[ WP ] Write an epilogue to a story that has n't been written .

Across the smoking ruins, and past the creek stained black with oil and blood, Captain Nathan Deshler looked over the battlefield. 
 
 His face was a mask of soot and grime, his arms covered with dirt and numerous cuts. His coolant vest was unzipped, the hot summer breeze doing little to wick away the sweat which clung to his skin. The dogend of a cigarette was clenched in his teeth, the cheap tobacco adding to the stench of burnt meat and ozone. 
 
 `` Hot work, Nate,'' Lieutenant Yulia Akulova said, waving her hand through the billowing smoke. `` Finally found that lost pack?'' 
 
 Deshler nodded, his distant stare unfocused. `` That last *Neanderthal* jarred it loose. Figured I'd take it as a sign.'' He flicked a bit of ash off the tip. `` Do n't worry; this line of work will kill me way before any cancer.'' The humor was lost in the humid breeze. 
 
 `` So who won, Nate? Us?'' 
 
 Deshler shook his head, flicking the smoldering butt away before turning to face his XO. 
 
 `` Nah. Not us, but not them either. Our employers, they're the only ones who came out on top. Not us, them. Once again, we're the ones who've lost.''
