Lennox and his team had been trekking for several hours, or days, in the hot desert in Qatar. The village was now several yards away. His suit felt heavy, his muscles ached, his head was damp in sweat, and he was down to his last few drops of water. All around his men were panting and breathing loudly, their bodies slouching and dripping liquid under the scorching sun.

Luckily, there was a water pump next to the large telephone line nearby. The group stopped and began to refill. Lennox took a swig from his container and offered some to Mahfouz, who took it and drank it, before handing it back.

Lennox: "Let's hope this telephone line works." He muttered out loud. Epps took some water and poured over his head.

Suddenly, there was a thumping sound under the soldiers. Coming in from behind them, sprays of sand shot into the air and headed straight for the sign. It hit one of the legs holding it up, and the sprays of sand stopped but the sign wobbled.

Lennox: "Hey, watch out!" He shouted to his men, pulling Mahfouz behind him as the sign began to tilt.

Epps: "Head ups!" He cried out, running out from the sign. "Whoa!"

With a careen, the sign fell, sending up a cloud of white sand into the air. Donnelly, who didn't move through the entire thing, slowly turned his head at the sound of the sign hitting the sand.

Donnelly: "What the heck was that?" He questioned Fig, who was looking down at the sign. Fig answered in his Spanish tongue with hand-motions. "English, dude." He sighed annoyed, not understanding a word Fig said as usual. He turned turned around again to look out over the sand. "English."

Lennox checked his ammo, then looked around for any sign of movement. Right behind him, unknowingly, a multi-spiked metal tail rose out of the sand and hovered behind his back.

The end of the tail unsheathed with a sharp 'sching' noise, revealing several razor-sharp blades. Epps, hearing the noise, turned and saw the tail, which was about to impale Lennox in the back.

Epps: "WHOOOOOA!!!" He screamed out, alerting everyone and took aim.

Lennox turned and moved away in fright as the tail vanished into the sand after the soldiers began firing at it. A cloud of sand fills the air,  and the monster screeched as it appeared on a dune where Donnelly and Burke stood on. They saw the monster and fire at it until it went underground again. The soldiers were shooting at the sand randomly in hopes of destroying the mysterious and underhand monster. For a moment, it came up, then dove back down, quickly digging back into to sand. As it dug down, it sends up clouds of sand. Then everything went quiet, as the sand in the air began to fall back down to ground.

Lennox: "Everybody, quiet!" He commanded, raising his voice. "Settle!"

Donnelly aimed his FN M249 SAW Para at the sandy ground, searching for signs of the monster.

Epps: "Whoa, mother-!" He called out, turning around in a constant circle. "What the hell-"

Unexpectedly, the monster burst up out from the ground right behind Donnelly, and land heavily on its six legs, revealing to be Scorponok. Scorponok raised his tail over his head and pierced Donnelly through his torso from behind. Donnelly screamed as the monster swinging his tail around before wriggling back down into the ground, taking the dead carcass with him, never to be seen again.

Lennox: "RUN! GOOO!" He commanded, being the first to react after seeing monster.

All together, the soldiers and Mahfouz scrambled across the sand dune as fast as they can, yelling and screaming, trying to get away from the monster. A few soldiers pausing every now and then to shoot at the creature whenever it bursts out of the ground. Mahfouz stumbles to the ground and Lennox skidded on his knees, quickly whipping around and scrambled for his hand.

Lennox: "Get up! Get up!" He yelled, seeing the mass of moving sand rapidly coming up behind Mahfouz. "Come on!" He hauled Mahfouz to his feet and they began running again.

Then Scorponok sprang out of the sand, screeching, and revealed a clear view of its full form right behind three of the men, who were still running and yelling for their lives. He was covered in gray and brown armor, a pair of drill-like pincers on the ends of its limbs and a giant razor sharp tail. The three men barely avoided the creature's massive pincers as they spun.

They continued to run until they saw Mahfouz's village. The villagers watch them approach. Mahfouz shouted in a his native language in an urgent voice, and the villagers began to scatter. The women started screaming as they run into their homes and gathered the children while the men scrambled outside the gate to the village carrying a few AKM assault rifles and Lee-Enfield No.1 Mk. III bolt-action rifles.

As they ran, Lennox saw the scorpion-like monster grew nearer and nearer as the noise got louder and louder. When they reach the edge of the village, Scorponok resurfaced with a screech and slammed down on the ground. Several of the villagers gasped in surprise at the monster before them. Scorponok aimed with his right claw and fired his missiles. Lennox and Mahfouz dodged the first bombardment of missiles as the villagers take firing positions.

