Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Tetsuo Kusanagi was not a man easily surprised. He had seen his fair share of action and had an ample baggage of life experience in a variety of situations, most of which had actually occurred before pursuing a military career. However, when Senior Chief Rossi and SO2 Cooper reported on the team’s comms that a few hundred metres from them there was a moving column of men in mail armour, carrying swords and spears, Tetsuo could not help but be taken aback and cock an eyebrow.
Certainly, as Charlie Six had mentioned, those were actors, most likely crazy or desperate people, since no sane person would shoot a movie in such a dangerous location, lest they find themselves dead or worse, but Tetsuo did not care much about that; if they wanted to gamble with their lives, it was their choice.
No, what made him grind his teeth was the mention of the likely presence of cameras and aerial drones. It was an additional and unwanted risk in an already complicated situation, and he had half a mind to shoot the annoying things down if he got the chance, hopefully scaring those foolish people away as well. It was only a fleeting thought, though; attracting attention was the last thing they wanted at the moment, so he refocused on his surroundings, as they had had enough surprises in the last two days. He would soon be told their next course of action anyway, so there was no need to overthink the issue. Tetsuo was pretty sure that Senior Chief Rossi was currently discussing the matter with Master Chief Anderson to decide what to do.
They did not have to wait much before hearing the SOCM’s voice on the team’s channel. «Okay, we’ll follow these idiots at a distance. We don’t know if they’re hostiles, in league with the locals, or a neutral party, so we are avoiding any contact. They are not exactly moving stealthily, so we can follow their trail quite easily. Charlie Two and Six will periodically check on them. Everyone else: stick to the cover of the trees and no loud noises. Be wary of drones. Any questions?»
«Chief, what should we do if they notice us?» SO1 Khalid asked.
«Move behind cover, activate the cuttlefish and notify the rest of the team», he replied. «We’ll see from there. Anything else?»
No more questions followed.
«Very well. Let’s move».
***
They had been shadowing the group for around three hours when it happened.
Tetsuo and the others were hidden in wait while SOCS Rossi checked on their quarry, live reporting what he saw.
«One of the “prisoners” just broke out of his chains and punched one of the “soldiers”. Hmm, nice uppercut. He grabbed his sword. Took three arrows to the chest. Now is on the ground, over».
Almost a minute passed by before the master chief asked for more information. «Copy that, Charlie Two, anything else? Over».
«Roger. The rest of the “prisoners” are screaming and the man who had his sword taken is getting an alpha-charlie by one of the horsemen. I can’t get the words, but the shouting reminds me of my drill sergeant back in basics. The actor seems to know what he’s doing, and... Stand by».
Five seconds passed, then another five, and then five more. After a full minute of radio silence, the Senior Chief resumed his report. «They’re moving again. The archers took back their arrows and the “prisoners” have been silenced the hard way. The “dead” extra is still on the ground, over».
«Good copy. Anything else? Over».
SOCS Rossi replied after exactly three seconds. «Negative. I must say, though, that the scene was intense. Good action, raw emotion, and no forced dialogue: all very realistic. Very unexpected». After a brief pause, he continued. «I suggest we wait for the group to move at least a mike away and for the guy on the ground to get up and join the filming crew. We’ll lose some time but this way it’s safer and we’ll know where the rest of them is, over».
«Good copy, Charlie Two. Keep the lookout and inform us if things change, over», Master Chief Anderson said.
«Wilco. Out». The short reply ended the transmission.
The next twenty or so minutes passed very slowly. Everyone was sitting down, leaning on a tree or a rock and resting for what was possible; Chief Schwartzman even managed to fall asleep, but Tetsuo found himself enjoying the varied and upbeat chirping of some unknown bird nestled on a nearby tree. He closed his eyes to better listen to its song.
After ten more minutes, he was starting to wonder why it was taking so long, when Chief Rossi reported back in.
«One, this is Two, over».
«Go ahead, Two, over».
«The extra is still on the ground. The rest of the actors are long gone but he’s not moving. How do we proceed? Over».
«Copy. Have you checked for hidden cameras or people? Over».
«Affirmative. Seems all clear, over».
«I don’t like it. Are you positive the man hasn’t moved? Over».
«Affirmative. Permission to go down and check, over».
«Roger. Stand by, Charlie Two».
