Chapter 19: Clues and Questions
Before their very eyes lies not only the chance of salvation, but the remnants left behind by the man who set foot upon it's graceful soil first. Despite the glorious discovery, the task before them lays unfulfilled and must be attended to before any thoughts of what steps humanity should take before their eventual exodus....................................................................
Still stuck in their state of awe, Fireteams Wolfpack and Osaka almost forget their objective completely. Had it not been for a sudden burst transmission, they very well could have been standing there much longer.
"*Entry team, what's your status, over.*" said a masculine voice over the comm channel.
They then suddenly snapped back into the now, albeit still a bit awestruck.
"This....is Wolfpa..This is Wolf 1, we made it through safely, no injuries to report." Viktor reported.
"*Copy that Wolf 1. Your next objective is search the surrounding area for Private Berfield. To clarify, you've been given a 96 hour window to complete the objective. If Berfield isn't found within the constrains of that time, you are to abort the mission and return to your point entry for extraction. Our call-sign is Gateway, should you need support don't hesitate to call.*"
Viktor went off comms for one second and looked to Andrew.
"Should I give them the good news?" he asked.
Andrew expressed a baffled look.
"Yes, right now." Andrew replied, as if it wasn't obvious enough.
"Gateway, This is Wolf 1, we have new information regarding our OA, over."
"*This is Gateway, go ahead Wolf 1.*"
"To put it plain and simple Gateway, we're currently standing in the middle of a forest."
The comms channel went dead for at least fifteen seconds, as he and Andrew could only imagine that whatever they were doing on the other side immediately stopped upon the revelation they had given. Then suddenly the channel transitioned into a series of rumbles and rustles as whoever on the other side was fighting over the mic with someone else.
"*-Sir you just can't...............HEY!...................-Give it back Assho-................*"
It was at that moment that a different voice played over the comms.
"...............Attention Wolf 1, this is Councilor Bradford of the Science Branch. Tell me, what do you mean by "forest"? What do see on your end, what's it like over there?*"
Now normally if someone hijacked military communications to ask a question would have pissed both Andrew and Viktor to the point where they'd shoot the person responsible when they got back. But their current situation made that thought absent in their mind, and Viktor felt compelled to answer.
"Councilor, we're currently standing in the middle of forest that's nothing but dense greenery everywhere we look. There's plant life in all directions, trees, vines, bushes, etc. More importantly, I believe they're similar if not exactly like the plants on Earth. The sun is visible and just dawned no less than 1 mike ago. There's water mildew on the forest floor and leaves and furthermore, the air is breathable."
Back on the other end, Bradford and those who had been keeping him away from the mic now stood in complete silence. Everyone in the room, Scientist and Militiaman alike were just as quiet. Back on the other end Andrew and the others waited anxiously. Andrew wasn't sure what course of action would be taken, it was ultimately up to Bradford since he was currently "absent". No doubt the Council would be notified as soon as possible, and it wouldn't be long before they realized he was missing. But thankfully it was too late for them to do anything, he was literally in a whole other world, probably light years away.
Their was a possibility Bradford might try and call off the mission, but he would require military authority to do that, and should he take that course of action he had no doubt Viktor would remind him of that, even cut off comms with Earth if the situation required it. When the comms came back it was the radio operator from earlier, but Bradford and several others could be heard in the background as they partook in enthusiastic uproar.
"*Wolf 1, Would you say the environment is hospitable? Over?*"
"This is Wolf 1, Hell yes."
Another brief pause, as if the operator was now just beginning to process what had just been presented to him, just like Andrew. Because of his gut feeling, Andrew had the privilege of setting foot onto what would undoubtedly become mankind's saving grace. Once again thoughts of the mission and the conversation over the comms were blotted out by those of an ambitious future. The thoughts raced across his mind, thoughts of a civilization man could rebuild once again, thoughts of his wife and child living in a world that flourished with life where they could be safe from the dangers of the wastes, and thoughts of the dire need for food and water no longer being a concern.
So developed in his train of thought, it took him by surprise when Viktor shook his shoulder, snapping him out of it
"*-At this time you're to proceed to your current objective. Locate Private Berfield, designation Bravo, and bring him back for extraction. Now for the sake of both Council and Militia interest, Councilor Bradford has requested you keep us in the loop on a constant basis. Communication will be limited to this frequency, 100.12. Inform us should you encounter any environmental or strategic change in the mission. You have the green light to proceed. Gateway out.*"
"Wilco, we'll keep you posted, Wolf 1, out."