Lennox: "Fig! Cover the rear!" He yelled, just as Epps barley avoided a missile. "Cover fire! Move it! Fig, cover the rear! Epps! Cover the rear!" He commanded, his voice cracking from yelling. He motioned Mahfouz to keep up with him. "Come on!"

The soldiers got behind some rubble for cover and began to fire at Scorponok as he fired back at them, screeching. Massive projectiles took out large chunks of a few stone buildings. They ran with their backs hunkered to keep out of the way of the monster's missiles while they still fired at the scorpion-like robot.

Lennox: "Where's you papa? Where's you papa?" He asked urgently.

Mahfouz: "Papa!" He cried as he spotted his father.

Mahfouz's father, Akram, helped them inside. Mahfouz ran into his fathers arms.

Lennox: "Sir, we need... I need a telephone." He blurted breathlessly, making a hand gesture for phone. "The-the-telephone."

Akram: "Telephone?" He questioned, understanding.

Lennox: "Telephone, telephone, yes!" He replied, nodding rapidly. He and Akram rushed to a table and Akram opened the drawer, and turned back around.

Akram: "Cellphone!" He showed Lennox his cellphone before he thrusted it into his hands.

Lennox: "I don't know how to thank you." He thanked him gratefully, and hastily typing the numbers on the cellphone while Mahfouz and his father hid under some cover.

Burke: "Hey, I need a mag!" He called out to one of the soldiers. "Give me a mag!" Epps tossed a magazine over to him, and he reloaded his FN M249 SAW Para, and took aim. "Fire!" He and the villagers opened fire at the monster.

Lennox: "This is an emergency Pentagon call!" He yelled into the cellphone while covering his left ear. "I need you to- do you understand? It's an emergency Pentagon-" He was cut off when a missile blast shattered a window behind him. "Ahh!" He exclaimed, ducking down to protect himself.

Epps fired away, then moved to another area as his fellow soldiers, along with the villagers, worked together to drive off the monster. Then Scorponok retaliated by firing back, the missiles randomly hit the area, causing everyone to take cover.

Lennox: "I DON'T HAVE A CREDIT CARD!!!" He yelled angrily into the cellphone.

Telephone Operator(on Cellphone): "Sir, the attitude is not going to speed things up any bit at all." He spoke calmly, not realizing the seriousness of the situation. "I'm going to have to ask you to speak into the mouthpiece very clearly."

Lennox: "I'm in the middle of a war!" He yelled in frustration into the phone, running back outside. "This is..." He pushed past a group of fleeing villagers. "frigging ridiculous!"

At the same time, Scorponok proceed to return fire at the soldiers. Lennox looked at the battle beside him, in awe at how much destruction was occurring. Explosions dotted the sand from stray rockets and ammunition. People were flying left and right. Debris was littering the ground. It was almost too much for Lennox to take.

Lennox: "Hey, I need a credit card!" He yelled to his team as he went into the battlefield. He then took cover next to Epps, who was shooting at the monster with his M4A1 Carbine with a M203 grenade launcher. "Epps! Where's your wallet?" Epps stopped firing and turned to look at him for a second.

Epps: "Pocket!" He answered, then resume firing at the creature. Lennox crouched over to him and looked down at his pants.

Lennox: "Which pocket?!" He screamed in Epps' ear.

Epps: "MY BACK POCKET!" He yelled back over his shoulder.

Lennox: "YOU GOT TEN BACK POCKETS!" He shouted, scrambling with the many pockets.

Epps: "LEFT CHEEK!!! LEFT CHEEK!!! LEFT CHEEK!!!" He roared over his shoulder again at Lennox before resuming his rapid gunfire. "Alright, keep shooting!" He called out to the soldiers. "KEEP SHOOTING!" Lennox pulled out a leather wallet, grabbed his credit card, put the wallet back in his pocket, and ran for some cover.

Lennox: "Okay, it's Visa!" He yelled into the phone, reading the credit card, just as a missile exploded nearby.

Telephone Operator(on Cellphone): "Also sir, have you heard about our Premium Plus World Service Gold Package?" He asked calmly.