Tetsuo watched as the master chief took off his helmet after the exchange, in order to massage his eyebrow, closing his eyes in silent pondering. He had clearly decided to take some time to think about it. Then, he heard his name being called. Not over the comms, but directly: «Tetsuo, you’ll go down there with Al and keep guard while he checks the body».
«Aye, sir», he replied, then started to move towards Senior Chief Rossi’s position.
«Charlie Two, Charlie One, over», he heard on the team’s channel a moment later.
«Good copy, One. Go ahead, over».
«Four is coming your way to help. Proceed with caution and be quick. We’ll provide overwatch, over».
«Wilco, out».
Once in position, the younger man gave a simple nod in his direction and started walking down the slope, sticking to cover and trying to blend in with the vegetation, Kusanagi following a few steps behind. Luckily, the whole area was filled with trees and there were shadows aplenty, but they would be in danger the moment they stepped into the open, since the trail received far more sunlight and provided way less cover than its surroundings. It was risky, but his superior officers had decided that the situation was definitely unusual and required direct investigation, and Tetsuo agreed. Furthermore, the body on the ground was looking more and more like a corpse to his eyes.
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«Tetsuo, full stealth. We go, three mikes and we’re back behind cover. All clear?»
«Aye, sir. All clear».
«Okay. Let’s go».
The air was still as they stood in place while their active camouflage activated. Tetsuo could hear his own heartbeat, such was the silence around them. When they began to walk down the slope, each muffled step of their boots on the soft soil felt like a loud crack and the few pebbles that rolled down along their path were as deafening thunder to his ears. A drop of sweat ran down his back as he kept all his senses on their surroundings, his LMG ready to fire. He knew they were practically invisible, but he still expected to hear the crack of gunshots at any moment. Senior Chief Rossi led with a sure step, stopping twice to check for heat signatures around them, and they managed to reach the body quickly and without incident; however, the thirty seconds it took them to cover the short distance had felt like hours to Kusanagi.
None too soon, the silence was broken by the senior chief, his voice confirming Tetsuo’s suspicion: «Charlie One, this is Two. This man is dead. Over».
A heavy silence followed those words. Not because the man was deceased; after all, he was a complete stranger and their team was well acquainted with death. No, Tetsuo was almost certain that everyone was at a loss for words because of the circumstances of the man’s death. Either they had witnessed the most deranged film-making in history or they had stumbled upon a murder masked as a movie scene.
It probably would not be too hard to exchange props with real arrows, especially with the complicity of more than one person, but how could no one notice the man was actually wounded and bleeding to death? How many of them were in the know about the murder? The whole filming crew almost surely, since they left the corpse down here to rot. Maybe someone will come back later to dispose of it…
His internal musings were interrupted when Senior Chief Rossi spoke again, replying to a query from the master chief. «Copy. Clothes are just rags. No shoes, no personal belongings. Nothing of note except for the brown-grey skin and the teeth: it’s not dirt as we thought, though the guy could have used a bath, but body paint of something similar. The teeth look like a cat’s: the canines are so long they touch the opposite lips. I know it’s all fake, but it’s still quite convincing. Break».
Tetsuo kept scanning their surroundings for potential threats, but could not resist shooting a glance at the body. It was crumpled on the ground, with arms open and one leg bent under the other and three gaping chest wounds. The canines were visible in the open mouth, and were as long as the Senior Chief had stated, stained red with the man’s own blood, just like his shirt and the ground, where it had pooled and was greedily absorbed.
«Well, can’t deny they have a great makeup artist…» SOCS Rossi continued. «No ID or any other document, but that was to be expected. Anyway, I’m taking a couple photos and we’ll be out of here. Charlie Two, out».
A minute later, the two operators were again under the cover of the trees, their armour back to the normal forest camouflage pattern. Tetsuo was more than relieved to be hidden again. An irrational thought, because they had been, by all standards, invisible to the naked eye as well as to thermal scanners, but his instincts always screamed at him when he had to stay exposed.
Shortly after, the duo rejoined the team for a much-needed briefing.
«Wow! That’s cool», SO2 Cooper said, watching the picture on the camera screen. «I mean, apart from being dead, he totally looks the part».
«True, except for the “being dead” part. What was he supposed to be, though?» SO1 Khalid asked, as she leaned upon Chief Schwartzman shoulder to have a better look at the photo. «Some kind of fantasy creature, sure, but what? An orc I’d say, but... ok, no tusks but those are optional. Still, shouldn’t he be more ugly? With scars, a creased nose, stuff like that?»
