They quickly left the camp and the dead behind, heading south, the same direction the “soldiers” had been going towards. With some luck, any pursuers would try going back north first, unless they had a competent commander who would send scouts in both directions. Thus, with a little less than two hours before the next guard change, the plan was to put as much distance as possible between them and those madmen dressed in armour in order to make them lose their tracks. Easy enough, had it been Charlie Team alone, but with sixteen additional people, weary and injured in one way or another, it became much harder to do. The terrain did not help either: while the trees and the shrubbery offered plenty of cover, the absence of a road and the need to avoid any beaten track slowed the group down, forcing them to move on muddy ground or on uneven and loose terrain. A few times they had to make detours due to fallen trees, crevices, boulders and similar obstacles, whereas in other moments they had to carefully climb uphill on rocky terrain made slippery by the night’s humidity. Strangely enough, Bradley observed, the darkness didn’t seem to bother their charges too much, with only a few slips and tumbles along the way. In the silence of the night, however, every noise became as loud as thunder and every time he bit down on the curses that wanted to escape his mouth, waiting with apprehension to see if people came after them.
Despite everything, we should still have a good head start. One hour at least, I hope. But there’s a good chance someone has already discovered what we did, Bradley mused in silence and took a sip from his hydration pack. He was having everyone maintain a borderline exhausting pace, and that tended to make people thirsty, which was one of the reasons they were keeping close enough to the river to hear the rumbling of its waters. The other was to not lose directions, since they could not trust their maps. Once we find a place where it’s safe to cross, we’ll slow down a bit. It will be good to prepare some makeshift canteens for them… We’ll have to move away from the river sooner or later, and we might not find another source of freshwater for miles.
Their march continued throughout the night and Bradley kept them on the move for the whole next day, with only a few short breaks before they finally stopped to rest for the night. A couple of times, when he had ordered to resume their trek, tension had arisen between the two groups, but it had not gone any further than silent posturing and passive-aggressive resistance, most likely caused by a mix of adrenaline, lack of proper rest, accumulated stress, and problematic communication.
Indeed, communication was proving to be very complicated, to the point it would have been more accurate to talk about non-existent communication.
«I think I’ll try talking to a few rocks and trees along the way tomorrow. I’m sure it’ll be a more interesting conversation than with these guys», Cooper’s slightly sarcastic remark cut the silence. He was surely counting on the fact the others could not understand him.
Probably.
It was a small blessing that the day ended without any accident. Once they found a clearing where to sleep, many simply let themselves fall to the ground, clearly exhausted and trying to catch their breath. A few managed to be more dignified and sat down to rest, but it was clear that everyone needed a break, even the six SIGs. Hopefully, all that walking had gained them a few hours on their pursuers; sure, as far as they could tell, they had not been followed, but nobody dared lower their guard. It was too soon to relax, and it was only a few days earlier that Bradley got really close and personal with the jaws of a six-legged predator.
Before falling into Morpheus embrace, they found the energy to make trips to the river in small groups and the team shared what little MRE they had left, but no one slept with a full belly that night.
At sunrise, Bradley urged them all on the move again as quickly as possible, despite the ragged conditions of the men and women they had rescued and the creeping weariness of his team.
«We need to put as much distance as possible between us and those people», he simply told them before moving on, no discussion allowed.
To that end they kept following the course of the river until, mid-afternoon, they found a small bend. To everyone’s surprise there stood an honest to goodness beaver dam. A fairly big one, even, wide enough that three people could comfortably cross it at the same time. All in the team except Bradley – the only one who had actually seen a beaver dam before – expressed their awe at the meticulously built construction, but the only beaver in sight did not stop around to thank them for their compliments, quickly diving into the water where it swam back to safety. Al and Khalid commented on how big and cute it was – none of them having ever seen one before – followed by Cooper loudly pondering if such rodents were a common sight in the area. As for the others, they were simply glad for the lucky discovery. Though not offering the most secure footing, the mass of rocks, mud, and tree branches gave them a viable way to safely cross the river and move eastwards, away from the beaten track and possible pursuers.