Lennox: "No, I don't want a premium package!" He yelled with an angry huff. He flinched at a nearby explosion. Finally with some luck, he managed to reach the call. "Epps! Pentagon!" He tossed the cellphone to Epps.

|—————————|—————————|

At the Pentagon, the NMCC was buzzing with activity. The operatives hurriedly typed on their keyboards while others rushed across the room and out the door. Admiral Brigham, Secretary Keller, and General Krankl came to the room when they heard the ruckus, as they strode over the closest communications officer.

Gen. Krankl: "Give me a status." He ordered.

Communications Officer: "Sir, we're tracking a Special Ops team under fire in Qatar." He responded, pausing his work. "They say there are survivors from the base attack."

Keller: "Survivors?" He questioned, eyes widened in shock.

|—————————|—————————|

On the battlefield, Scorponok is still hasn't let up his attack on the soldiers. The villagers scrambled around in swarms, trying to get away from the robotic scorpion. The soldiers continued to move behind low walls and piles of rocks, all the while trying to take the monster down. Scoponok scuttled around on the sand, the barrage of bullets and explosives from the humans making no effect on his armor.

Epps: "I have never seen this in my life!" He yelled into the phone, over the noise of explosions. "We need gunships on station, ASAP!"

|—————————|—————————|

Communications Officer: "Predators coming up in a minute." He reported loudly to the officers in the room.

The NMCC was still buzzing with activity. The operatives typed furiously on their keyboards, following shouted commands by Brigham. People darted between desks as they ran to relay a message or instructions to other operators. Keller held his fist to his mouth and his other arm crossed over his chest tightly with a worried expression on his face.

Brig Gen Wright: "We're linking the call to the nearest AWAC." He addressed to Keller, leaning over a desktop.

|—————————|—————————|

Scorponok fires two more missiles, only to miss and his face guards shielded his face from the bullets.

Epps: "Unknown, man." He spoke into the cellphone. "I don't-man, if you seen this shit!"

A MQ-9 Predator was flying over the desert towards the village where the ongoing battle is at. As Scorponok was using an broken down Renault Dauphine for cover, it launched a few projectiles at the stone building. The blasts bring down the roof of the building.

|—————————|—————————|

Through the Predator's, everyone in the command center could see the scorpion-like monster in a still image. It rained down with firepower on the people in the village, soldiers and all.

Keller: "What is that?" He asked breathlessly.

Gen. Krankl: "I don't know." He answered, equally breathless.

|—————————|—————————|

Scorponok doesn't seem to be tired. He toppled trees and buildings alike. Some of the debris nearly fell on top of the soldiers and the villagers.

|—————————|—————————|

As they continued watching the battle unfold on the screen, Krankl pressed his lips together in a tight line. His entire jaw clenched, before he made a decision.

Gen. Krankl: "We need air support and we need it now." He muttered. "Roll in strike package Bravo on unknown target!" He ordered aloud. "I authenticate Tango Whiskey at time 0300 Zulu!"

|—————————|—————————|

At the Air Force base, a bunch of pilots scrambled into action. One of the pilots climbed into cockpit of a Fairchild-Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II with a shark face painted on the tip of its nose.

Sometime later in the air, a huge Boeing E-3 Sentry was gathering information on the enemy. The radio activity was buzzing over the communications.

<|>Attention, all aircraft! This will a danger-close fire mission<|>
<|>Weapons, I just got a call from Falcon Ops! Who's closer to KillBox One Alpha?<|>
<|>Send the Hogs, sir!<|>
<|>Okay, send the Hogs over to KillBox One Alpha, three hundred feet! Danger close! Friendlies in the area!<|>

Epps: "Seven man team, north of orange smoke!" He yelled into the cellphone, and stood from his hiding to pop a smoke grenade and threw it into the area.

<|>Receive KillBox One Alpha! Engage hostile!<|>

The Two Thunderbolt fighter jets bank to the left as they fly closer to the attack. Epps saw the jets in the distant sky, and he knew they would be safe.

Epps: "Attack direction west!" He coordinated into the cellphone. "Your clear and hot!"

The Thunderbolts are getting close and closer to the village. The pilots have started to lock on Scorponok.

Epps: "Lennox! The heat's coming!" He yelled over the chaos, taking the cellphone from his ear.

Lennox: "Laze the target!" He commanded, holding up his Colt Model 933 carbine and activating a green laser from its AN/PEQ-2 IR designator. "We got a beam-rider incoming! Laze target."

