The sun was already setting when Bradley and the rest of Charlie team arrived at the target’s coordinates. They had proceeded without further incident; no other animal crossed their path, the dense vegetation gave them cover, and they did not spot any kind of surveillance in their surroundings; all just as planned. They still had not recovered access to SATLINK, which meant no GPS either, but they had been forewarned that it was likely to happen, given the local geography and dense canopy, so they had the map of the region downloaded inside their suit’s drive. In case of electronic warfare or malfunction, each of them carried a manual compass anyway.
The only problem was… there was nothing in sight. No compound, no sentinels, no razor wire, no cameras, no machine gun nests, no automatic turrets. Only trees as far as the eye could see.
«Guys, how did we mess up? Was the intel wrong?» Cooper asked. His eyes scanned the forest with the gaze of a hunter, as if he expected to see their prey suddenly jump out of cover. Nothing moved; all was quiet.
«We haven’t messed up, Steve. Intel was solid, and I refuse to even consider that we’ve gone in the wrong direction. We are operators, damn it, not a group of boy scouts at their first trip in the forest», came Bradley’s frustrated reply, one hand holding his helmet, the other passing through his short chestnut hair.
«I agree with Brad», Al said, «I could understand one person making a mistake, but all six of us? Not a chance».
«Furthermore, even if all our maps were wrong, we have always been going west», Kusanagi added, holding his compass for the others to see. It showed clearly that they were facing westward. «I did an azimuth check every thirty mikes, so I am sure we have not gone astray».
«Yeah, so did I… but we still ain’t got shit here», Cooper agreed.
«Ehm... guys?» Jaspinder said, drawing their attention. «Is that a mountain range? Was there one, east of where we came from?» Her voice was uncertain and with a hint of worry.
She was right to be. Everyone would, if they suddenly saw mountains where their map showed only plains, especially considering that the same map put the nearest mountain range almost three hundred kilometres south of their position. They had not noticed it until then because the dense vegetation blocked their view and none of them had thought to look back whence they had come, but now that they were on top of a gentle slope, they could see further west with no obstruction and have a slightly clearer view of the forest in the other directions.
Bradley did not like what he was seeing.
«What the fuck? Did they leave us in the wrong forest? How in hell did they not notice a mountain range? That’s around fifty, maybe sixty klicks from here, and it shouldn’t be there».
«Come on Brad, that’s not possible».
«Then how do you explain this? Either we got lost like some random Sunday hikers, our intelligence agency has been totally duped, or we were brought to the wrong place».
«Oh, come on!» Elisa swore under her breath.
«What else is wrong now?» Bradley huffed.
«More bad news: GPS is still not working. No response from SATLINK».
«Great... Well, we knew they were going to be unreliable out here, though I’d have welcomed having some eyes in the sky right now». Bradley closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, keeping silent for a few seconds while he considered the situation. One thing was to be prepared in case something went wrong, another was to fuck up so badly you missed a whole three hectares compound. After quickly punching his frustration back down, he came to a decision. «Okay, listen up! We’re doing this old school. We’ll search for the compound in the area, radius is five klicks from here. Mark this location on your map and stay in comms range. Charlie Two and Four, you go north. Five and Six, south. Three, you’re with me, we backtrack east. No need to go further west, we can see there’s only trees ahead. We’re still on radio silence, so stick to direct comms in case of emergency. If you have contact, withdraw and don’t engage unless absolutely necessary. We’ll regroup here at twenty-one hundred hours. It will be dark, but we’ll still be on schedule. Any question?»
«All clear», a chorus of voices replied.
«Good. Let’s move».
At Bradley’s order, the team split according to plan and moved without looking back, everyone determined to find their elusive target.
***
Alessandro and Kusanagi were moving slowly, the uneven terrain wet and giving way under their boots, so much that they had to pay more attention to their footing as to not fall or, God forbid, twist an ankle. Darkness had already swallowed the forest but the night sky was clear; the first star had long risen and the whole firmament was now visible: a marvel to behold, a sight only possible in areas devoid of artificial lights for many kilometres. A sailor who knew his job would have been able to sail a ship in the open sea and lead it safely to destination just by means of the constellations. Unfortunately, the two operators could not see the sky, as it was covered by the treetops, nor would they have dared look upwards, given the treacherous nature of the ground and the many low branches. Had they been able to gaze upon the stars, however, they would have found themselves staring at unfamiliar constellations, without Sirius or the Big Dipper to show them the way.
The tried and tested duo did not fear the dark, though, but welcomed it as the reliable ally of many operations, as a simple switch made their visor transform night into day, only the familiar green monochrome indicating the sun had gone to sleep. The two NCOs advanced with firm but light steps, careful not to leave too many traces of their passage. Plants of many kinds they met along the way; wide and thorny bushes that they deftly avoided, trees tall and thin with what Alessandro surmised – the green monochrome did not help – was white or ashen bark, others wide and dark, trunks as thick as four men standing shoulder to shoulder. At times he heard the faint noise of running water, of small streams carrying life within them, or a lone nightingale singing, but he could also swear he smelled the stench of rotting meat and heard cruel laughter among the songs of birds. Now, though, there was no buzzing of insects, no singing birds, no flapping of wings, no rustling of leaves, no water streaming.
Only silence.
It was all very strange, very unnatural, and despite his training, experience, and rational mind, it made Alessandro feel cold inside; a gripping, spiteful cold. He shivered.