Hanging up from the transmission, Viktor turned to everybody for a proper assessment.
"Considering how this place is about ten times better than home I can say that Private Berfield is probably still breathing." Viktor claimed.
"And probably felt the same way we did when he came here." Andrew replied.
Andrew had to fight the urge to inquire on that subject further. Despite having an entirely new world to explore they had a mission to attend to first. Looking around their current vicinity, the forest seemed to span miles in every direction.
"Alright fireteams, listen up! Like Gateway said we're here to find Berfield and bring him home. First thing's first we need to know where he is, and since I only see the twelve of us it's safe to assume he's not here. Span out, 30 meter spread, search for anything that can give us a clue where he went."
"Yes sir!" They all replied.
The teams spread out in a search for clues. The clues were quick to be noticed, as Achmed was the first to discover something. After about two or three steps after the order was issued, he heard something snap and break from the pressure of his foot. Looked down he saw that he stepped on a few desk pens, that were now caked into the damp and muddy ground. It was no surprise, as Achmed knew Tim wasn't the only thing to be sucked in upon the portal's initial activation. But what he saw just a few feet in front of the pens caught his eye immediately. In front of him was no other than a set of footprints in the shape of boots. He followed them by eye, seeing that they covered a vast majority of the surrounding area, including sections that neither fireteam had ventured off into yet. Achmed's gut reaction was that they were Tim's and he was quick to report his findings.
"Sir, I have a visual on a set of footprints." Achmed informed.
"Is it our man?" Andrew asked.
"I believe so, sir."
Sarge walked up next to where Achmed was standing to get a look at the tracks herself.
"Imprint's that of U.S army combat boots, that's what Berfield usually wore out in the field." She added.
"His aren't the only sets I'm seeing either." Another feminine voice called out.
Turning around, they could see Wolf 3, Asami Ishimaru, squatting down inspecting what he assumed were other prints on the ground. She was very young, and her youth displayed well in her facial features. Short black hair, brown eyes, standing at 5'3. She was decked out in a much lighter operating rig compared to the others, wearing no body protection other then some elbow pads. Like Osaka, Wolfpack also had a universal camo pattern, the Russian Partizan-M reversible camo, with the sleeves of her uniform rolled up past her elbows and a boonie hat with the same pattern. She wore a simple OD Sniper harness, with the various pouches of ammo and equipment she needed. On her belt was an CZ-75 suppressed pistol on her left side, and a 6 inch serrated knife on the back part. Rather than have a helmet, she instead wore a boonie hat in the same camo as her uniform. For weapons, she carried a custom Howa M1500 Archangel Sniper rifle slung across her back, chambered in .300 Win Mag, with a spray camouflaged tactical stock, foldable bipod, Swarovski Optik 2-12x-50mm Z6 scope, and a 24" Bull Barrel. Currently in her hands was an RFB Hunter bullpup, with a quad rail system covering the excess of the barrel and equipped with a suppressor and a VO Brawn 2-6x32 Acom 2 scope.
"Berfield wasn't the only thing to cross through here recently." she continued.
Everyone closed in on her location, getting a better look at what she was seeing. There were in fact a second pair of footprints. However they weren't that of a human being, but rather some sort of hoof print like that of a horse, only roughly one third of the size of the one's left by Berfield, and a track pattern that was unmistakably quadrupedal.
"What do you think left these?" Viktor asked.
"Well, I'm no expert, but from what I read about Pre-war forests, they were home to a lot of wildlife. My guess is some wild animals came through here, probably sniffed the place out." Andrew suggested.
"I'd like to think that too, but then I found this." Asami stated gesturing behind her.
"Found what, Wolf 3?" Viktor asked.
"Well, if we follow the tracks....."
Asami's lead the group to a clearing just 10 yards from their point of entry. Other than the collective bundles of dead leaves and twigs was another set of footprints, and another set, and another. As they counted the total sets and where they lead they began to see what she was talking about. In total, there were eight sets of the hoof prints, one set of human footprints along with a few streaks reminiscent of what would be left behind by a wagon or a cart. The tracks engulfed various parts of the nearby vicinity and the converged and headed back in the same direction, west. That last set gained Andrew's attention, as they were the most noticeable and the only set that didn't cover much of the area.
"Any idea what could have made that?" Sarah asked, coming up from behind them.
"Some sort of vehicle maybe?" Viktor suggested.
"If so, it ain't like any vehicle I've seen. The wheels are too thin. And furthermore they don't leave a pattern, they're blank."