Whether due to thoroughness or excess of zeal, Bradley took that chance to task Alessandro and Steve to cover the group’s tracks and to create false ones leading further south along the river and then into the forest in order to deceive anyone following them. It took them a little more than an hour to do it, backtrack, and rejoin the group on the other side of the river. Luckily, the built-in transmitter in their body armour allowed them to know the relative general direction of each team member in real time, though within a maximum distance of around four kilometres. Given that they went only one kilometre further south, there was basically no way for the sniper duo to lose track of the rest of the group.
***
The group had been heading east for a while. They followed the river but kept a safe distance from it, always staying behind the cover of the trees, and despite moving at a fairly slow pace they had covered quite some ground. Not that the scenery reflected it: the forest offered only trees, trees, and more trees, with nary an animal in sight. Only the rare chirp from a bird reminded everyone the forest was alive around them.
Elisa was acting as rear guard, so it fell to her to keep an eye out for anything or anyone approaching from behind, but calling her watch “uneventful” would be an euphemism. As much as she liked being surrounded by nature, she had grown bored of the unending sea of green and brown, a sea that never seemed to dry up. Fatigue – both mental and physical – was also starting to catch up; thus, the sight of Rossi and Cooper leisurely walking onwards to rejoin the group was a welcome interruption of the monotony and a source of genuine relief, such that she greeted Alessandro and Steve with a warm smile... getting absolutely no reaction out of them. After a moment of confusion, she remembered that almost all of her face was hidden by the helmet, prompting her to scoff at herself and shake her head, opting instead to wave at the duo.
«Charlie One, this is Two, we’re back. Nothing to report, over», she heard over the team’s comms.
«Copy, Two. Hope you guys had a nice stroll. Go join Charlie Three at the rear. One, out».
Elisa waited for Cooper and Rossi to come close enough she did not have to shout, before addressing them. «You heard the boss. So, there’s really nothing to report, boys? No crazy bastards running after us?»
«Nice to see you too, Bogeyman. You know, you should open your helmet when we talk. For all we know, you could be sticking your tongue out at us, in the true spirit of Mel Brooks».
«...»
«Al, I have no idea what to make of what you just said. We all have the mouthpiece closed. I’m sure it’s another one of your random references but I’m too tired to care right now. Again, are you sure no one’s tailing us?» Elisa asked, a little bit of annoyance in her voice.
Alessandro shook his head and mumbled something about pearls before replying.
«Yes, I am. There’s no sign of anyone following us». They resumed walking. «That doesn’t mean no one is on our tracks, though. I’d prefer to put as much distance as possible between us and those madmen, before relaxing».
«I agree. In any case, that’s good news», she sighed. «Yes, good news...»
Her reply did not hold much conviction, and as they approached the line of men and women walking in silence, her mind was distracted by the haggard and weary faces, by the vacant stares, the heavy breathing, and the grumbling bellies.
«Look, Al... You must talk to Brad. I agree that we should keep going, but take a look around. These people are exhausted, weak, hungry, and hurt. We don’t know the extent of the abuse they endured. I don’t think they can keep this pace for much longer and—»
«I know. I can see it», Al quietly interrupted her, «but we can’t stop. Not yet anyway».
«You too? Al, they won’t be able to go on without proper rest, especially in their condition. I also need some time to give them all at least a preliminary check-up and dress their wounds. The ones I can, at least...» Her voice fell down to a murmur before picking up again, more intense this time. «I’ve seen that kind of expressions before. I know that look of fear, and distrust, and hate, and... and I know they need their family, friends, and probably a psychotherapist more than a medic».
She kicked a pebble.
«But they’re stuck with me». She closed her eyes, a dejected sigh escaping her lips.
«And I say that’s a good thing», Alessandro chided her, careful as he stepped beyond a thick, overgrown root, his words filled with confidence. «Don’t beat yourself up for no reason, we saved these people. Hell, we’re probably the best thing that happened to them since they were taken prisoners».
He followed his short encouragement speech with a pat on her shoulder. It was surely meant to be comforting, but Al had still a long way to go in that department.
«The chief is right!» Cooper cut in, «Don’t be so gloomy and pessimistic, it won’t help them. I mean, I get that gloom and doom is part of the Bogeyman ethos, but when you’re Chief Schwartzman you should cheer up. Grandpa Bob always said that a smile is the best medicine».
A groan escaped Elisa’s lips. «Thanks for making it look like I suffer from split personality, how nice of you, Steve».
«Always happy to help, chief».