That was why, although not one to usually bother with idle talk, the current situation and the stifling atmosphere brought him to speak, if only to break the oppressive silence.
«Hey, Tetsuo, you said before that your instinct was telling you something was wrong, right? What about now?»
«Yes, sir. It is a constant itch at the back of my head, and I cannot shake away this sense of foreboding. I cannot pinpoint what it is, exactly. It is more of a general feeling of wrongness.».
With a sigh, Alessandro turned around towards the older man, brown eyes meeting brown eyes. Behind the helmet he looked no different than when they had met the first time, and though it was a matter of genes, Kusanagi’s diligence in sticking to his training regime surely helped. Alessandro admired his friend for it: it was inspiring. «Well, that’s very reassuring. Now, let’s put aside our ominous gut feelings for a moment: Tetsuo, how long have we known each other?»
«Uh, well... since 2072, so six years».
«That was a rhetorical question. Anyway, how many times have I told you to drop the “sir” and call me by my name? At least when there’s no top brass around».
«I know, Chief Rossi, sir, but unless we are undercover or off-duty, military discipline dictates that I address superior officers using their proper rank», the Japanese man replied, quiet firmness in his voice. «I will call you by your given name in informal settings, such as the next time we go out for a drink and I trash you at pool. You still owe me five beers, by the way, sir».
«... You are a damn stickler to the rules, you know that? Relax from time to time. Are they all like you in the JSDF? Also, don’t cheat old man, it’s only three beers». His comeback was as swift as his tone was amused while he held out his hand to help his fellow SIG to climb over a small crevasse.
«You forget the game of darts we had afterwards, sir», Kusanagi retorted with amusement as he kept scanning their surroundings.
«I didn’t forget, I won that game. I told you already: what’s the point of throwing darts in that beautifully smooth movement of yours if you’re going to miss the bullseye anyway? Not everything in life has to be done according to your kyūdō principles, Tetsuo».
«Indeed, sir, you won the game», he replied, ignoring the comment, «but I should remind you that the bet was that you would beat me with a fifty points margin, and you only won by forty-seven».
Alessandro stopped and turned towards Kusanagi, the two of them staring at each other for a couple of seconds.
«E che cazzo, couldn’t you be satisfied with an ageless body? Now even the eidetic memory?»
«I just have good memory, sir».
«Yeah, right. Did you make a deal with the Devil or simply drink from some miraculous mountain spring?» Alessandro asked with a shake of his head, though his face framed a smirk behind the helmet.
They both allowed themselves the time for a short chuckle, weariness and tension melting away, albeit only a little.
Laughter quickly died down and the duo resumed walking. The wet terrain soon started giving way to rocky ground, allowing for a faster pace, so it did not take them much longer to reach the five kilometres mark. Once there, however, they were greeted by the same view that had kept them company along the way: trees. Trees and silence.
With a dejected sigh, they started the walk back.
***
Meanwhile, Steve and Jaspinder were facing an unexpected problem.
«Hey, Viper, you never told me the story of your nickname».
«Yeah», she grunted in pain, «and there’s a good reason for it».
«I mean, it’s cool, but you don’t strike me much as…»
«Steve, does this look like the fucking right time to you?»
***
They had been moving quite fast, with Steve showing why he was the team’s recon specialist. He led them smoothly on the best path south, finding ways around unforeseen obstacles and through difficult terrain, while still having time to pick some blueberries along the way. All of this before turning his Night Vision System on.
«Mmm, achchha! These are great! I didn’t know blueberries could be so sweet. Even the smell is incredible. I’m always amazed at how you know your way around in the wilderness, Steve», Jaspinder said, stressing the word with a mocking deep tone before popping another blueberry into her mouth, her mouthpiece open. «I mean, sometimes you remind me of those hunters in old westerns: you crouch down to feel the ground, you check the trees with your hands, you stop from time to time and listen to your surroundings. I bet you even smell and taste the air. You are like the guy from that very old TV-show on survival stuff. You know, the one who ate camel testicles. What was his name again...? Bare Gills, I think? He was an ex-SAS like you», she continued, pointing at him. She stopped to taste a few more blueberries before resuming her verbal barrage. «You know, I can totally picture you in front of a camera, eating some insect or another disgusting thing and explaining how it’s a good source of protein and contains enough nutrients to survive for days, while the camera crew eat sandwiches and drink beer in front of you».
She was laughing by the end of her speech, evidently amused by her own joke.
«And they say I talk a lot…» he snorted. «Would y’all stop sounding so surprised, by the way? I was the best at recon and survival in my troop, you know. Perhaps you should take some refresher course, my dear Jas». Then he added, as if it were an afterthought: «And you know I was in the Special Air Service Regiment, come on! I’m not a bloody Brit».
His protest fell on deaf ears, however, as Jaspinder kept smiling.
«Oooh, “the best”, eh? And you were also the most humble, I guess».
«Yeah, whatever… And it’s “the humblest”». Steve froze for a moment, a frown forming on his face. «Damn, I just pulled a Rossi; I feel dirty now. I swear, he takes pleasure in correcting everyone on everything».
Jaspinder hummed noncommittally.
«By the way, Jas, did you already finish the berries I gave you? They were at least a dozen. Elisa would tell you to slow down or you’ll get a stomachache».
«Oh, hush! They are too good to pass up, and you’re eating them too. And what would you tell me?»