The soldiers paint Scorponok in green lasers for the Thunderbolts to lock onto. Apparently Scorponok was having enough of the humans. As Fig continued firing his M4A1 Carbine, Scorponok fired a missile at Fig's direction, sending him flying backwards with shrapnel and debris. Growling, Lennox heard the welcome sound of jet turbines and he looked behind to see two A-10 Thunderbolts coming in.

Lennox: "Ready! Heat's coming!" He called out.

Epps: "WHAT!?! BRING IT!!!" He exclaimed, ready for this to be over.

The two A-10s opened fire at the monster with their GAU-8A Avenger machine guns as everyone got behind cover. The streams of bullets seemed to be harming the beast, causing Scorponok to make several grunting noises as he tried to protect itself from the incoming fire. Then they each fired two missiles at the creature while they continuing spraying machine gun bullets. The more firepower came, the more Scorponok couldn't take it all. It collapsed from the explosive, disappearing into the sandy smoke. After the Thunderbolts strafe away, Lennox and Epps stood up from their hiding spots and saw that the monster is not dead as it was struggling to stand upright.

Lennox: "No frigging way that thing is still not down." He whispered flabbergasted, staring at the wriggling monster.

Epps: "Spooky Three Two, use 105 shells." He commanded into the mouthpiece of the cellphone. "Bring the rain!" The two Thunderbolts flew overhead.

A large Lockheed AC-130H Spectre gunship was flying low overhead, and everyone ducked for cover once more.

<|>Be advised, ground team is requesting 105 sabot rounds.<|>

The Spectre dipped its left wing and begins to fire highly heated sabot rounds from both Bofors 40mm L/60 and a M102 105mm Howitzer at the monster. Sand and smoke billowed across the battlefield, cloaking the monster from view temporarily. Lennox covered his ears to block the noise as the sabot rounds hammered down on the creature.

Once the gunfire had stopped, they looked over where the monster was. Scorponok painfully picking itself up, letting out a mechanical growl and burrowed into the ground to retreat. But the top of its tail snapped off, remaining limp and twitching on the sand.

When the dust settled, the soldiers surveyed the damage until Lennox notice something was wrong.

Lennox: "Where's Fig?" He wondered.

It wasn't long when they hear a scream in pain. All of them ran towards the source and to their dismay, saw Fig on the ground in a serious condition. His shrapnel wound was making him bleed out slowly.

Lennox: "Fig!" He called out, running to Fig.

Fig: "Ahhh! Oh God!" He cried out in a pained voice, clutching a wound in his chest. "Goddammit!"

Lennox: "Get a medic!" He ordered, kneeling down beside Fig. "Get a medic!"

Fig: "I'm sorry." He panted, wheezing painfully. "I'm sorry."

Lennox: "We'll get a medic." He assured Fig. "Just hold on." He pressed his fingers to Fig's neck, checking for a pulse. "He's got a pulse." He stated to the other soldiers. "Get in there." With that, they quickly tended Fig's injuries.

Epps: "Black Hawk One - we need medevac." He requested into the cellphone. "One man down. Patient care category urgent."

Sometime later near night, a Bell UH-1 Iroquois came in to take Lennox's team home. Lennox waved his arms to flag the helicopter down. When the helicopter landed, they carried their wounded comrade and hopefully get him better and get more ideas about what to do about their new enemies.

|—————————|—————————|

As this was happening, Keller stood in front of the screen, watching on. He was silent until Krankl came up and stand next to him, waiting of orders.

Keller: "Bring them home." He ordered solemnly. He looked over to Krankl. "You get those men stateside right now. I want them debriefed in ten hours." He gave Krankl a quick nod and walked out of command center, arms swinging briskly at his sides.

|—————————|—————————|

Far across the desert plans, Scorponok emerged from the ground. His body was heavily damaged, his fluids were leaking, and he was letting out pained-like screeches.

Starscream[on Comm]: "Scorponok - have you eliminated the human survivors?" He inquired.

Scorponok let out clicking-like screeches, almost sounded like he was talking. Scorponok informed his superior that he failed his objective.

Starscream[on Comm]: "What?!" He growled, he was not pleased. "You've failed me and Lord Megatron IF he was here!"

Then Scorponok gave a whine-like screech, telling his superior the humans overwhelmed him and shot his tail off.

Starscream[on Comm]: "I don't care if they blasted your tail off, parasite!" He berated. "You will remain in the desert for more infiltration until Blackout returns. We must NOT fail!"

To Be Continued...