«Wait», Al chimed in, «wasn’t Bob the one who was scratched by a koala and almost lost an arm to sepsis because he refused to go to the doctor?»
«Well, yeah... Have I told you about him, chief?» Cooper replied as he scratched the back of his head. Or he would have, had he not been wearing a helmet.
He settled for a shrug.
«You mentioned him once or twice...» Alessandro’s voice was laced with sarcasm. «Anyway, we were talking about having a short rest».
Slowing down to keep a bit further away from to the subjects of their discussion, Elisa stepped closer to Alessandro and lowered her voice. She did not necessarily need to, because as far as she knew, they did not understand English, but better safe than sorry. «Yes, and I’m also worried because of their prolonged silence. It’s not my field, but I’ve seen traumatised people before. Sure, some withdraw into themselves, but most still talk. You know, to try and cope with the trauma, or to rationalise, or to deny it happened, or even, I don’t know, just to talk to someone else. And I’d thought some of them would have at least started talking to each other again». Barely waiting for Rossi to nod in acknowledgement, she continued: «But they all keep to themselves! It’s frustrating and borderline eerie how quiet and disciplined they are. Almost inhuman. They don’t even complain among themselves! It’s like we are the Rattenfänger von Hameln and—»
«Sorry, the what?» Alessandro stopped her.
«The Rattenfänger von Hameln. It’s the... damn, I forgot the English name», she mumbled, «Come on, you know the fable: it’s the guy with the flute who hypnotises all rats in Hameln but when the villagers don’t pay him does the same with all the children and leads them away».
«Oh, il Pifferaio Magico. All right, I got it, though I don’t know what’s the English title either».
«Yeah, but you’ve understood what I’m talking about, no?»
«Yes».
«Good. Now, as I was saying, it’s like we’re the Rattenfänger von Hameln and they’re the mice following us, but without having to play a magic flute. We didn’t even need the old man to give them another order».
«Wait... Tetsuo gave them orders? I thought they did not understand us».
Elisa looked at Rossi with a stare as flat as the Mongolian steppe. «Al, you should spend less time with Steve, his idiocy is rubbing on you».
«Hey, I heard that! I’m a sensible soul, you know?»
«Oh, shush, Steve», she immediately replied. However, noticing Rossi was still confused, she quickly provided more details. «Come on, Al, I’m talking about the big guy over there, close to the front of the line... Ok, they’re all big. I mean the big and old one: bald, white beard, a scar on his right eye, around two metres tall, built like a strongman, with the blue earring».
Receiving only a shrug in response, she sighed and continued. «He’s the one who managed to make our friends here move their asses after we freed them, come on! He barked some kind of order and they all started to walk».
A brief lull in the conversation followed her words, and everyone seemed content to keep quiet, until Alessandro’s voice filled the silence: «I wasn’t aware. I don’t think anyone ever mentioned him to Steve and I. Not that we’ve had much time for idle chatting though. In any case, you’re right: they need rest and medical care, but I’m sure they can go on a bit more. No one is seriously wounded, and they all look pretty used to hard work, after all. You’re the medic, though. Your call».
«Actually, we might have a more pressing problem», Steve chimed in, joining the conversation. «I think we’re black on food, ya know. I don’t know about the others, but I ate my last piece of MRE two hours ago and I reckon you two did as well. But, hey! At least with the river nearby we won’t die of thirst, lucky us! A silver lining in this bloody cursed mission...» he concluded, shaking his head.
Against all common expectations, what followed was not a serious discussion about the need to find food, shelter, medical supplies and whatnot. Instead, the two men watched as Elisa started laughing before pumping up her fist with an overly exaggerated motion, drawing the attention of their until-then completely stoic travelling companions.
«Ha! Zur Hölle, ja! You owe me another fifty bucks, Al», she loudly proclaimed, glee oozing from each word.
«Eh? What for?» Alessandro replied, dumbfounded at first by her unexpected behaviour, before understanding dawned on his face. Only a few seconds passed before he retorted, a mix of frustration and resignation in his voice: «Oh, that?! Come on! He was not complaining. He was just… he was simply stating facts, and you know it».
«Sure, Al, sure», Elisa grinned. «Fifty. Bucks. Don’t be a sore loser».