«I’d give you another dozen and bet ten dollars that you’d get a stomachache before eating them all». He laughed.
«Ha! You’d lose».
Steve looked at the remaining blueberry in his hand. «Never seen ones this big», he mumbled. Then he shrugged and popped it into his mouth. «Come on, I’ll get your money another time. We’re still on a mission. Don’t lose focus».
«Eating these won’t distract me». She punctuated her statement by effortlessly avoiding a loose stone on the ground while ducking under a low branch, her nonchalance belying her attention to their surroundings, her eyes keeping vigilant, dark irises almost indistinguishable from the pupils. «And stop being so melodramatic, Steve. Senior Chief Rossi just cares about us. He’s like... yeah, like a bahee, a nosy older brother who has our best interests in mind, and… Oh!»
She froze.
«What is it?» he whispered. His training kicked in: eyes darting around and above, checking for threats, ears straining to listen to every sound, weapon still aimed at the ground but with the safety off.
«You didn’t deny your future as host of a survivalist TV-show!» Jaspinder teased, a grin slowly spreading on her face. «Imagine: “Steve Copper presents Wild Australia – Survival of the Fittest”. Sounds great, no? You should pay me royalties when you become rich and famous».
«Oh, shut up…» he replied, chuckling, as his body relaxed.
***
Half an hour later, Steve was reflecting on the fact that, indeed, questions about nicknames could wait. He was keeping watch a few metres away from the bush where Jaspinder was… relieving herself. Those berries – he was not sure anymore what they actually were. Definitely not blueberries – had evidently caused unexpected bowel moments in the Indian woman, which became so urgent they had to stop.
«Ugh! I take back all I said about you being a good survivalist», she whimpered, pain evident in her voice. «And why am I the only one feeling sick? We both ate them and we got the same enhancements».
«First of all, Jas, you ate way more berries than I did. Second, I don’t think this has anything to do with our immune system. You know, I reckon the main reason why I’m fine is that—»
«Steve, I swear», she interrupted with a stifled groan, «if you say it’s because there is worse stuff in Australia, or some other shit like that, I’ll shoot you».
Steve wisely kept silent.
***
Not long afterwards they were again on the move, eyes quietly focused on the path ahead and ears listening to their surroundings. Steve had not forgotten the strange leopard’s ambush, and did not exclude the possibility of another encounter. Furthermore, Jaspinder had reminded him that many felines were nocturnal, and that their superior eyesight allowed them to move unhindered at night. Not to mention their sense of smell. Of course, they had the technology to cover for humans’ natural weaknesses against such predators, but they did not want to take any chance.
As they kept on the move, he “felt” the forest around himself. The soft ground under his feet – as well as some animal’s unfortunately large excrements – the pungent smell of musk and bark, the slight absence of white noise, barely noticeable at first, but increasing the more they proceeded south, until it became way more noticeable, and coming from his left.
He stopped.
At first he thought it was only a trick of his mind, but when he focused on it, he noticed that there was something more on his left, beyond the line of old and gnarled oaks, something that made the hair on the back of his neck stand. With a simple hand sign he drew Jaspinder’s attention towards it, but as they started moving in that direction, he saw a small flicker of light pointed briefly at them. He immediately squatted down, Jaspinder following suit.
An enemy patrol? Did they notice us? Shit, I should have paid more attention.
The master chief’s orders in case of hostile encounters were to retreat, but he knew they might be already compromised and he did not want to present his back to an unseen enemy without at least checking how many of them they were dealing with. Better to assess the situation and, if necessary, take the enemy out first before withdrawing.
With his heart pounding loudly in his ears, Steve used practiced hand gestures to share what he had seen with Jaspinder, before carefully laying down his backpack and switching off the safety of his weapon. Then, the two operators stilled as they became one with the forest, their Advanced Tactical Body Armour and their weapons changing colour patterns to match their surroundings. A few seconds later they started walking again, silent and practically invisible except for a slight blur that occurred if they moved too quickly.
They slowly circled around the bushes next to them, hidden by the most advanced stealth system modern technology could conceive, weapons ready to fire.
Without warning, many lights flared up on their visors: not blinding per se, but their sheer numbers made it definitely disorienting.
«Fuck. Our shadows», he hissed.
Certain they had been discovered, Steve cursed himself for such a blunder. However, his reflexes kicked in again and had him prone on the ground in a heartbeat with his rifle aimed at the lights, following Jaspinder’s lead, in an attempt to take down their enemies before being shot at. Better to hit first and hit hard, because having a full body armour was awesome, but getting shot still hurt like hell, especially with higher calibres, and there was always the chance for a lucky shot to hit a weaker part. A bullet to the eye was not Cooper’s idea of fun.
Despite their quick reaction, the weapons remained silent. The two operators had stopped when they had seen the lights disappear, then appear again a short distance away, no human figure in sight. Turning off their NVS and active camouflage, they stood up in marvel at the scene in front of their eyes.
The forest had come to life. Hundreds of fireflies were dancing among the trees, their lights blinking in and out of existence at every heartbeat, their motions mesmerising with random but harmonious patterns. A suffused and gentle glow was embracing everything Steve and Jaspinder laid their eyes upon, the tree trunks were canvas of moving shadows, the unevenness of the bark creating unexpected figures.
Glancing at his side, he saw Jaspinder enraptured by the spectacle of lights and shadows, moving around with a childish glee so pure that made him feel as if everything in the world would be fine as long as everyone would watch these motes of light dancing at night.
