The Writers' Circle

Chapter I "John Anderson"
			Tuesday June 26, 2013
			05:00
			5 miles south of Phoenix, Arizona

		John looked across the small smokeless campfire. He could barely see the faces of his team members, yet he could feel their tension. It was always this way before a battle. He Ran his hand through his sandy blonde hair. His light blue eyes bounced from object to object in the darkness. He lifted his tan Kevlar helmet onto his head as light broke the horizon, signaling them to the city. He motioned for his team to climb into their Jeeps, afraid to break the silence.
	The Jeeps were given to them so that they could reach the city quickly, and in two teams. The Jeeps could each fit three men; a driver, a passenger, and a gunner. They would split the six man team into two groups of three and hit the city from its flanks. They would then power through to the capital building. With luck there would be no fighting, there would be no such luck. They all knew it already.
	John climbed into the passenger seat of his Jeep. He checked his Armalite AR-15 carefully before giving the signal to head out. He had heard of a soldier's weapon jamming or not firing right and costing him his life. The idea wasn't appealing to John. The Jeeps plowed through the Arizona desert with ease, which unsettled John. They would reach the city quickly, meaning the blood would be spilt faster. 
	He picked up a radio microphone and called headquarters as bombs fell onto the city. They always did this to stop the bombing and allow the mercenaries a safe passage into the city. He connected with headquarters and heard the voice of young man.
	"This is headquarters, over."
	"HQ, this is Phoenix team member Anderson, ID number 056-342-14. I'm requesting a stop on the bombing." 
	"Roger that Major. How long till objective?"
	"We reach the city in a few minutes. Rendezvous with the Evac. Chopper in two days. If plans change you will be notified."  
	"Good, I'll have the helicopter on standby."
	"Thank you Headquarters, Major Anderson out."
	John switched the channel to the other jeep. "Avery are you there?"
	"Yes sir, Major Anderson."
	"Dammit Avery. I told you to stop calling me that. I hate the rank, we aren't soldiers and I've known you since we were kids."
	It was true; they had grown up together in Montana on neighboring ranches. Their fathers had been close friends and would employ the other's child to work the horses. When they turned seventeen they were recruited by a mercenary company called DuVas. They spent their first tour in Iraq until the economies fell. Then they were bought by a corporate named Hitsuguya Hister. Since then they had taken cities in his name.
	"John, we are the soldiers now. Ever since Washington was destroyed we've taken their role. We're trying to reunite the country."
	"Yeah, but not the way the people want. It would be easier to join them."
	"After Phoenix, we will put in our resignation. Okay old friend?"
	"Sure. Where will we go though?"
	"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Phoenix Two out."
	John smiled down at the microphone. Avery always had a way of making him agree. It often got them into trouble but it worked no matter what. John replaced the microphone as they entered the city limits. 
	The scene looked like something out of a movie. John got an almost unreal feeling. He could never believe this was actually happening. Smoke was billowing out of buildings, and cars had been tossed through shop windows. Civilians were looting stores, and running. A woman was fighting though the crowd toward them carrying her child in her arms. John grabbed an M9 handgun from a bag in the back of the jeep and handed it to the woman.
	"God bless you." He said as the woman took the gun. She looked at him almost as if scared before returning to the crowd. As they drove on John heard the sound of gunshots and a woman and child screaming in pain. He tried to jump from the Jeep but was stopped by the driver, Jason. Jason shook his head grimly and held John in the Jeep.
	Bullets ricochet off of the Jeep. John Brought his  rifle up and fired at their assailant's arms. The bullets tore through the flesh, making the man who had fired on them scream in pain. A Desert Eagle fell from the man's hands as he wept. Tears hit his blood covered hands as he dropped onto his knees. John said a quick prayer as they drove past. 
	There was a distant explosion as Jason stepped on the gas, launching the Jeep forward. John though about Avery and his team.
	*  					*				*
	Avery fired the rifle twice. The rounds from the AR-15 tore through the man's heart, killing him instantly. A rocket slammed into the wall near by and blew it in. Avery fired again killing the man holding the empty RPG launcher. The tube fell and hit the ground with a thick thud. 
	A sniper round bounced from the bullet proof windshield. Avery turned his rifle toward where the round had come from. He saw a rifle barrel poking from a shattered window. He fired and got lucky, hitting the sniper in the shoulder. The driver of the Jeep stepped on the gas and they sped away from the shoot out. Avery's head hit the back of the seat and he gripped his assault rifle tighter to keep from losing it. He looked at the speedometer and saw they were going close to 100 miles an hour.  Avery looked forward and saw a dead end coming up.
	*					*				*

	John pulled open the door to the garage and Jason drove the Jeep in. They were waiting for communication from Avery's team to know  that they were set to rest until nightfall.
	They had driven to a small garage not far from the city limits. It had been checked for any civilians, along with the area around it. It had been empty, so John had climbed through an open widow and opened the door for the Jeep. It was important that they check the area because they didn't want anyone coming in while they were sleeping. 
	John ordered Jason and Aleksey to the windows so that they could keep watch. He sat in the passenger seat of the jeep waiting for radio contact. He had begun to fiddle with his M9 pistol, taking it apart slowly and cleaning it. He cleaned the slide and begun to rebuild the pistol . He glanced over at the radio wondering what was taking Avery so damn long.
*					*					*
	Avery looked around the corner. He had found a suitable building to house the Jeep and his team until nightfall. He sighed and climbed through the window. He landed with a thump and drew up his pistol. He had found a residential neighborhood and picked the house that looked the emptiest. He searched the house quickly but found no one. He opened the garage door and the Jeep powered up the sloped driveway and into the shelter of the garage. Avery let his men wander around the house while he made the call to John.
*                                                       *                                                               *
	John almost dropped the contents of his MRE onto his uniform when the call came.
	"Phoenix 1, this is Phoenix 2 come in." Came Avery's voice over the radio.
	"Phoenix 2, this is Phoenix 1. We read you."
	"We are safe and housed. We will set out at nightfall and find housing again at day break. Good luck John, Phoenix 2 out."
	John looked at the microphone in his hands. Something was wrong with Avery. He normally liked to talk to people and have a conversation with them. John had never heard Avery sound so upset. John shrugged and replaced the microphone before he went back to his MRE. When he was done he leaned back and fell asleep in the passenger seat of the Jeep, letting the dreams of gunfights and dead civilians take over his mind.