«Ma porca puttana… Steve! Couldn’t you resist a little bit more?» he complained in irritation. «Fuck! At least complain where Elisa can’t hear you», he continued, clearly ignoring the irony of complaining about someone else complaining. His body language was a display of annoyance, as a flabbergasted Cooper looked at him.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
At a serious loss for words, Steve only managed to utter a confused «What?» before being interrupted again.
«Don’t worry, Cooper, you did great», Elisa happily reassured him before smacking his back a few times, and a few more for good measure. «Sorry, Al, you should choose your horses more carefully; but please continue to swear in Italian... it’s so satisfying watching you lose you cool».
«Oh, zip it», Alessandro grumbled. «Brad is always a certainty. I bet he kept cursing the mission every time I wasn’t around».
Seeing that Elisa was not going to stop snickering anytime soon, he gestured at her in very explicit terms to piss off. Then, half serious, half mocking, he quietly added: «Begone, evil woman. Stop gloating and take your schadenfreude somewhere else».
At that, Elisa simply laughed louder and walked ahead towards the centre of their small moving line, leaving the still confused Steve to deal with Alessandro’s annoyance. The latter decided, in fact, to vent his frustration by cursing, wildly gesticulating at the Australian, and kicking every small rock unfortunate enough to be on his path.
***
The moment Elisa was out of earshot, Rossi stopped swearing and arguing with Cooper. Behind the visor, his eyes turned serious, boring into her back. He and Steve had known their friend long enough to know when she was forcing a laugh.
After a couple more minutes, with Elisa long gone, Cooper decided to break the silence.
«Chief», his tone was quite serious, lacking his usual mirth.
«Yes?» Alessandro’s voice was equally tinged with gravity.
«Her voice was cracking». It was not a question.
«Yeah...»
«She’s taking all of this way too harshly», Cooper carried on. «I mean, I get it. This stuff is horrible, but she’s seen worse; we’ve all seen worse. What’s different this time? Did something happen when they went back to take the girl?». He did not even try to hide his concern.
«I don’t know, Steve. I don’t know...»
Alessandro’s reply was quiet and uncertain, his eyes still staring in Elisa’s direction.
***
«Yes, Brad, we need to search for food and I need to check their health. We can survive for a while, but I doubt they can in their conditions». Elisa was at the front of the moving column, the rest following a dozen metres behind, arguing with Bradley about the need for rest and pointing with vehemence at the rest of the group to emphasise her statements.
«Okay, okay», Bradley said. «Team, this is One, we make camp in two hours. Charlie Six, I need you to go around and look for edible food. See if you can hunt us something or forage some fruit. Show us your Aussie powers, Dundee», he finished in a half-mocking tone.
«Copy that, chief, I’m on my way», Cooper immediately replied. «Anything’s better than being near a grumpy Italian. I hope y’all like green leopard meat, though I’d prefer a normal, four-legged hare, you know. See you in a few hours. Charlie Six out».
Then he was gone, disappearing among the trees like a ghost.
«Are you sure about sending him alone?» Elisa asked.
«Absolutely. He’s a trained professional, not a kid», Bradley replied with complete confidence, «and he’ll be faster by himself. You know he doesn’t take useless risks. Most of the time at least... Besides, he’s our best chance at finding something substantial to eat around here».
Elisa took that moment to remove her helmet and pass her gloved hand through her hair. Dirty and slick with sweat, like the rest of her body. Like all of them. She would have loved nothing more than relax under a hot shower, but a distinctive feature of the wilderness is the lack of such amenities. After quenching her thirst she put the helmet back on, leaving the mouthpiece open.
«Yes, I know. You think Steve ever missed the chance to tell us in detail about all of his hunting adventures in Australia, Africa, and America? It’s just that... I have this constant worry gnawing at me, Brad, and it spikes when I least expect it».
«Aye. Me too», he replied with grim acceptance. «I keep feeling it, even now. It’s there, in the back of my head. A constant sense of anger and anxiety; deep fears and rage ready to pour out». He sighed before continuing, his voice strained, hesitant. «It worries me, Elisa. I don’t know why it’s happening, but I don’t want a repeat of what I did in that tent».
A moment of silence. Then, swallowing loudly, Bradley continued. «You know what’s the worst part?» His voice was full of self-reproach. «A part of me was enjoying it. I was out of control and enjoying it, for fuck’s sake! What’s next? I paint my face white, dye my hair green and laugh while murdering random people?»