He couldn’t talk for his sister in arms, but he felt that same warm glow in his core, and it made him... serene.
«Wow! Are those… fireflies? I have read about them, watched videos, but I had never seen any in real life, until now», she said, walking towards one, hand stretched in an attempt to touch it.
«Really? That’s sad to hear». He was surprised by her statement, because fireflies had been a constant of his childhood. «Well, I too haven’t seen one in a long while. When I was a kid I remember running around trying to catch them. I still remember my father’s laugh after he told me they weren’t stars, but I think the last time I saw them was five or six years ago, during a training exercise in Queensland».
His voice carried a note of sadness and longing, but inside he felt that joy for childhood memories, a nostalgia for things long lost, so much that he could not stop the urge to smile and the unexpected tear that fell from his eye.
Seeing the lone firefly flying out of her reach, Jaspinder lowered her arm. «I know, but growing up in Delhi I never had the chance to see much wildlife. Maybe that’s part of the reason why biology has always fascinated me so much, who knows?»
For what felt like hours they stood there in silence, charmed and with nary a worry in the world. All thoughts of danger and enemies forgotten.
When he came to, Steve felt refreshed, as if he’d just woken from a long and comfortable slumber, although only ten minutes had actually elapsed. Still, those were ten minutes too long of being unaware of his surroundings in hostile territory.
What the hell? How could I lose focus for so long in this situation? I’ve been a sitting duck for ten fricking minutes. If Sergeant Truganini knew, she’d beat me to death.
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Hearing Jaspinder’s frown and the way she was shaking her head, as if trying to clear her mind, she was likely having similar thoughts. With a renewed focus, their world was again awash with shades of green light as they moved away from the enthralling spectacle, sliding back into darkness.
As they proceeded, the terrain became less difficult to navigate, the way got clearer by the minute, the trees less numerous than before, and the canopy slowly opened to reveal blotches of starry sky, though the duo was too busy searching to admire it. Together with the changes in scenery came the distant sound of running water. The more they moved south the stronger it became, a roar in the evening silence, and with it grew the sense of anxiety in Steve’s heart, until, much to their disbelief, they stood in front of a stream barring their path, it’s scent refreshing and full of life.
It was not a so strange sight to find torrents, brooks, or rivers in a forest, especially in one as large as the one they were traversing; after all, rich vegetation is always found where there is water. No, the problem was that their map showed no noticeable stream in a twenty kilometres radius, except for the one to the east, and they clearly recollected not seeing one during the mission briefings. Furthermore, despite not being so big as to be considered a river, it was still too wide to leap over and too deep to wade across, especially given its seemingly strong current. They weren’t yet at the five kilometres mark, but they could not go further south, and there was no sign of any human activity around them. With no other option at hand, Jaspinder and Steve followed the westbound stream for a while, looking for a southward turn or a ford, but to no avail. Then they doubled back and walked along the riverbank eastwards for a while, with the same results. Unable to proceed further, they could only regroup with the others.
«Well, shit. Chief Anderson won’t be happy».
«True, but what else can we do, Steve? Come on, look at the bright side: we got to see fireflies! How wonderful is that? Though I still don’t understand how we could just stand there like idiots for so long…»
With a last look at the stream – and a muffled curse on his part – the two of them started the walk back, hoping the others had had better luck.
***
Master Chief Special Warfare Operator Bradley Anderson was a veteran of many operations: he had thwarted terrorist schemes, escorted VIPs in Earth’s hottest zones, eliminated high-value targets, and seen brothers and sisters in arms die in the line of duty. He knew when an operation was not going well, and their current one was not going well at all.
First, that weird-as-hell mutant leopard-thing almost killing him. Then, they either got lost, were given wrong intel, or brought to the wrong place, and with no GPS or SATLINK they had with no eyes in the sky to check. Mountains did not pop up like candies, though, and they had the whole region’s satellite map loaded into their helmet, so there could be no error there. Indeed, things had been going sideways since the beginning. That they had not reached their target yet and were almost outside of their window of opportunity was just the cherry on top of the disaster cake. It seemed to Bradley that Murphy’s law was trying at full power to make their mission as hard as possible, but he was still determined to do his best to accomplish it, despite the universe actively working against them.
He had chosen Elisa to come with him because he needed the opinion of someone with a bit more passion and emotion than Alessandro, and the medic was as far from the stereotypical image of Germans as possible, despite looking the part – especially her height and stern gaze. Not that his Italian friend lacked passion, far from that, but he had the tendency to always voice his opinions with cold logic, and to rarely allow emotion to influence his judgement. While a valuable skill in most situations, especially in their line of work, it was not what Bradley needed right at the moment.
Having likely guessed that he wanted to speak with her, and seeing as he was still keeping quiet, Elisa spoke first. «Ok, Brad, what is it? Talk to me», he heard her say as he vaulted over a fallen tree. He did not remember seeing it earlier, but then again, he could not recall every tree and bush they had passed by that day.
«Was I that obvious?» he asked back, furrowing his brow.
«Well, maybe it was not so evident to the others, perhaps not even Al noticed. For all that he is very perceptive, he can be quite dense sometimes». A brief pause, as she vaulted over the same fallen tree. «Thing is, you’d have normally asked him to come with you. He’s your second in command, your best friend, and gives sound advice… even when you don’t ask for it. Now, will you tell me what’s troubling you?»
