Discoveries aren't often regarded as such until the full gravity of the situation is realized by the individuals behind said discovery. More often than not discovery is approached as a routine task, and such is the case for the commanding officer of the 3rd Company. She will soon realize not only the unique circumstances surrounding her scouts' discovery, but the predicament that comes with it........
Corporal Richards and Private First Class Al-Salib were quite bored as they manned the comms room of Outpost Bravo, wishing they'd been chosen for field assignment. Granted it probably would have still been unremarkable, but at least they'd be soldiering out in the wastes. But alas, Sergeant Martinez tasked them with comms duty for the next two days, which more or less meant listening in on snippets of what everybody else was doing.
"This has got to be the most boring task in the whole Militia." Al-Salib claimed whilst groaning in utter boredom.
"That's just because it's dead around here lately, mate." Richards argued. "At least you've never been tasked as a petrol supply specialist. Do 8 straight hours of that and I assure you you'll go nutters in no time flat."
Al-Salib was about to answer with a retort when the comms lit up again, this time with an urgent voice practically blowing out the speakers on the nearby console.
"*OUTPOST BRAVO, THIS IS ECHO-2 SIERRA ALPHA! COME IN! OUTPOST BRAVO! COME IN!*"
"Jesus!" Richards jumped at the sudden outburst.
"Sierra Alpha? Achmed Sabbag, that's Achmed. Why the hell is he not using his callsign?" Al-Salib asked.
Every Militia unit was given a callsign when on assignment, but they also had the default code phrase for individual soldiers for rank and name; the one Achmed had just used. When someone used their default it either meant they didn't remember their callsign, or they were the last of their unit. It was hard to judge, but Richards had a feeling it was the latter.
"Whatever it is, it sounds urgent." Richards stated before pressing down on the transceiver button and answering. "This is Outpost Bravo, we read you loud and clear, Private. What's your status, over."
"*Thank God! Bravo, my position is compromised. Echo-1 Tango Bravo is MIA and I've encountered something! Requesting immediate support at my location at gridpoint Sierra Whiskey 23611-Niner. Over."
Richards and Al-Salib were stunned by this sudden revelation, even more so as the unknown circumstances surrounding it left no clear picture as to what happened.
"Say again, Echo 2? Berfield is MIA?"
"*Affirmative, Berfield is MIA and I've made contact with something big! I have no idea what this thing is, but Sarge needs to see it, and I need to give her all the details.*"
The two men were left confused and even curious as to what situation could have led to this sudden and distressed call from Sabbag. Alas, the time for that would have to come later.
"Copy that Echo 2, relaying your transmission to her now. Standby." Richards answered.
Sergeant Sarah Martinez walked into the mess hall with indifference, but hoping the line hadn't gotten too long. Managing the operations at Outpost Bravo took time and patience, two things she had more stock in than any other man in her unit. The position was something she took pride in, as much as she did in leading her unit. Since taking over the outpost, both the facilities and its capabilities out in the field had grown from the ruins of the Russian FOB it had started as.
Overall the day had started off pretty dull. Morning exercise came and went like it usually did and matters at the outpost kept her from going scavenging today. Not that she didn't mind, most of the 3rd's scavenger teams were already out on assignment, and she herself was still tired from the one she partook in the day prior
"Didn't think I'd still be sore after that. I know it took hours to pull that damn APC out of a 15 foot crater, but I've done more taxing things. Guess I can take today to get a bit of rest." she thought to herself.
As she approached the chef, she was served her meager portions of food for the day. A small serving of processed eggs, one sausage link, and a glass of water. She internally groaned, frustrated with the ever shrinking rationing in effect. There were days where she practically felt dizzy from hunger, but what little she was served prevented anything more severe from taking place.
She made her way through the line, then searched for a place to sit. Along some of the tables in the back, three of her subordinates were sitting together, partaking in conversation during their morning meal. As she approached them, they acknowledged her with a friendly greeting.
"Hey Sarge'!" said Cpl. Francis Vanhart, with Pvt. Nick Barkley and Cpl. Ahab Al-Kindi giving her similar greetings.