«What the hell is going on here?» Elisa quietly asked to no one in particular.
Bradley had no answer to give her.
***
Three hours later they made camp, which meant they had found a place big enough to let everyone sit or lie down without too many trees to divide them up but enough to use for cover in case of need. None of the SIGs carried a tent, a sleeping bag, or a blanket; their original mission objective did not involve rescuing sixteen injured people, nor having said people sleep out at night. To their credit, no one had complained nor had shown any sign of discomfort at sleeping on the wet ground. Or perhaps they did not want to show further weakness.
Elisa decided to take this opportunity to start attending to the ex-prisoners, checking them for injuries. As she sat in front of one of the women, she took off her helmet to better see her conditions, but what she did not expect was for the woman to recoil in fear.
She was not the only one though. Stifled gasps started coming from the rest of the men and women they had saved, with some standing up growling and making a few angry steps in her direction.
«Hættu, kjánar!»
They all stopped cold. The “old man” was standing up, looking at his fellows with terror in his eyes despite having himself looked ready to kill. Turning her head, Elisa noticed that Alessandro, Tetsuo, Jaspinder and Bradley were aiming their weapons at the angry men and women, lowering them only after they calmed down and sat on the ground again.
«What the hell was that?»
«I have no idea, Brad, your guess is as good as mine», Alessandro replied.
«Sir, unfortunately, until we can properly communicate with them, all we can make are conjectures. However, such behavior was uncalled for».
«Tetsuo’s right, chief. But they looked really angry... Perhaps your face scares them, Liz. You do have a pretty mean stare...»
«Jas, just because Cooper isn’t here you don’t have to spout idiocies in his stead. And you know I don’t like being called “Liz”».
«Oops! Sorry, sorry», Jaspinder replied, her face all but apologetic.
«Hey, focus. Whatever that was, I’m not taking any chances», Bradley interrupted. «Khalid, you’ll stay with Elisa and protect her during her check-ups, in case someone gets strange ideas. All clear?».
«Clear, sir».
«Good. Now let’s wait for Cooper to come back with some food. With a full belly everyone should be more relaxed, and perhaps even willing to talk to us».
***
Later on, Elisa had just finished putting a wrist splint on one of the wounded men, the fracture having occurred most likely in the previous four days and left to worsen. After a look of appreciation at his own arm, his relief evident, the young man gave her a silent, thankful nod, cradling the broken limb with his left arm. At that, she stood up and walked back towards the others to take a break; she stretched a bit, feeling her stiff muscles loosen up a bit, followed by a satisfying “pop” along her spine.
It was then that she saw Cooper emerge from some trees to their south, carrying what looked like three dead hares tied to a stick.
Dark green hares. So dark they could easily be mistaken for black at a first glance.
He walked with a confident and relaxed gait, as if on a morning stroll, greeting the rest of the team with his usual mix of cheerfulness and smugness tinged – some would say drenched – with arrogance. He had the decency and presence of mind not to announce his return in his usual bombastic tone, at least, but at his playful wink Elisa could not help the eye-roll that came naturally.
Putting down his “trophies”, a grinning Cooper took off his gear, helmet included, and searched for a suitable place where to skin the animals. He found a mostly flat slab of stone and cleaned it with some water, then unsheathed his knife and started to work on the first hare. Meanwhile, he gave a brief report of his hunt: he had already cleaned and bled the game, leaving the entrails a couple kilometres away from their makeshift camp for some scavenger to claim, and he had also filled two pouches with a bunch of different nuts and berries.
«... and guess what? They have four legs. No mutant hares for dinner tonight, though I’m not sure about their colour. Are there green hares?»
«Uhm... I have no idea. Are you sure they’re safe to eat?» Jaspinder replied, staring at the meat now hanging from a small tree branch.
«I don’t see why not: they only have an unusual fur colour, but they looked the same as any other hare inside, trust me. Scout’s honour».
«You’ve never been a Boy Scout, Steve».
«Bah, details. Besides, we’re out of food, so unless you wanna go on with only nuts and berries until we get out of this damn forest, we’ll have to risk it a bit, I guess. What do you think, Chief Schwartzman?»