Minutes passed, and Bradley remained quiet, then another few, and still he kept quiet, the grip tight on his M4, his mind scrambling to find the words to explain himself. Elisa seemed content to patiently wait, only the cracking of fallen leaves under their boots and the occasional cry of a nocturnal bird breaking the silence of the night.
«Look, this may sound very silly and… very stupid, but hear me out», he finally said, stopping in his tracks. «I’ve been having this strange sensation for a while, a bad sensation. Just before we were attacked by that leopard-thing», his hand unconsciously moved to touch his neck, «the forest started feeling weird: the trees were suddenly more menacing, the air became more oppressive, the lay of the land was different from what we saw during the briefings, and…» his breath was growing ragged, «and that fucking impossible animal should not have been there trying to bite my head off!» he concluded in anger, with a stifled voice and out of breath.
Bradley noticed his field of vision shrinking, while his lungs desperately gasped for air. Before he knew it, he had thrown weapon and helmet to the ground and was trying to take deep breaths, but to no avail. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, loud and fast, as his hands began to tremble, the muscles outside of his control, while cold shivers ran down his back. His mind, however, was clear; he was perfectly aware of what was happening to him – and he also knew that it was not the moment for a panic attack – but there was nothing he could do except waiting. Confusion, exasperation, anger, and irrational fear were not so easy to rein in once the leash had been loosened.
He tried to control it, but his fear was stronger; he knew he would be overwhelmed, and that added fuel to the flame of panic. This was unusual as he had always been fine during deployment; the worries he had when at home would be relegated to a small corner of his mind, buried under training and the purpose of his mission. The two times he had had an attack while at home, there had been Rebecca there to help him overcome it, but his wife was not with him now.
«Brad. Brad, calm down, I’m here», he heard Elisa say.
She was hugging him, her hand caressing his nape while her cheek rested upon the side of his head. He had not noticed her taking off her helmet. With closed eyes, he focused on her calm and reassuring voice, trying to relax in her warm and comforting embrace.
«Breathe. Take deep breaths. Like that. Good. I’m here with you, don’t worry. Everything is all right».
They stayed that way for a while. How long, Bradley couldn’t say; a few seconds, perhaps a minute, maybe more. When he finally stopped trembling, he gently separated from her.
«Thank you», he whispered.
«I hope Becky won’t mind me hugging you», Elisa allowed herself a joke before turning serious again. «Now, listen. You were suddenly attacked, and if not for your armour, you’d be dead now. It’s normal to feel scared, wary, angry, and even a bit paranoid after the adrenaline wears off. It’s not the first time your life is in danger, and you suffered worse injuries in the past, so you know what I’m saying is true».
«I know, Elisa, I know…» Bradley took a deep breath, his body under control again, «but this is not it. It’s different. I know fear, I’ve become very intimate with it, though, as you can see, at times it’s stronger than I am».
His words were said with the conviction one derives from speaking the truth, for he knew that fear was survival instinct; to him, recognising and accepting fear without succumbing to it was what made you stronger and kept you alive. Only fools thought themselves without fear, and that lead to recklessness, a one-way ticket to the grave as far as operators were concerned.
«No, Elisa, this is not fear. It is a pit in my stomach telling me something is very wrong around us. It’s the constant prickle on the back of my neck. It’s a voice in my head screaming “You should not be here”. It’s a warning».
«Okay, okay. I get why you wanted to talk with me and not with Al».
The two of them were now standing face to face and he could see she was considering what to say.
With a sigh, she continued. «I would normally consider it simple post-stress paranoia, but to tell you the truth, ever since the encounter with that jaguar, leopard, whatever you want to call it, I too have been way more nervous and worried than usual. I keep getting goosebumps for no apparent reason, even now, and I feel like… like a child lost in the woods».
There they stood, silent and in contemplation in the darkness of the night, seeking an answer to a question they did not know, the wind softly howling at them in the unwelcoming forest. At last, they resumed walking, their steps still strong but less determined than before, their minds focused but ill at ease, until they reached the five kilometres mark. As feared, they had not found any trace of their target along the way. Without uttering a sound, they turned around and headed back west, hoping that the others had had better luck. Time was running short.
***
Cooper and Khalid were the first to arrive, followed shortly by Al and Tetsuo. A few minutes later, Elisa and Bradley joined them. Looking at his teammates’ body language, Bradley understood that things had not gone how he had hoped, but he still asked a situation report from both groups. Their window of opportunity expired at twenty-two hundred, so they had less than one hour to find the compound in the middle of a dense forest – with no information besides what they started with, which had proved to be wrong, and no UAV or satellite overview – and proceed to the next phase of the mission.
Bradley slowly evaluated their options given the situation, looked at his team, then took a decision, albeit with reluctance. «Okay, everyone. Listen up! We’ll break radio-silence and contact Edge to request info and directions. Just be warned that, until the rest of our days, we’ll be “the team who got lost” and they everyone will be sure to keep reminding us, especially Miller».
Everyone groaned at the mention of their intelligence officer. For how reliable he was, his penchant for jokes, especially dad jokes, had annoyed every one of them at least once.
«Sure, Miller will have a field day with it, but I think it’s better to be the “team who got lost” than the “team who got lost and ran in circles until the target escaped”», said Rossi.
With a nod, Bradley radioed base. «Edge, this is Charlie One. Silence lifted. Swigert, Swigert, Swigert! Over».