"Osaka 4, follow these tracks, see where they go." Andrew ordered.
Ahab nodded and went to it as Viktor walked up beside Andrew.
"You think these were left by a wild animal?" Viktor questioned.
"Is it so hard to believe?" Andrew justified. "We're new to this world, Vik. They very well could have been made by a creature we haven't encountered yet."
"For some reason I have a hard time believing that."
"Alright then Sherlock, what do you think made them?"
Viktor gave a blank expression, looking back and forth between Andrew and the set of linear tracks before finally stating.
"Not sure, but I doubt it was the work of an animal, I'll tell you that."
Meanwhile nearby, Asami and Achmed continued their search of clues in the nearby area.
"This place saw a lot of activity." said Achmed. "And look how they circle around the place and group back. It's not sporadic like a mutant sniffing something out, it's almost methodical in a way. They stretch out in all directions and then converge back to whatever left these linear-tracks behind."
"Like they were actively searching for something." Asami added. "Then coming back."
"Yeah, and I have an idea of what it was. Anybody else notice all the stuff that's laying around? Aside from a few pens and papers a lot of it looks like it's missing."
"I see what your scout's talking about Osaka 1." Viktor said, pointing it out.
Andrew looked where his friend was pointing and saw the strange anomaly. Imprints of where items had made an impact were left behind with the item in question either gone or partially removed. Andrew put it through his head. A space like the portal room would have almost certainly had boat loads of items scattered across the various desks and control panels, yet here he was, and it almost looked as if the majority of the mess had been tidied up. These imprints were numerous too, and he could tell which items had been picked up and which ones had to almost seemingly be dug out. Upon closer inspection, Andrew could make out some of the imprints. One was of a keyboard and another of some sort of printer which had made quite the impact crater in the ground. But like Private Sabbag and the others observed, the objects in question were nowhere to be found.
"Still think there animals now?" Viktor asked.
"Are you trying to suggest something, Vik?" Andrew asked.
Before Viktor could reply, Ahab had returned to the group to report his findings.
"Osaka 4, what did you find?" Andrew asked.
"Sir, I followed the tracks for about half a mile. Got a good look up ahead in another clearing. They don't alter in course at all. According to the compass on my HUD-set, they head directly west."
"Straight West? That's rather concerning." Viktor conceded.
"Perhaps they are pack hunters." said a deep and heavy voice of African descent.
The observation came from Wolfpack's support gunner, Egbelebe Jelani. The man towered in comparison to everybody else, and seemed more of a giant than a man. He wore some heavy duty protection pads on his shoulders, knees, shins, elbows, and forearms, and a heavy duty OVC Tactical body armor vest in OD Green. His back was a OD 3-day tactical assault pack which also holstered a Gerber Gator Machete Pro. His helmet was a standard OD Ops-Core helmet integrated with a Batlskin Head Protection system. His main armament was M240B with a side mounted grip for hip firing, a bipod, and an Elcan M135 3.4x Scope. His ammo belt fed from a large pouch on his left hip. His sidearm, was an HK Mk.23 with suppressor. All in all, he was the most intimidating out of all of them.
"Like you said sir, forests were once home to all manners of life. Perhaps this world's predators took to hunting him down?"
"I don't think so. If they were hunting him the tracks would be further spaced and a little more sporadic. Tim's not the most prolific soldier but he's not an oblivious one either." Achmed argued. "He'd know when he was being watched and followed and would take an effort to evading his pursuers. Judging from the pattern, He was walking, almost hesitantly so. As were our four-legged friends. Not only that, but have you noticed Tim's tracks look just as old a the others, and both his and theirs seem to circle around this area multiple times."
"He's got a point." Asami agreed, still giving the tracks a thorough inspection. "My guess is that these were left maybe about a day or two ago and both his and their tracks seem to be made at the same time."
"And like I said earlier, all the stuff from the portal room is flat-out missing."
Andrew tried desperately to piece these clues together, but found no successful effort in doing so. Until one thought occurred that changed everything. He turned to face Viktor.
"What do you think, Vik?" he asked. "And be honest."
Viktor stood their, ambivalently silent.
"Vik?"
"There may be the possibility that these creatures might be sentient." Viktor suggested.
Andrew gave a concerning look. If what Viktor was suggesting happened to be true, which more and more fell into the realm of possibility as it was given thought, it could complicate things.
"That would explain those linear streaks." Asami admitted.
"And the missing items." Harris added.