She smiled, glad to know that nothing had to be forced out of her men even when she was around. That level of respect, while not uncommon, was something she found pride in knowing she had earned their respect over the years leading them, knowing that when it came to running the unit in dire straights, she could be counted on. She was more than fit for the role. It wasn't easy getting to this point. Being a woman, she had to double the work and effort to keep up with the men physically. That's not even accounting for the mental fortitude it required to move past the cat-calling and stereotyping she found herself at the receiving end of. But her adamant patience finally paid off when she received the field promotion to Sergeant. She obtained the rank 4 years ago, during a clean and clear op, missions that involved clearing a mutant hot zone in order to secure a region. That particular one took a turn for the worst when the acting CO was torn in half by one of the bigger mutants. Seeing as she was next in the chain of command, she took it on herself to step up and led her remaining men through the rest of the way, clearing the hot zone and doing so without losing a single soldier in the process.
Since that day, not one man has doubted her abilities, and as a CO, she was known to be stern, but fair, even caring on a few occasions. The men who served multiple tours with her knew she wasn't to be crossed, and that it was best to stay on her good side. One plucky private made the mistake of slapping her rear, thinking her to be a new recruit, that ended with him in the infirmary with a busted wing. But other than that, the men also knew she was courageous, and was willing to put her own life for them if need be, like every good Militiaman would do.
"Morning, gentlemen." she replied, taking a seat next to Nick.
Looking at their trays, she unsurprisingly noted that they too had the same meager meal she was given. Food was getting harder and harder to come by, let alone equally distribute these days, and she wondered how long it would be before portions for everyone could no longer be guaranteed. While food was certainly food, Nick seemed to be disgusted with his breakfast, judging by the grimaced expression he was sporting.
"Think I've had a cooked rat that tasted better than this." he said displeased.
Barkley had only been with the 3rd for about 3 months. A good soldier by all means, but everybody grew to dislike his little whining sessions he had every so often.
"Eat it Barkley, it's good for you." Francis replied. "Besides, there ain't really a lot to go around, so be grateful."
"Yeah I know, it's not like I'm ungrateful, I am. I just wish it tasted better." said Nick. "Corporal Roben ain't exactly a sous chef.
"Don't let him catch you saying that, he might spit in your food, like he does with Francis over here." Sarah warned.
"HA. Very funny Sarge." Francis said sarcastically.
"You know, Nick, if you don't like the provided food you can always eat some of the out of date MRE's they give us." said Ahab.
"No such thing as an out-of-date MRE if you're hungry enough." Francis stated.
"Debatable, Francis. But if I'm being honest, I'd rather save those in case of an emergency. If I ever get stuck out in there, it's nice to know I'll have something to eat."
"That's actually smart." Sarah said, surprised but impressed by his statement, "It's good to think like that, especially out here in the wastes. You stay in that mindset and you'll make it out here, Barkley. The wasteland gets dangerous when you make stupid decisions, but being smart about your choices can keep you alive."
"If that's the case, shouldn't Berfield and Sabbag be dead by now?" said Ahab jokingly.
The group began to laugh quite loudly, Sarah included. It was true, those two had gotten into more stupid situations than she cared to count. They intentionally blew up one of the Humvee's during a firefight with some raiders last year, killed the raiders trying to steal it, but destroyed it before they could get away. Would have been great, if it weren't the only ride they had at the time, leaving them to walk back to the outpost. Then there was that time they managed to piss off an entire horde of mutants by throwing rocks at them in an attempt to see if they would fight each other. Instead, the horde went after them and they ran like hell back to the outpost, leading to a 5 hour long defensive against the horde. And of course the iconic, "Rocket Project" the two cooked up, which involved cardboard, a pressure cooker, grenades, and a can of gasoline. Suffice to say, it didn't end well. But the duo became well known within the 3rd, and nothing could break them apart.
"I think fate or God has a special case for those two." Ahab said in jest.
"Those two have survived more stupid shit than I care to count." laughed Francis. "Honestly, they may be cursed with bad luck."
"They make life interesting, I'll say that much." said Sarah. "They might be as accident prone as it gets, but when push comes to shove they follow orders and they're willing to do what needs to be done, otherwise I'd think the entire outpost would have wanted to hang the two by now!"
The group was about to speak more of the events the day prior, but before they could, the radio on Sarah's waist started to emit the voice of Corporal Richards through its static laced speakers.
"*Hey Sarge, we have an incoming transmission from the scouts, Sabbag requested to speak to you directly, it sounds pretty urgent.*"
"Speak of the Devil!" said Francis. "What do you think they blew up this time?"
"I dunno, probably the last five-star restaurant in existence." Ahab joked. "Probably killed Nick's chances for a fancy chef in the process."
"Hey, y'all can't kill the dream." Nick replied playing along. "He's out there, and when we find him, he'll turn Roben's dogshit cooking into something edible.