He expected the familiar voice of their commanding officer to reply, but static was the only answer he received.
Again, Bradley radioed base, a tinge of worry in his voice. «Edge, Charlie One. I say again: Swigert, Swigert, Swigert! Acknowledge, over».
Again, no reply.
Cursing, Bradley told everyone to try their radios, but none of them received any response from the base. It was at that moment that they all started to seriously worry.
«Fuck! What’s happening? Nothing is working, all our info was wrong, no response from Edge…» growled Bradley.
«Scheiße. Was it a trap? Were they compromised? And why didn’t they warn us?» Elisa asked out loud to no one in particular.
«Orders, master chief?» Even the normally unflappable Kusanagi was visibly concerned.
Without a second thought, Bradley started heading eastwards. «Abort mission. We’re going back. Double time. Let’s move».
And with that, Charlie Team started their trek back. Any concern for unexplainable fears, scary shadows, and general uneasiness was swept away by the worry for the very plausible threat they were facing. They moved fast, as fast as they could on the treacherous terrain, their bodies fuelled by adrenaline and the desire to rescue their comrades. They did not stop to rest, even when their legs started to ache and their lungs to burn. When too tired, they slowed down for a few minutes before resuming their pace. They did so again and again, the surrounding forest only a green blur in their minds.
It was still night when they reached the riverbank where they had disembarked the previous morning.
Or, at least, that’s where the river should have been according to their map. Instead of the deep waters, an unbroken sea of green greeted them, extending as far as the eye could see. Without missing a beat, Bradley carried on, leading the team for hours, and stopping only when the sun was already high in the sky. They had gone a good twenty kilometres further east, but it was painfully obvious that there was no river to be found. Cooper even climbed to a treetop in order to try to get a better view of the surroundings, but all he could see were trees and the mountain range, now even closer.
Exhausted and confused, they all sat down to rest and drink some water, steam rising from their bodies when they took their helmets off to try and cool down a bit. Passing a hand through his wet hair, Bradley watched Elisa and Alessandro drying up some sweat from their faces, and realized how tired he was. He looked at his hand, eyes fixed on the few hairs entangled in his fingers, but his mind was elsewhere, pondering how to solve their current predicament. For the first time in a while, no clear answer came to him. He was stuck, uncertainty and lack of information his biggest enemies. Awakening from his internal musings, he spared a glance at Kusanagi’s sweaty head glinting in the sun. The balding man had decided years before to keep a complete clean-shaven look, which, coupled with his kind face, respectful demeanour, and Asian traits, made him look like a stereotypical eastern monk. With a robe on, he could easily pass for one.
Well, that’s how we managed to infiltrate that Chinese terrorist group last year, Bradley thought, the hint of a smile appearing on his face at the amusing memory of Tetsuo firing his machine gun while dressed as a pacifist monk. The smile only lasted for the blink of an eye, though, snuffed out like a candle flame in the wind. It was not the moment to reminisce. They had to understand what was happening and quickly come up with a plan of action.
While everyone was trying to get some rest, Al used this chance and approached Bradley, who was enjoying the bit of wind blowing on his face. «Brad, we cannot continue like this», he said between deep breaths, «We’re all tired but we’ll still follow if you keep on going, and right now that’s a problem». Taking a sip of water, he carried on. «They are all too focused on going to the rescue, and that restricts their situational awareness. They aren’t paying enough attention to our surroundings. You too, Brad. You’re too anxious, and this isn’t like you. If we meet enemies in this condition, we might suffer casualties. I don’t know what’s wrong with this mission, what happened to Edge, or why the river isn’t here anymore, but we can’t blindly rush ahead. Remember where we are. Without more info, this is a sure way to die».
«You’re right…» Bradley said, scratching his left eyebrow. «I lost my cool, sorry. It’s this whole operation... It went to hell from the start, and I’ve kept getting this bad feeling, this small voice in the back of my head telling me that we should not be here. I know it doesn’t make any sense, but Elisa confirmed that she’s been feeling something similar, so I can’t just dismiss it as adrenaline wearing off or paranoia».
Bradley still had his eyes closed and did not see the look on Alessandro’s face, so what his second in command said next really took him by surprise. «Actually, Brad, add me to your little club as well. I’ve felt a sense of... “wrongness”, for lack of a better word, ever since that leopard ambushed us».
«Wait, you too? Are you serious?» His eyes snapped open and he stared at his friend, trying to understand if he was pulling his leg.
«Yes, I am. Things like the air being difficult to breathe, the trees looming, and, I don’t know, a general sense of oppression. Like you I had thought it was just the adrenaline and shadows playing tricks on my mind, but Tetsuo felt it as well, although he accepted the thing as if it was normal. Our Monk trusts his gut more than his common sense».
«Okay, four of us having the same weird sensations is definitely not a coincidence, but nothing has actually happened». Then, he stood up and started pacing around. «We haven’t been ambushed by one of the guerrillas nor led into a trap; we haven’t encountered anyone at all! Fuck, I don’t get what’s happening».
«None of us do, Brad, but we need to keep a cool head about it. I know you’ll lead us home, as always, but it seems we are on our own right now, so we have to stop for a moment and decide what to do».
«Should we trust our map?» Bradley asked, sceptical. «Until now it’s not exactly been accurate…»
«It is accurate, Brad, but we don’t know if we actually are where we should. Still, it’s the only one we have», Al replied while his eyes focused on something Bradley could not see. «I’m checking it right now, but the landmarks are all wrong. If it makes you feel better, I can use the paper one. They should be identical, though».