"But it doesn't explain why they headed west, or why Berfield headed in the same direction." Andrew stated. "We already came to a conclusion that he wasn't in a state of panic or stress. Nothing we've found leads us to believe that he was in any danger. So what are we lead to believe happened?"
A thought then crossed Achmed's mind that might provide an explanation.
"Do you think, he was taken captive?" Achmed asked.
A pause overtook the situation. Andrew put that idea through his head and suddenly some things started to make sense.
"What led you to that conclusion?" Andrew asked.
"I dunno. But at this point it's clear we aren't dealing with wild animals."
"If that were the case why would Berfield be walking alongside them." Asami argued. "Besides if he were captured we'd be seeing similar signs to Wolf 5's theory. Attempts at a struggle or resistance, and like you said yourself everything's orderly."
"Maybe he came quietly." Achmed suggested.
"Bullshit! Sabbag you know Tim more than anybody, he may be dumb as a rock sometimes but he don't ever back down from a fight." Lamond protested.
"Well whatever they are, they outnumbered Berfield." Sarah pointed out. " Their tracks circle around the place it's hard to tell. If they did attempt to capture him, my guess is they surrounded him in all directions. Maybe he didn't like the odds and decided to stand down."
"Hm, a fair argument." Asami said.
"That's very well possible." Viktor voiced in agreement. "Maybe they decided to secure everything, Berfield, the missing items, and then transport them west."
"If that's the case it means we need to find him." Sarah pressed. "We have no clue what these things are capable of, god knows what they might be doing to him."
The thought of Tim being subject to torture or something of similar form brought on feelings of concern in Achmed, and he was quick to back up his Sergeant in her suggested course of action.
"Then we need to go now! Hit them when they won't expect it." Achmed urged. "Before the-"
"Cool it, both of you!" Andrew barked. "In case either of you haven't realized it yet, we may have a possible first contact scenario on our hands. Do you really want to start it off by instigating hostilities?"
"They started hostilities by taking Tim prisoner." Sarah argued.
"We don't even know if that's what happened. As of now, that's just a theory, and nothing we've found had even remotely given us an answer to what actually happened."
"So what do we do next?"
Andrew walked ahead of the group, following the massive trail of footprints and stopping just as it was about to enter the thick brush. There he stood, staring down into what seemed like endless woodland. This subject seemed to rack up his nerves to no end, no doubt due to the inevitable repercussions it would have on him and humanity.
Andrew struggled to find an appropriate course of action. The bigger picture just widened to the extreme. Ironic, given that less than half an hour ago Andrew thought he was staring at mankind's salvation, a second chance. But with the idea of this world already owned by other beings ran his ambitions into a brick wall. The mission, this new world, the fate of mankind would be a gamble should they continue and later find these creatures were in fact sentient. If he went through with the mission and rescued Berfield from his captors, it may well lead to an act of war with an enemy with unknown capabilities. That was something Andrew had no desire to do nor had the power to do. Not after The Conflict, not after how many died. But at the same time he couldn't just turn back. This place offered man the chance at a new beginning, and to deny that chance would ultimately lead to humanity's extinction by their own hand.
To make matter's worse, both options would lead to an explanation to the Council, both of which would most likely tarnish his credibility when it was found out he personally partook in this dangerous undertaking. Without a doubt he could kiss his Commander days goodbye. But he would ultimately do so by making it worth it. He walked back to the group, who had been watching and left wondering this whole time.
"I've come to a decision, albeit a difficult one." Andrew announced. "Nothing's quite certain yet, but if these creatures are in fact intelligent and took hostile action towards Berfield, we make his rescue our priority. Even if it means we have to use force. So I expect each and every one of you to make a thorough threat assessment before you even think of pulling the trigger. If it hasn't engaged in combat you keep your fucking guns pointed down to the ground! Nobody fires a shot unless I give the okay! Is that clear!?"
"SIR!" they responded, all but one.
"With all due respect, sir, picking a fight with an unknown enemy seems like a very bad idea." another man voiced.
Turning around, everyone saw it was Viktor's second in command, Major Hale Kendricks. He was a white male in his late twenties to early thirties, standing at around 5'10, dirty blonde hair, and thick painter's brush mustache. His get up was fit for mid-to close range combat. He wore his full Partizan uniform like a true operator, with black tactical gloves, green shemagh around his neck, and OD tactical pads on his knees and elbows with combat shin guards for added protection. He sported a Flecktarn Tactical Crossdraw Vest sporting carrying his magazines, Various types of grenades, his knife, and his M&P .40 pistol in a holster located on the lower left torso of his vest. He carried C4 and other explosives in a CFP-90 backpack in M81 Woodland. For head Protection, he wore a gen 3 Ops-core Helmet, but his was unique in that it was sprayed with woodland colors and had a small sketch of an explosion etched in by a knife on the back. Along with this crude drawing were equally crude words, "Bada-bing Bada-boom!" above it. For his weapon of choice was a G36A3 with a EOtech Holographic sight and 2-4x booster, red laser sight, and M320 under-barrel grenade launcher.