Ignoring the banter of her subordinates, Sarah grabbed the small device and held it up to her mouth, pressing down on the button to talk.
"Copy that. Patch me through." She responded.
A few seconds passed as she waited for the men in the comms room to relay her call to the scouts, an endeavor that took very little time at all as the radio began to broadcast once more.
"*Hello? Sarge? Is that you? Can you hear me?*" the unmistakable voice of Sabbag replied with a frantic tone.
"Affirmative, I read you Private, what's the situation?"
"*Thank God it's you Sarge', we have an emergency situation over here! It's Tim, he's gone! I've come into contact with some device, some, giant Archway, it's massive! *"
Sarah paused. She looked at the others.
"Tim's dead?" she said to herself.
The table was silent, nobody wanted to believe it, and nobody wanted to say a word as it seemed that their lighthearted exchange from earlier had effectively been in both poor timing and in poor taste.
"*Sarge? Sarge! Do you read!!?*" Achmed yelled.
Sarah immediately snapped out of her train of thought and pressed the button on her radio once more.
"We read you. What's Pvt. Berfield's status, over?"
"*Uh.....MIA...........KIA? I don't know ma'am. This device, it...it pulled him in somehow, he's gone!*"
"What the hell is he going on about?" Sarah thought to herself before speaking."
"Say again, Sabbag? Did you say it pulled him in?"
"* YES! I KNOW IT SOUNDS CRAZY! BUT I'M TELLING YOU, IT PULLED HIM IN AND NOW HE'S GONE! This place......It's not a hospital, I think it's some sort of pre-war research facility! Advanced stuff, I haven't seen anything like it. Whatever it did to Tim, there's no trace of him left.*"
The yelling and static from the radio made her flinch, and apparently it was audible enough to warrant the entire attention of the mess hall. That along with Achmed's distressed tone made her aware that this was a conversation she needed to have one on one before undoubtedly rallying the men to move out. Leaving her uneaten meal on the table she walked out into the hallway without saying so much as a word. Save for a few men standing guard on opposing ends of the hall, the hallway was somewhat secluded as everyone was either on assignment or in the mess hall eating. Content that she could continue in relative privacy, she proceeded once more.
"Sabbag, I understand you're going through a lot right now, but I need you to pull your shit together, and tell me what exactly happened." she said with a stern voice.
Achmed calmed himself down, enough to stop screaming anyway.
"*Okay, let me start from the beginning then. Tim and I were searching that potential medical facility that's been on the maps for a month. When we got there we found a building with no supplies, no medical equipment, and no bodies. What we do end up finding is an elevator that went thirty floors down and had power. We...we decided to do a floor-by-floor sweep. We get to the bottom and see a huge steel bulkhead, and when we opened it up we found this huge room where this thing is housed. I was about to radio in before I got jumped on by a fucking lurker. I try throwing it off of me, but It slammed me into one of the computer consoles and I accidentally activated the device. I turned it off, but not before Tim got pulled into it. As of now, I'm running solo, requesting immediate assistance, gridpoint Sierra Whiskey 23611-Niner.*"
There was a period of silence. From his stammered and tense voice she could tell he was unsettled by whatever had happened. Whether or not Tim was killed as a result of this was troublesome, but secondary to the fact that this device had just become her top priority. Losing one man was bad, but losing two wasn't in her schedule for today.
"Copy that Sabbag, maintain your current position and stay frosty, we're on our way, Bravo out!"
She placed the radio back on her belt where it had previously been. She returned to the mess hall, where no one had bothered to sit back down. Counting those in attendance, she had a total of 11 at her disposal, finding that to be more than enough to secure a building, thus prompting her to relay the order.
"Get your to-go boxes boys, we're rolling out! Harris! Mammadova! Get Bravo and Charlie squads geared up and ready to depart! Nazif, Stanson! Get to the garage and gas up 3 of the Humvees, we're moving out in 5!" she ordered before turning her attention to the three she had been sitting with. "You three, with me!"
"Yes Ma'am!" the three said saluting as they followed their senior officer to the barracks to get geared up.
Sarah and her squad led the convoy of Humvees down the decimated roads of the Autobahn. The trip went relatively unimpeded, giving her time to contemplate what Achmed had shared over the radio. She couldn't help but feel responsible for what had apparently happened, she sent them there on the assumption that it would be a quick in-and-out mission, a simple search and scavenge in the safest of the European regions. Now one of her men was probably dead, or at least MIA, with no means of getting him back. Sarah vowed to be more diligent in the future. As the convoy approached the given gridpoint, the building that was thought to be a hospital came into view. Much like the scouts who had preceded them, they took note that the front entrance was blocked off.