«Wait, I’ll do it. You use the digital one and I’ll double check».
He took a paper map off one of his pockets and walked towards the others. «Okay, everyone, brainstorming time. Come closer».
Elisa, Steve, Jaspinder, and Tetsuo all stopped what they were doing and joined his, forming a rough circle around a rock upon which Bradley laid out his map.
«So, we are here», Bradley started, circling a point on the map with a marker, «and we are on our own. Since our extract points are unreachable and most likely burned, we will move towards the nearest non-hostile location, which is… Al?»
«Well, Viskuli is the closest, but it’s too small and anything on this side of the border is a no-go anyway. Białowieża is definitely unfriendly, Hajnowka is a ghost town. These three don’t exist anymore. This one too. We have no intel on these», he murmured to himself. A couple second later, his voice was back to normal: «So, the closest is a small town forty-three klicks west-south-west from here, called Kleslez... Klescels... God! What’s with these names? Anyway, it’s a town called Kleszczele, pardon my pronunciation».
Bradley found it on his paper map and proceeded to mark it. At least they had confirmed that there were no differences between their digital and physical ones. «Well, it’s forty-three klicks in a straight line, but I guess our trek will probably be around fifty. ETA should be two days, but let’s consider three to four to count for some delay. Based on the situation over there, we will decide on how to proceed. All clear?»
His question was given a chorus of affirmative replies.
«Good. Jas, you and Cooper told us you found an unmarked stream south-west, right? Where, exactly?»
Jaspinder opened her digital map and sent the stream’s coordinates to everyone else, then proceeded to draw its location on the paper one as well. Nodding in thanks, Bradley folded his map and put it away. Then he asked the team a brief report on individual ammunition and especially food supplies.
«Look, I know we are all at full load except for Elisa and Al, but the situation has worsened: we missed Collins, we can’t reach Aldrin, and we sure as hell won’t be able to get to Armstrong, since we can’t even find that damn compound, so we have to change plans. Furthermore, our escape routes and extraction points are burned, our info is spotty at best and we can’t really trust our map. So, before we continue, I quickly need to know what we have. Tetsuo?»
«Sir, I have full ammo for the M33 and for the .45, as well as a full complement of grenades and mines. MRE for two days only». His voice was steady and clear, his body relaxed and his back ramrod straight.
Without waiting for a prompt, the still crouching Cooper added his own list. «Full mags here, chief. For the HK, the SR110, and the .45, and I still have all the grenades. And, well, more or less two days of MRE for me as well».
Standing up from where she had been sitting, Jaspinder waited for Bradley to look at her before speaking: «Chief, I’ve got full ammo as well and all my explosives. Just like Steve, I still have two days of MRE».
«Counting the two shots I fired, I’m left with two hundred and thirty-eight rounds, Brad. I’m still at full for my Beretta and I’ve got all the grenades». After checking his pockets once again, Rossi continued: «Yeah, I have MRE for about two days. Four if I ration it».
«Same here, Brad», Elisa said while cracking her neck. «Ammo and food just like Al. I didn’t even need to use my first aid kit on you. That poor cat should have found another prey, you’re clearly hard to digest».
She was the last to speak and Bradley nodded, ignoring her quip, satisfied by what he had heard. Their ammo and supply situation was good, excellent even. Not surprising since they were geared up just as they were at the beginning of the operation and only Al and Elisa had fired some shots. Bradley himself was at full capacity, the safety of his M4 having yet to be turned off.
Their only problem was food. Two days of MRE could be stretched into four if rationed, like Alessandro had said, but if it took them more time to get back to civilisation, they would have to hunt or forage for nuts, berries, whatever they could find; silver lining, they were in a forest, so there was bound to be food around. He just hoped the animals were not all six-legged mutated freaks. Water, instead, was not an issue, as they could refill their hydration packs at the stream Cooper and Jaspinder had found. Plus, they were bound to find other sources along the way. In case things got bad, they knew other methods to obtain water.
In any case, Bradley was of the opinion that they had rested enough. He barked his orders and Charlie Team moved out.
***
As the sun was starting to set, Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Steve Cooper watched in silence the rushing water in front of him and the veritable sea of trees on the other side that they would need to reach the following day. The forest surrounding him was different from the places he grew up, but not too unfamiliar, since pine trees and oaks were relatively common in Australia too, despite not being endemic. The scenery reminded him of the operation that had earned him his second chevron when he was still in the Special Air Service Regiment, though at the time he was in the company of soldiers, not sailors, unlike now.
Diverting his eyes from the verdant nature in front of him, he turned to look at his teammates. They were all sitting down and chewing on some MRE, except for him and Kusanagi who had taken first watch. For the umpteenth time he asked himself how he had managed to end up in a team of sailors, and for the umpteenth time the reply was that it had not really been his choice and that, ultimately, it did not matter. He had thought he would get into Bravo, since it was the SIG team comprised of army operators coming from Delta Force, the SAS, and similar special forces. However, it had been out of his hand. Each team leader selected one recruit among the successful candidates, and Bravo had chosen his SASR mate while Anderson and Rossi had picked him for Charlie. At the time, he had been annoyed and had believed he would not have fit among navy guys, although he had known from the beginning that there was a chance of ending up with the sailors. The only reason the SASR had two candidates, after all, was because the Australian Navy did not have a Tier One spec ops organization.