"And I don't think I need to explain why." Hale stated, pressing his issue further.
"Noted, Wolf 2." Andrew said. "But unless you have a better idea, you follow the orders given. Understood?"
"Yes sir." Hale replied.
"Wolf 1, contact Gateway. Tell them we're moving out following a set of human foot prints. Make no mention of the other footprints or the fact that we may be dealing with sentient life. The Council doesn't need to shut this operation down before it starts."
Viktor nodded and proceeded to touch base with Gateway.
"Gateway, This is Wolf 1, come in."
"*This is Gateway, go ahead Wolf 1.*"
"Gateway, we have a fix on a set of footprints to follow. We believe them to be Berfield's. Permission to proceed? Over."
"*Copy, Wolf 1. You have the green light. Keep us posted. Gateway, out.*"
Andrew gestured for his team to get together.
"We're moving out Osaka! Fall in behind me." Andrew ordered.
"Wolfpack, we do the same, Davai!" Viktor ordered.
The fireteams did as instructed and followed the footprints and continued to do so for a straight hour and a half. Despite the monotony of the path, what surrounded them and wherever the footprints lead kept boredom at bay, with the latter surely capable of providing insight into what exactly happened to Berfield after his entry into this new world.
And so they walked, following footprint after footprint, retracing a clear cut path into the forest, taking the scenery in, with thoughts of what this discovery would lead to in the minds of everyone present. But while the scenery was enough to keep everyone enthralled, it also gave them reason to stay on their toes. They weren't sure what might have lived in the forest, and were keen to assume the worst.
Achmed was looking upwards at the sky catching glimpses of the sun's radiant rays that would occasionally shine through the tree canopy. The way they left a warm sensation on his skin was comforting, a stark contrast to the sun back on Earth, which for the most part was trapped behind the thick smog of ash and dust left in the atmosphere. Achmed was so captivated by it that he was caught off guard when Lamond came up next to him to talk.
"Dude, you looking at the sun too?" he asked.
"Yeah. You?"
"Yeah, same here. Never thought it be so bright."
"I wouldn't look directly at the sun if I were you." Harris warned the two.
"Yeah, whatever buzzkill." Lamond remarked back.
"As a medic I would have expected you to know how direct eye-contact with the sun's ultraviolet rays can cause temporary obstruction of vision and even blindne-"
"Shut up buzzkill!" shouted Ahab, repeating Lamond's comment.
Harris gave them all an an expressionless stare before turning back around.
"You've been warned." Harris stated.
"Who cares? Can you believe this guy. First time he steps into a world that isn't complete shit and he's worried about our fucking vision. He, nerd. Anyways Sabbag, how's it feel dude?" Ahab asked.
"How's what feel?" Achmed asked back, genuinely confused.
"The fact that you and Tim are the reason we found this place."
"Uh, I'm not sure how to answer that?"
"No sweat Sabbag, it was a stupid question." Lamond said.
"Says the moron who's staring at the sun." Ahab said in defense.
"When's the last you saw the sun in full, huh, Ahab? I know you were born in a cave so you never got much sunlight to begin with but-"
Lamond's sentence was interrupted by a punch to the arm by no other than Ahab.
"Saw it rise here before you did, dumb fuck!" Ahab jested.
"Actually I think the Commander did. He was the first one through along with the Colonel."
"Well, technically, wasn't Tim the first?" Achmed explained. "He came here before any of us."
Giving it some thought, they realized Achmed was right about that.
"Huh, guess I didn't think about that?" Lamond admitted.
"Well Lamond, you barely think in general." Ahab quipped
"And you don't think at all Ahab, now cut the chatter back there!" Sarah snapped. "Stay focused. We're in uncharted territory and something's bound to find us if they can hear you morons talking from a mile away."
"Your Sergeant's right." Andrew said, backing up Sarah's word. "It's best we maintain silence unless absolutely necessary. If those things are still out there it's in our best interest to go about under their nose."
"Assuming they have noses." Ahab quipped.
"Be stupid some other time Al-Kindi." Sarah ordered.