"Front's a no-go, they probably went around back." said Nick, who was currently operating the 50. Cal.
The convoy began to move once more, circling around to the back of the building and sure enough, there assumptions were proven right by the sight of the Ural.
"There's the truck, but where's Sabbag?" asked Francis.
"They probably went inside, they were on a mission, Francis." retorted Ahab.
Sarah grabbed for the radio and turned the dial to a local frequency.
"Convoy, full stop." said Sarah.
Francis who had been driving, immediately stepped on the breaks, bringing the vehicle and those behind it to a complete stop. Sarah reached for her radio again, switching to the frequency Achmed had used, and pressing the talk button.
"Sabbag, come in."
There was a slight delay, but the silence didn't last very long when Achmed answered.
"*This is Sabbag, go ahead?*"
"Sabbag, we're at the back of the building, we have visual on your Ural transport, but none on you, report your position in the building, over."
"*Roger, I'm still inside, thirty floors below ground level, ma'am.*"
"Shit, hope we don't have to dig our way down." mouthed Francis.
Sarah rolled her eyes at Francis' stupid joke and proceeded to finish her communication with Achmed.
"Copy that, Sabbag, stand by, we'll take the elevator and be there shortly, Martinez out."
And with that she switched the channel on her radio back to the squad's frequency, pressing the transmit button again.
"All squads dismount!" Sarah ordered.
As soon as the words left her lips, the doors opened on all the vehicles as her men dismounted, weapons at the ready. Before she herself did the same, Sarah grabbed her M4, inspecting the left side of its weathered receiver where the name "Vera" had been etched into its surface probably well before the Survivors had formed. She had this gun since she left basic training ten years ago, and it had seen her through thick and thin. She only wished she wouldn't have to use it today, but if she did, whatever was at the receiving end was going to have a bad time of it.
"Show time, girl!" she said with pride, and exited the driver’s seat.
"Charlie squad! Stay here and guard the Humvees. Able, Bravo, you're with me!" she relayed.
Charlie squad complied, spreading out to cover a wider area while Bravo and Able squads accompanied their Sergeant into the building. As they entered through the back exit, they were greeted to the same large storage room that Tim and Achmed had been through earlier. They began their trek through the building's interior, checking corners and hallways while on their guard. The task had been carried out quietly up until the point where Nick broke the silence.
"Is it just me, or does Achmed sound like he's off his meds? I mean he talked about an "Archway" that sucked Tim into it. What are we to make of that exactly?"
"Archway, huh? I bet they probably found the last remaining McDonald's down there, probably devouring a mountain of delicious Big Macs as we speak! God knows that suck me in too!" said Francis to Nick.
"Hey Nick," Ahab asked, playing along with Francis, "You want a milkshake while were down there?"
By now both Able and Bravo were practically about to burst out laughing, with the exception of their Sergeant, growing irritated that Francis would be joking at a time like this.
"First off, you guys are assholes, secondly, I was being serious."
"I got an idea," announced Sarah, "How about all of you shut the fuck up and pay attention. As for you Vanhart, Berfield's possibly dead and you want to begin with cracking jokes."
That got Francis to bite his lip down, and he apologized.
"Sorry, Sarge'."
"All of you just focus on the mission at hand and look for an elevator, Sabbag said it was around here somewhere." Sarah ordered. "I don't know what he found or what happened to Berfield, but we're going to find out. So for the time being, stay focused and stop acting like dumbasses."
As they continued searching through the building, they quickly came to the same assessments of the scouts and noticed that this wasn't a hospital. Sarah took note of the absence of any patient rooms, medical equipment, wards, directional signs, and the severe lack of the deceased, dead giveaways.
"All the data on this place pointed it to being a hospital, if it's not that then what is it? This place rubs me the wrong way." she thought to herself.
Eventually they came across the elevator Achmed was referring to and pressed the button to call for it. As it arrived a minute later and opened, they took notice that it wasn't big enough to hold the 9 men that made up both squads. Sarah quickly came to the decision that one of the squads would stay on the ground level.
"Corporal Harris, you and the rest of Bravo secure this floor, post a man at the elevator door, then break off into 2 two-man teams, one goes left, the other right."
"Yes Ma'am. You heard her. Delp, cover the door, Fadel, your with me, we'll take the left. Hamid and Nazif, take right."