«Don’t ask me, you know I don’t like that kind of fantasy stuff. Troll, orc, elf, goblin... it’s nonsense all the same».
SO1 Khalid jerked back and watched her in askance. «How could you even think to confuse an elf with an orc? Or with a goblin? That’s like comparing ice cream with avocado. Even if you don’t like the genre, how can you not know something like this just by internet osmosis, Elisa?»
«I can. This is just an average Joe sprayed with grey body paint, how could you think of him as fantasy monster?»
«Orcs are not monsters, they are a race. Also, what do you mean by “average”? The guy’s built like a tank! His muscles have muscles».
«Yeah, ok, he’s a dead average Joe with a bodybuilder physique and fake teeth. I doubt they choose him for his acting skills, anyway. So, Brad, how do we proceed from here?»
«Okay, listen up! This doesn’t really change our plans. We’ll keep following that group as long as they move south and until we reach our destination. Now we simply know that some, if not all of them, are accomplices to murder and should be considered hostiles until proven otherwise, so let’s keep avoiding contact. Any objections?»
Seeing that no one had anything to add, Master Chief Anderson spoke again: «Very well. They shouldn’t have gone too far; we can still track them easily enough. Al, Steve, lead the way».
Without the need for further words, the team got in motion, everyone falling into their marching order. Kusanagi gave a last look at the cold body lying on the trail and offered a silent prayer. He was not averse to killing, especially those whom he thought deserved it, but he believed that the dead were owed respect: whatever wrong a person had done in life, it no longer had any meaning after their departure.
I don’t know who you were or why you were killed, but know I am sorry for leaving you lying on the ground without proper burial. May you rest in peace.
***
As the master chief had anticipated, it did not take much to catch up. That group was not exactly moving silently and the noise of the rushing water was not enough to cover the sound of more than forty people marching and talking, or the neighs of horses. Along the way the terrain started flattening, and Charlie Team slowly lost the advantage of high ground, but there was nothing they could do about it. The most important thing was to remain hidden, and the vegetation still offered plenty of cover.
The march of the unknowing prey and the silent hunters continued without hitch for the remainder of the day, until sunset decreed they stop for the night: one group loudly talking and eating warm food cooked over a campfire, the other resting in the shadows a couple hundred metres from their quarry, nary a sound made, except for the chewing of cold MRE and the occasional sip of water. They were close to the stream bank but still hidden by the tree line.
Despite her tired body and mind, sleep was eluding Jaspinder. She had been assigned third watch but felt strangely restless. She was lying on the ground, but it was not the damp and uncomfortable soil that was keeping her awake, although the occasional pebble boring into her back did not help, nor was it the enticing smell of roasted meat that had been wafting towards them for the last two hours. No, thoughts and questions about the last two days were swirling around in her head like a wild vortex, and the more she tried to dismiss her worries and convince herself to sleep, the more complex her thoughts became, keeping her mind awake. That is how she heard Anderson’s musings, and she was glad to have something to distract herself with.
«Strange…» his words, carried by the wind, were barely more than a whisper, «I can see all the stars in the sky, but I can’t find the Big Dipper, nor any other constellation I know».
«Maybe you’re not looking in the right direction, chief?» she heard Cooper chime in.
By chance or on purpose, Chief Anderson snorted at those words: «I’m not an astronomer, Steve, but I know enough to at least be able to find my way following the stars. As a sailor, knowing where to find the North Star is the bare minimum, that’s why I find it strange. What about you? Does our dear Dundee, master of the wilderness, recognise any constellation?»
«Uhm… nope. Can’t say I do, chief».
She could feel him shrugging through his words. Knowing Steve, he probably did not care about the issue.
Chief Anderson went back to stargazing and Cooper to whatever he had been doing earlier, creating a lull in the conversation.
That’s when she heard the screams.
To others they would probably sound no different from any other scream. Maybe they would cause some mild worry and a raised eyebrow, but Jaspinder’s eyes snapped open and her jaw clenched as she recognized the pain and despair in them, while the memory of a face filled with terror, of eyes pleading for help, flashed into her tired mind with terrible clarity. It was a scene from the past, an episode of her life that had scarred her and forged her path, but that she had also buried deep into the recesses of her memory, in the attempt to forget it.