Then suddenly out of the blue, Andrew motioned for them to stop with his hand. He then gestured for them to get low as he took up a crouching stance. The talking ceased, and they awaited for further instruction. The Commander opened one of his pouches and pulled out a pair rangefinder binoculars. He stood their, scouting ahead for about a minute before he lowered them and went over the local comm.
"I have visual on movement in the foliage, 20 yards ahead of our position. Wolf 1, send one of your men to check it out."
"Copy." Viktor replied. "Wolf 6, check it out."
"On it." Wolf 6 replied.
Wolf 6, aka Lewis Humphrey was performing his role as pointman. He was weathered man in his mid thirties with brown mutton chops and a distasteful glare. He wore his uniform with rolled sleeves revealing a skintight shirt of black under armor, with a OD LBT Plate Carrier Vest, holding his magazines, grenades, equipment, and tactical Tomahawk. He wore tactical protection pads on his elbows and knees and black Kevlar Bracers on his forearms. He wore an black carry-all backpack and an OD ACH MICH 2002 Combat Helmet. For his primary gun he carried a SCAR H MK17 CQC Model in OD, with a vertical foregrip, red laser sight, Flashlight, Suppressor and a SpectreDR 1-4x Scope and kept both a Shorty 12G shotgun at the back of his belt and a HK USP on his chest.
Rifle at the ready, he stepped closer and closer, passing each squad member in the process. Even after he passed the Commander, Lewis took caution in every step, focusing his attention towards what was in front of him. As he got closer though the cause of the movement scurried off in the form of a small rabbit. Lewis' stance took an immediate turn for relaxation as he turned around and the distinct sound of Viktor holding in a laugh was clearly audible to Andrew's ears.
"A little too small to be our captors I think. Coast is clear Osaka 1." Lewis replied.
Viktor was about to make a joke poking fun at his friend for getting worked up over a rabbit when Lewis spotted something a short distance in front of him that caught both his attention and that of everyone else.
"What the...? Hey, hold on! Think I got something here!"
Lewis made his way past the bush and disappeared past the bushes. Half a minute later he came up on the local comms.
"You all might want take a look at this!" he said.
Andrew and Viktor approached cautiously, unsure of what he had found. As they followed Humphrey direction past the brush, they were immediately greeted by what was clearly the remains of a small campsite, mad evident by the charred remains of a campfire and several spots where tents hand been staked into the ground.
"Well, unless Berfield was carrying an array tents on him, I think it's safe to say that these things are definitely intelligent." Viktor claimed.
There was no debate this time, and Andrew realized it. If these things were capable of setting up a temporary camp they had to be sentient.
"No kidding." Andrew agreed. "Wolf 3, Osaka 5, you know what to do. Everyone else set up a perimeter, 15 meter spread. Stay frosty, they may still be nearby."
While the Fireteams took up basic defensive positions, Achmed and Asami went straight to work, picking apart the remnants of the campsite for any clues they could find. They started with the area where the tents had been set up. As the search grew more thorough, they found little details that had little to offer in the ways of putting the pieces of Tim's predicament together. Holes where tent stakes had been hammered down, the multiple hoof-prints littered around their vicinity. They had been going at it for about four minutes and had found nothing that provided any answers, just more questions.
"Okay, the tent area is a dead end." Asami said, laying it out flat.
"I...can't argue with you on that." he admitted.
"Listen, I'm going to follow the foot trail again, see where they go. Why don't you check the campfire, if you find anything let us know."
"Copy."
Asami went to her task, which to Achmed's surprise seemed to be leading her several yards away from the perimeter. Achmed shook his head and opted to stay focused. Approaching the smoldering mess of ash and charred timber, surrounded by three dead logs arranged around its center. It reminded him of the constant talks he and Tim had around a burning barrel fire, and was somewhat warmed by something that was similar to home.
"*Guess campfires are universal no matter where you go.*" Achmed whispered to himself.
Achmed crouched down to better inspect the remains. Looking around closely, Achmed found something that immediately caught his eye. Splattered across a small chunk of burnt wood was some sort of white foamy splotch that had been partially burned in a few places. Throwing caution to the wind, Achmed reached out and touched. As he pulled back he suddenly noticed it was sticking to his fingertips. He jumped back in shock and immediately threw his hand back and wiped it off on the ground. Achmed checked his fingertips, and to his relief they looked completely fine.