As the men of Bravo squad carried out their task, Able entered the elevator pressing the button to the 30th floor. The doors closed and they felt a sharp inertia as they began to descend. As they did, Francis began to snicker. The rest of Able just looked at him, in which he immediately took notice.
"Sorry," he said with an amused smile, "I was just thinking how funny it be if I ripped out a fart right now."
The others just moaned in disgust, except Ahab who couldn't resist smiling. In contrast, Francis couldn't help himself and was laughing pretty hard.
"Hey Barkley, you'd like that, right?" he said with the biggest grin on his face.
"Dude, why do you always got be riding me!?" whined Nick
"Because you're the new guy and it's fun. Duh!" Francis retorted
"Oh god, Francis," said Ahab trying not to laugh, "Now's not the time."
"That's an understatement. It's like I have a toddler with guns under my command." stated Sarah. "For fuck's sake Vanhart, do you not even care that Tim could be dead?"
"He's not dead. Trust me, if mutants, raiders, explosions, or his own stupidity hasn't killed him by now, I doubt a McDonald's or whatever this thing is would do him in! I think-"
He took notice that Sarah was looking at him with the death glare, the one that no doubt entailed a month long latrine duty if he didn't shut up right then and there.
"Eh.........on second thought I'll just save it for another time." he replied meekly.
It would have left on that note had Nick not broken the silence yet again.
"Francis, why the fuck would a McDonald's be 30 floors underground?!" asked Nick.
"Hey Barkley, guess what, it was sarcasm!" said Francis with a grin.
"Knock it off, dammit!" yelled Sarah. "And look alive, we're here."
Each of them raised their weapons as the doors opened. When they opened, the hall way with the heavily fortified bulkhead was what greeted them.
"Damn! Those are some big doors!" said Ahab.
"Definitely not the drive-through window." Francis quipped.
Sarah turned on her flashlight, and instructed the others to do the same. As they walked down the corridor, Sarah began to call out for Achmed.
"Private Sabbag? You in here?"
At the end where the doors were slightly ajar, Achmed came sliding out and into view. Sarah let out a sigh of relief as she was glad to know that he was safe but still not forgetting that Tim was nowhere to be found. Achmed began to approach them and Sarah ordered the others to lower their weapons. When Achmed came up to them, he was breathing heavily, probably hyperventilating due to a panic attack.
"You.......you...made it!" he said, panting.
Sarah reached behind her and went for her canteen, upholstering it from the pouch on her belt and gesturing for Achmed to take a swig.
"You look like you need it, soldier." She replied bluntly.
Achmed nodded and took the canteen, taking a gulp or two down before handing it back to his CO.
"It's good to see that you're safe and sound, Sabbag." she said earnestly. "Now that we're here maybe you want to show us what exactly took Tim?"
Achmed, who looked half spooked and half confused, managed to control his breathing, and began to speak normally again.
"I don't think he's dead, Ma'am. I think he just vanished!" he said.
"Told you!" remarked Francis.
Sarah was just about fed up with Francis about now. But she had enough patience to keep herself from smacking him.
"I believe you, but perhaps you'd like to show us what took him?" she asked.
Achmed turned towards the doors, head looking over his shoulder.
"Follow me." he said.
The squad followed him down the hall and past the heavily fortified bulkhead. When the group set foot inside, what they were left to gaze upon left them utterly speechless.
"That." he said plainly as he pointed towards it.
The whole group was silent, even Francis wasn't saying anything. As much as Sarah wanted to give into the urge to try and flip it on to go get her man, she knew better. Instead, she turned to Ahab, ready to give him a task that would no doubt garner the interest of the highest authorities.
"Corporal, get back to the outpost, take another man and one our Humvee and get a hold of New Damascus. We got something big here and they need to know it."
"Yes, ma'am." he said, running back towards the elevator without a moment's hesitation.
"Wait, what about Tim?!" asked Achmed.
"I'm sorry but Tim's going to have to wait Achmed, at least for the time being. We need experts from the Science Branch if we're even going to have a chance of getting him back. If he's even still alive."
Achmed didn't want to wait as his friend might be in danger. But ultimately he knew she was right, as they didn't know the first thing about this device. The last time it was activated he unintentionally sent his friend to god knows where and didn't even know if they were capable of getting him back. Achmed was caught by surprise when he saw his Sergeant had placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, I know Tim's your best friend, but you need to be patient, we're not giving up on him." She assured him.
"I know Sarge', I know. I just hope he's safe."