uniform looked up from where he was working on the admiral, "We need to get him on the stretcher and evaced to the ship ASAP. On two, we lift and slide. Girl, you keep that pressure on the bandage, he is badly hurt. Now we will move him, you concentrate on the bandage. Okay?"

"I understand," Tina said as she looked at the marine medic.

"Good we will make a medic out of you yet," Sergeant Tim Wilson said as he looked at the other marine, and continued, "Wade on two. Are you ready?" When his partner nodded, he continued, "One, two, go," the marines lift Ken up and set him on the stretcher.

Quickly, they picked up the stretcher, and Tina stood with them, keeping pressure on the bandage. Going up the ramp of the shuttle, they enter the ship. Walking past Commander White and another medic who was working on him, they stop and let the stretcher float by as Sergeant Wade activated the anti-gravity device in the pole leaving Ken floating four feet off of the deck.

As soon as they pass through the doorway, the hatch slammed shut and the ramp retracted. The engines fired up and the ship lifted off, as the flight path has been cleared for them. As the shuttle lifted off, Sergeant Wilson started examining the Admiral and blanched when he saw the medical readout.

"Damn it! He has lung, heart and spine damage in the chest cavity, and a laceration on his forehead."

Pulling out a small spray can, Tim sprayed the cut on Ken's head with nanobots that went to work on the wound, while Sergeant Wade knelt and looked up at Kens back and pressed a nanobandage to the exit wound of the bullet.

"Damn what did he get hit with? I have a hole in his back as big as my hand." Wade said as he grabbed another sheet bandage and pressed it to the other side of the wound, finally covering up the whole area.

Captain Lynn Hanson banked the shuttle around. Throwing the ship into full acceleration, she fired the afterburners and climbed towards the ship.

"Damn it! What's the Admirals status?" she shouted back into the passenger deck as she leveled the craft out.

Corporal Jamie O'Neil stuck her head into the flight deck when she heard the pilot shout out, and said, "Bad, Ma'am! We need to be on the Washington, like yesterday."

"Twenty seconds until landing, we are cleared for hanger five. Doctor O'Neil will meet us." Lynn shouted, as she prayed for one of her oldest friends.

The shuttle banked around the huge ship and headed for landing bay five. Passing though the force screen, she fired the reverse thrusters as the hanger's tractor beams come on and slowed the ship as Lynn slammed into the flight deck and skidded for several feet before she came to a dead stop, the ramp deploying even as she was skidding. Lynn shut down the engines as tears run down her face.

Flipping on the com she said, "We are down, get the Admiral to medical."

Molly stood at the foot of the ramp, her medical bag in her left hand as the Marines and Tina rushed the Admiral down and set him on a medical car. She was surprised that Tina was there. Her hands were holding a nanobandage in place, as she crawled up beside him still keeping the pressure on the wound. Climbing onto the cart Molly shouted, "Get going now."

Ripping into her bag as the car took off, she pulled out an injector with blood nano's and another loaded with drugs to keep him going, until they can get to the medical deck. Injecting the bots into his system Molly looked up at Tina's face and saw the tears running down it and, she said, "You're doing very good Tina, keep that there while I get the next injector ready."

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