He had learned quickly how stupid a notion that had been. After all, the UNSOC was an organization made of operators coming from different countries and different special forces, so being an army guy or a navy guy was pretty inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. They were all professionals with similar training and experience, and it had only taken a few months of together and completing their first mission to start calling them “brothers” and “sisters”. He now knew that they were the best of the best, and he was proud to be one of them.
Still, Cooper thought, I’m glad we’re not using navy ranks. At least “special warfare operator” is cool. No offense, mates, but “petty officer” sounds too bloody ridiculous...
Not that he would ever say it out loud. He liked to stay alive and healthy, after all.
A couple hours later, Rossi relieved him, and Cooper went to sit down and eat something. Taking his helmet off with a huff, he gently leaned both his H&K and sniper rifle against the tree trunk he was sitting on and took a MRE from his backpack, even though he was not very hungry. Despite his lack of appetite, he forced himself to eat and drink before going to sleep. They had gone almost forty-eight hours without much rest, and they needed to be at the top of their game, so food, drink, and sleep were necessary. After finishing his brief meal, Cooper glanced one last time at the turbulent stream of water in front of them. Seeing that all was quiet, he sat down on the ground, placed weapons and helmet next to him, and leaned on a tree, closing his eyes. Not a minute later, he was already asleep.
The sky was bright and clear the following morning. Cooper woke up with the warmth of the sun on his face and pain in his lower back. Sleeping against a tree had never been his idea of a good rest, but it was enough in their situation, and he wasn’t one to complain anyway, unless he wanted to be annoying on purpose. After a quick breakfast, they set forth at a brisk pace; Bradley having decided to follow the current in search of a place where to cross to the other side. As they headed west, the stream ran down swift and strong, widening, curving, sometimes thinning, but never enough to allow them safe passage. For hours they kept walking on muddy ground and rocks made slippery by water; the sun passed its zenith and still they kept going. It was early afternoon when the stream turned southwards, allowing them to proceed without the need to traverse it. It was the first good news since the beginning of the operation, and everyone allowed themselves a brief smile. As the hours passed, the ground started sloping down, but the stream current slowed, allowing the group to see small schools of fish swimming placidly. On a closer look, their scales ranged from icy silver to sparkling orange, and from burning red to dazzling yellow, which made for a spectacular rainbow of colours and reflections whenever sunlight hit them.
While admiring for a brief moment such mesmerising spectacle of nature, Cooper overheard Chief Schwartzman and Kusanagi chat. Apparently, they were talking about his son.
«—and Reiji’s birthday is next Friday, right?», she was asking. Then she looked around and put a finger on her mouth before continuing: «Still planning on going to Italy?»
«Aye, ma’am. Hikaru has always wanted to see the Genoa Aquarium and recently Reiji is quite enthusiastic, if not obsessed, about ancient Rome, so we’re killing two birds with one stone. We only have the weekend though, so we’ll only visit, well, Genoa and Rome», he chuckled.
«That sounds like a nice plan. Give them a hug for me, will you?»
«Sure, ma’am», he replied, ever the polite man. «But please, not a word with Senior Chief Rossi or he’ll start telling me all the places I should visit, which monuments to see, where to eat, what food is the best and so on. I know he does it out of kindness, but...»
«But you just want to have a nice and relaxing family trip», she concluded his sentence, chuckling, «and I know quite well how annoying and persistent Alessandro can be».
«Thank you, ma’am. I can’t wait to—»
«One, this is Two. I have visual contact, over». Rossi’s calm voice suddenly sprang to life over their comms, as if summoned by their talk, muting any conversation. They all crouched down, weapons at the ready.
Cooper made eye contact with the master chief, who gestured for him to join Chief Rossi; he had taken point and was some twenty metres ahead of the team.
Still crouching, he proceeded slowly onwards. Seeing the senior chief sprawled on the grass and watching down the hillside, Steve too dropped to the ground, crawled to the edge, and looked down through the optics of his HK517.
What he saw left him confused. «Bloody hell! Is that a spear? And chainmail? Are you kidding me? Shooting a movie here? Are they nuts?» he whispered to Rossi through bared teeth, disbelief evident in his voice.
«Ease up, Steve. Too many questions. Look, I know as much as you do. I haven’t seen cameras or crews but stay sharp and keep an eye on the sky. The trees hide us well, but there are probably drones filming, and the last thing we want is to be recorded in some third-rate movie».
With a silent nod, Steve went back to watch the people at the bottom of the slope, while Rossi reported back to the rest of the team. What seemed to be a platoon was proceeding in single file, taking with them at least a dozen people in chains, covered in dirt and full of bruises. He could tell they were supposed to be soldiers because they were all moving with purpose and wearing similar armour and weapons. Thing is, they were of the wrong kind. Most of them wore chainmail, except for what seemed to be full plate for five soldiers on horseback, with lances and swords as their weapons of choice. It definitely made for an impressive sight, albeit a bit confusing in the latter half of the 21st century.
All in all, Steve could not deny that it was entertaining to watch. He could appreciate the actors’ dedication and the quality of the costume design, but they came completely out of nowhere, in a region which was not exactly renowned for its safety, and where firearms were cheap and aplenty.
Immersed in his thoughts, he kept watching the moving procession, wondering what kind of crazy bastard the director was and how to find out the movie title.
He was so going to watch it once it was released.