Achmed stood back up only to have a faint crumpling noise grab his attention. Looking down from where it emanated, he found something wedged beneath on of the logs. It was earth brown, but had a reflective sheen to it making it easy to spot. He reached down and pulled it out. Once it was in his hands, he instantly recognized what it was.
"I found something." He announced over the comms.
Everyone turned around, but before anyone could do anything, Andrew issued his orders.
"Everyone stay put. Vik, with me."
Andrew stood up with Viktor following right behind as they walked over to Achmed.
"What did you find, Osaka 5?" Andrew asked.
"MRE pouch, sir. I found it under this log."
"Under the log?" Viktor asked.
"Yes sir, it's expended but all the leftover packaging is still in it."
"Let me have a look." Andrew ordered.
Achmed handed it over to the Commander for him to inspect. The packaging was smeared in mud left by the underbelly of the log and like Sabbag described all the contents had been eaten, with the waste stuffed inside. It was at this moment something suspicious began to arise.
"If he were a prisoner, why the hell would they give him access to his things?" Andrew asked.
"That's........................a good question." Viktor had to admit. "Which log did you say it was under Osaka 5?"
"This one." Achmed said, directing them towards it. "In fact I think he was sitting here. His footprints are directly in front of it along with the others."
"So they let him eat his meal, and sit with them by the campfire?" Andrew questioned.
Andrew began to formulate what situation or scenario would arise in order for something like this to happen. He was uncertain of it, but he was beginning to think that maybe one of his captors could have possibly shown sympathy to him. Before he could dwell on it for too long, Sabbag added even more information.
"I also found something stuck to one of the burnt logs." Achmed informed.
Achmed pointed it out and the two took a closer look.
"Now what might this be?" Viktor inquired.
"Some sort of chemical compound? Maybe a fungus?" Andrew suggested.
"Not sure, but...........I know who would."
Viktor gave out an almost defeated sigh before addressing the man in question to come forward.
"Wolf 4, front and center!" he called out.
The man in question, turned around with an almost oblivious expression on his face. Nathan McCord immediately struck Andrew as a strange character. In his early twenties standing at a short height of 5'6, barely putting him over Asami. With a big brown survivalist beard that stretched down seven inches from his face, with a distinct set of emerald eyes, there was an odd non-threatening aura to McCord. The uniform he wore seemed rather thick in comparison to the others, though Andrew supposed that could be attributed to his small stature. With is uniform, he sported a Matrix Light Brigade Tactical vest in OD, sporting double mag pouches, as well as a first aid kit and surgical scissors, along with Kevlar pads on his shoulders, elbows, forearms, and knees. He wore a RUSH72 Tactical backpack ans his belt contained yet another first aid kit, his knife, a canteen, and a Glock 17 pistol in a holster. He sported a STSh-81 Combat Helmet with a Partizan helmet cover and tactical goggles strapped around it. His main armament was an IA-2 7.62, with a Prism SCP-P4032i 4x scope, curved foregrip by the magwell, and Red Laser sight. As Nathan began to make his way over, Viktor leaned over to whisper a few words to Andrew.
"*Just as a head's up, he can have strange tendencies from time to time.*"
"*What do you mean by strange?*" Andrew asked.
"*Let's just hope you don't find out.*"
Nathan now stood before them.
"Did ya' need something, Sir?" he asked in his modest Irish accent.
"Da. We've got some sort of unknown compound, need an ID on whatever it is." Viktor explained.
"Hmm. Sir, I don't mean to sound judgemental about our current course, but how's this supposed to help us find the target exactly?"
Viktor didn't reply, instead directing a look of annoyance straight at him. That was Nathan's que to get to work and ask questions later. Nate crouched down, picking up the chunk of burnt wood it currently resided on. He looked at it form all angles, taking mental notes of it's surface, both the burnt and untampered sections. He proceeded to touch it, cautiously at first and then gradually more liberally. The sticky nature was noticed immediately, but he noticed it had very weak structure, almost of the brink of peeling off, to which he eventually did. Those around him peered in closer, inspecting the substance in his hand.
"Any clue what it is 4?"
"Has an original white surface, but got burned upon contact with fire. Found on burnt wood, yet still maintains at least a semblance of it's former nature." Nathan rambled.
"Get to the point, Nate. Do have an ID?"
Nathan's eyes opened as it suddenly came to him.
"Good blazes, I know what it is!" he cried.
Nathan then proceeded to stuff it in his mouth and begin chewing, to the complete and utter shock of everyone present.
"Holy shit he fucking ate it!" Ahab shouted from a distant.
"Okay I see what you meant by strange." Andrew said.
