X-Men Origins: The Twin

Chapter 3

September 1950 - Korea

A group of US-soldiers marched along a field with knee high grass covering the ground. Their rifles in hand they were stomping through the vegetation.

They were tired as they were moving for a long time; they had left the Inchon Port and were on their way to the east of North Korea to secure another base. Other troops were also on their way to the North. The goal was to aid the South Korean troops in taking over the whole north.

In that group of Soldiers was nineteen years old Tamsin Kinross - dirt covered her face and her hair was cut short. She was in Korea for a week now and since the UN troops arrived she could see the end of this madness - she could not wait to get back home to her sister and mother.

Tamsin was at the end of the group falling slightly behind. Her limbs were tired and her energy drained. Her backpack was heavy and even the rifle dragged her down. She wasn't the only one who felt like that; but the men in front of her knew how to push themselves further.
Suddenly one of the soldiers in the middle collapsed falling sideways on the ground. Two men hurried over to him to see what was going on until the Sergeant walked up to the unconsciousness soldier.

"He has a wound from Incheon; I guess it opened again, Sir", one of the Privates said and moved away to make space for his superior.
Tamsin watched the situation from the back and allowed herself to put down the heavy backpack.
Sergeant Morgan looked around and announced a break.
A sigh of relief went through the group as they pitched their camp and rested.
Tamsin could not stop glancing at the collapsed man - who probably wouldn't make it. She remembered him back from Incheon. He had sought cover near her and they fought together against the nearing Chinese troops. If she remembered correctly his name was Barker.
"Kinross!" The Sergeant called out and Tamsin jumped up hurrying over to him saluting. "I assign you to watch over him - report immediately if his condition changed", he said and added under his breath: "So we can move on".

Tamsin had heard him and nodded - she was already used to the rough and cold tone of her superiors and fellow Privates.
So she moved her things near the wounded Private and sat down watching him.

It was not long until they noticed they were not alone anymore. The soldiers who were on the lookout for enemies noticed some figures approaching. Tamsin grabbed her rifle and loaded it ready for any order.
"Wait!" The Sergeant raised his hand as he made them out to be children - thin and clothed in rags. They were Korean but it was unclear to which side they belonged to. "Lower your weapons! They are just children!"
Tamsin heard the command and let her rifle sink into the high grass while the children came closer. Something was off. She could not put a name on it but these children did not act like she expected. Their faces were straight and expressionless. Their movements were kind of stiff and slow.
But it probably was because they hadn't eaten for days.

Then all of a sudden the children pulled something from behind their back screaming an all too familiar phrase in Korean: Long live Kim Il-Sung!
Frozen in shock Tamsin stared at the children shooting at her comrades screaming. One after one fell to the ground, dead.
She felt the bullets hitting her body but not them piercing through her flesh. Looking down on where the wounds were supposed to be she found nothing but her ripped uniform.
Her skin was unscathed and there was no blood. Did she just imagine the bullets hitting her?
The children stared at her shocked seeing that she was still standing- as did Tamsin. What was happening?
But before the child soldiers could try to kill her once more she jumped down hiding in the high grass looking for her rifle. She would not test her luck and let herself get shot another time.

So she removed the safety and aimed at theenemy. Exactly, even though they were children - they were the enemy. She hadto kill them! It was her or them. So she pulled the trigger and shot each oneof the children killing them in an instant.

After hearing the last body fall to the ground she rolled on the side - away fromthe massacre and started crying. Her comrades, those children... all dead.
Something was wrong with Tamsin - she believed she was going crazy. There wasno way those bullets wouldn't make any damage on her. Yet she was alive but to what price?