The Noor

[Qadir Uthman Khel]

"Mozahem, Taliban!"

Qadir suddenly took appraisal of his weaponry and found it wanting. He looked back at the approaching technicals, then at the hardscrabble below. They had to hide.

"Go! We go! Now, bachem!"

He pulled Stern by the hand, nearly throwing him down the hillside as he scrambled for a better hiding spot.

[Stern]

Stern tumbled down the hill, trying to save his busted arm from as much damage as possible. His chest and back weren't taking kindly to the rolling. Stern chose a spot a short distance down the hill and light-jumped to it, materializing with his feet on the ground, facing up hill.

He pressed up against the hillside, laying flat on it to keep his profile low. He reached out and grabbed Qadir's free hand, helping to slow the older man down.

"Lie flat."

Stern watched the ridge of the hill, waiting for the Taliban to look over the side. If they were going to shoot, Stern was going to shoot back. He started going over the options in his head. He could flare and try to blind them, but it would risk giving them a better method of aiming. He could light-jump up the hill and knock them down it, but it could be dangerous for Qadir.

He could use his Archimedes shot, but if he missed it would certainly give away his location.

He held his breath, set his jaw, and waited to see what they would do.

[Qadir Uthman Khel]

Qadir watched as the technicals began to slow, and pull tentatively closer to the cave. Three men with long beards and traditional dress piled out of the back, extinguishing cigarettes as they went to inspect the obviously-smoking fire. The doctor wished he was closer to get a better look, but was more thankful that he wasn't, since that would mean they had a look at him. In the still air, he could barely make out raised voices rapidly speaking in Pashto.

He kept his eyes open, but lay low to the ground. Only when Stern stole a glance did he decide to do the same, but mostly because it was shameful for him to act with less bravado than the guest he was here to guard.

[Stern]

Stern glowered up the hill at the terrorists as they picked around the small training ground.

They kicked some of the embers from the first two branches down the hill, causing them to tumble down towards the two in hiding.

The fiery bits hurtled down the hill. Stern froze in place and protected his face with his good arm. If he moved any, it'd give them away. The embers struck his arm and fell across his neck and back.

The young mutant howled in pain and stood up to throw the offending coals off his back.

The Taliban suddenly turned towards the ridge and saw Stern standing on the ridge, glaring hatred at them.

"You guys are finished!"

The three men took their rifles off their shoulders, aimed at Stern, and opened fire.

Once the sound of gunfire reached his ears, Stern light-jumped behind them, kicking one of them down the hill. "Bastards."

[Qadir Uthman Khel]

Qadir initially flinched and cowered from the gunfire, but found his resolve soon enough when he saw that Mekhul-jan was no longer with him. He popped up from his vantage, and leveled his rifle at the man who had finally stopped rolling, and was trying to bring his rifle to bear.

The doctor's kalashnikov belched a fusilade of firepower as he put a stitch of automatic fire into the Talib, who continued to tumble and paint the rocks red in his wake.

Qadir drew his rifle to the next target, but hesitated when he saw how close that Stern was to the enemy.

"IMSHI, BACHEM! GO QUICK!"

The remaining Taliban in the other technicals were already firing, and the next sounds Qadir heard were 7.62x39mm Soviet rounds zipping by him like angry bumble bees, and the sound of rocks cracking and pinging with weapon fire. He again returned to his hiding spot, cursing himself for his inability to do more.

Mekhul-jan's fate was in Allah's hands, and Qadir prayed that he would be delivered from this trouble.

[Stern]

Stern kicked another man down the hill and grabbed the remaining man, turning him towards the technicals.

He advanced slowly, keeping control of the man's arms so he shot at his own men in the trucks. Clearly his comrades had no qualms shooting back. The man was torn to ribbons by the mounted machine guns.

Stern was trying to buy Qadir some time. He might have some cover on the hill, but it wasn't the best. The mouth of the cave would be better, but until the people stopped paying him attention, he would end up staying pinned to the side of the hill.

Stern dropped the dead man and light jumped into the cab of the front truck. Apparently one of the three men had been driving it, but had left the key in the ignition.

"Just like an action movie. Honestly."

Stern cranked the truck, threw it into reverse, and rammed the truck directly behind him as hard as he could. The gunner in his truck flew out of the truck.

The American climbed out of the truck and quickly ducked behind the other side of the door. The second gunner momentarily lost control of the turret due to the impact. Stern took the moment to blast the man's face with his Achilles' shot.

The man's bear and turban caught fire. The man screamed and fell out of the truck. There was one truck and one gunner left.

The last man climbed out of the truck, trembling and shaking. He bowed low to the ground and spoke in a language Stern didn't understand.

Allah....Allah. blah blah...Allah.

Clearly the man was begging. How pathetic. Invoking the name of God for the sake of mercy when he so often invoked the name of God to visit violence upon others.

"You make me sick."

Stern kicked the man in the jaw, knocking his head against the wheel well of the truck. He planted his foot in the man's chest and knocked him onto his back.

He let his full weight rest on the man's chest. "I hope you were right. Otherwise, it's going to be much uglier what's going to happen to you when I'm finished."

The last thing the man remembered seeing was a bright flash of light and then flames as his head caught fire.

Stern kept his weight on the man, letting him struggle under his foot to get away from the frightening American and put out his head.

At last the man stopped moving and the fire died out. None of the man's facial features were discernible.

"Yeah, you bastard. You're next." Stern's mind was across the world at ESU's basketball stadium, glaring Neutron in the eye. "When I find you, you'll burn just like this guy."

[Qadir Uthman Khel]

Qadir watched in such a gawking way that he somehow forgot he was in mortal peril. Mekhul-jan moved without moving. It was an amazing sight to see, and one that could only be blessed by God. The boy was a prodigy at his work, and it seemed that what little practice he had gotten had paid off. With little help, he had routed this small group of Taliban without incident.

Thankful to see the tide turned and his guest safe, Qadir fell to his knees and prayed, thankful that God had willed it so.

[Stern]

Stern spat on the corpse of the man he mutilated and light-jumped to Qadir's side. The man was still in prayer, but from what he could see, the older man was not injured in anyway.

Still writing inside with disgust and anger, he chose to scan the countryside and let it sit while Qadir finished his prayer.

The fight was over. It was time to calm down. And it was time to go. He had to get home. There was unfinished business to take care of.