The other members of fireteam Wolfpack couldn't help but respond in their own way, ranging from subtle to blatant. Hale was the first, effectively face-palming at the stupidity of the act whilst Lewis was bursting out laughing. Jelani just shook his head viewing the whole thing as too idiotic for scoff.
"Thatta boy Nate! That's kickin safety protocol in the arse!" Lewis cackled.
"Right in front of the Commander no less." Hale added.
On the other side of the clearing, the remaining members of Fireteam Osaka were also quick to comment.
"Who just straight up eats something you find on the side of some firewood? That shit's nasty" said Lamond.
"I can't believe this is what passes for First Recon." Sarah said in disbelief.
"I'm calling it now. He's gonna die from doing that. It's gonna be like them aliens from that War of the Worlds book I read. Bacteria will do him in."
"...................interesting......................" said Harris.
Nate had turned around in response to his everybody's derision of his action, only to turn around to see the Commander give him a strange look, and in the case of Viktor, visually expressing his irritation.
"Well 4. What was it?" Viktor asked in a frighteningly calm voice.
"Marshmallow." Nate replied. "And judging from the taste it's gotta be two days old, at least."
"And you had to eat it why?"
"Not quite sure. But I have to say for two days old, it wasn't half bad."
Viktor stared at him with eyes that held back his anger and annoyance. Before he had the chance to slap him for his stupidity, Asami returned from her search, approaching the group that had formed at the center of the campsite.
"Commander, good you're here. I've.........why's Nate away from his post."
"Oh, the Colonel asked me to ID a sample for him. Turns out it was just a Marshmallow."
Asami gave him a distasteful glare before turning to Viktor.
"Well where is-.................................he ate it didn't he?" she asked.
"Yes." Viktor responded.
"Seriously Nate?" she scolded. "Before we even had the chance to see if it could help us you just eat-"
"Okay that's enough! We've already made a big enough racket as it is. Everyone is maintain silence. No sound unless I say so." Andrew demanded. "Wolf 3, you had something to report?"
"I did sir. I followed the trail pas the perimeter for a ways. It still maintains its direction west. As I came back though I saw Berfield's tracks divert away."
"You think he escaped?" Andrew asked.
"No. I followed his tracks. They encircle the camp. "As if he-"
"Were on night watch." Andrew said finishing her sentence.
"Yes." she conceded.
This new information was quick to grasp everyone's attention, as that would mean Berfield was actively in league with these things for some unknown purpose.
"So what does this mean" Achmed asked.
"It means your friend's no prisoner." Andrew explained. "And I'm very curious as to what other surprises he has for us when we find him."
Andrew walked a distance away from him and Viktor to once again pick up on the trail.
"Bread crumbs have to end somewhere." Andrew said. "Osaka, Wolfpack, we're moving out."
As the teams moved out, Achmed was quiet. He looked back on all the recent findings. The MRE, the fact he sat with his captors rather than kept separated and under guard, and the fact he roamed along the outskirts of the camp and didn't make an escape attempt actively undermined the whole prisoner theory. Which led him to the one question.
What exactly were you up to Tim?
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Alright! A new chapter :D
Yea, a new chapter. Can't wait for more
The next one is the turning point! I just know it!!!
Oh please come out out with the next one soon!
Okay... Let's get something straight. The term, is sapient. Sapient, not sentient. Sentient is when something is alive, sapient is when something is intelligent enough to act "human like". Whether this be humans now, in the past, or somewhere in between. Goddamn. Never thought I could get triggered badly enough to comment on it.
Still, great chapter. Cheers!
Okay. Big suggestion here. Make a reference doc for what all they are carrying and post a link to it. Your last chapter was about a third longer just from describing each person's equipment as they were mentioned. It is like putting on the breaks when the story is just getting somewhere and would flow a lot better if we were not given an in detail rundown of equipment right in the middle of an important turn in the story.
7529324 Thanks. Guess I just assumed sentient was the correct word after hearing it for so long in other science fiction media.
7529443 Okay, that actually makes a lot more sense. Thanks, I might just do that.
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THAT YOU UPDATED!!!
MARSHMALLOWS!!!!!!!
7553341 Of course not, there's no intermenet.
7602823 It does not :(
They’re.
Bread crumbs have to end somewhere.
Me when i finally reached this chapter i needed 15 minutes to calm down enough to read it. (So happy
)
Edit: Still no first contact? Come on.
Yeah, lets immediatelly act hostile and violent to first contact of another intelligent species. that sounds so SMART and hasn't caused destruction before.