Hearing her name being called, Elisa, pondered for a few moments and gave her reply: «I don’t see anything wrong with them. If they had six legs like that other weird leopard, I’d be the first to throw them away, but as they are they don’t seem to be poisonous or inedible... Plus, the military spent a lot of money to ensure our bodies would be strong enough to handle at least some food poisoning».
«That was not very convincing, Elisa, but I admit they do look quite tasty. Or maybe I’m just hungry», Jaspinder said.
«Mmm, I bet roasted they’d be mouth-watering», Cooper added, a longing expression on his face.
«You want to roast them? Having a barbecue doesn’t really strike me as a good idea right now».
«Hell no! Come on, Jas, do you take me for an idiot?»
«Well...»
Steve smiled and flipped her the bird before carrying on. «You know the smoke would give our position away... and even if we wanted, find me something dry ’round here and I’ll call you a liar. With wood this wet it would take forever to make a serious fire and we’d just end up making a lot of smoke, even if we dug Dakotas».
«I’d love some smoked meat right now, you know», Jaspinder sighed, «but we’d need, well, smoke, so it’s out of question».
«Yeah, and there’d still be the issue of dry kindling to start the fire, not to mention building a smokehouse, even if rudimentary. Nah, I was thinking of curing it and making jerky by letting it dry. I know Chief Rossi always carries some salt with him, dunno if for cooking or ’cause of some superstition, and—»
«Superstition? What do you mean?»
«Yeah. He’s Italian. They make weird signs with their hands, have strange rituals, and so on. It’s the basics, Jas. Italians are weird and superstitious».
Jaspinder watched him and grinned.
«Why are you—» Steve flinched when Alessandro brushed by him, his knife tumbling down in the process.
Elisa did not even bother to hide her chortle, joined immediately by Jaspinder and the others.
«Yeah, yeah, pick on the youngest one... I could’ve cut my hand, you bastards», Steve complained.
«You are wearing ballistic gloves», Al replied with nonchalance.
Cooper grumbled for a couple of seconds, but then let it go. «Anyway. As I was saying, I also found some rosemary and thyme the meat. It should be enough to at least dehydrate the meat and take away some of its wild flavour, make it a little less gamey. Then it’s up to the sun».
«Ok, Dundee, that’s all fine and dandy», Al chimed in as he moved past the impromptu workbench and closer to Bradley, «but I don’t have a whole bag of salt and there’s still the risk of getting Salmonella, E. coli or botulism from the meat. It might not be a problem for us, since we’re a walking “fuck you” to bacteria and viruses, but what about them?» He asked, pointing his thumb at the group of hungry and exhausted people behind him.
«Well, we can’t do much about it, chief. It’s a choice between making a fire with a high risk of being discovered and not making a fire with a low risk of getting a nasty or potentially lethal food poisoning. The curing should take care of the problem, and a couple tablespoons of salt are enough for the meat we have».
«Yeah, should. I don’t like playing with probabilities. By the way, I think you should check those hares again, Steve. I doubt those canines are normal». He pointed at one of the hares’ mouth, from which a long and pointed canine emerged, much like a cat’s.
«Bloody hell! I should have known I spoke too soon…»
«So, they are carnivorous... Do I get to use the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch now?» Alessandro commented.
«The what?» Elisa asked.
«Never mind. So, what do you say we do, Brad? Fire or not fire?»
He did not immediately reply, opting to scratch his chin and ponder for a moment first. «I don’t like gambling with people’s health at stake either, but making a fire is too dangerous right now, and we need food. Go with the jerky, Steve. We’ll prepare for the worst and hope for the best».
«Great, hoping for the best...» Al shook his head. «Whatever, there’s another thing I have to point out though: it will take at least a day for the meat to be ready, probably more with the amount of wind and sunlight we don’t get and the forest’s humidity, and we all need to eat today, especially our “guests”».
«You’re totally right, chief». Cooper stopped skinning the hare, put his knife aside, and took off his blood-stained gloves. He then grabbed his backpack, pulled out of it two bulging pouches that looked like they were ready to burst at the seams, and tossed one to Jaspinder. He made some room on the slab of stone, as far as possible from the area where he was skinning the hares, and gently spilled some of the content on it.
«That’s why today’s menu is gonna be nuts and berries. Sorry, guys, should have said it earlier, maybe. Ah, Jas, the bigger pouch I gave you is for our big-toothed friends. Actually, why don’t they take those off? You guys reckon they’re actual implants? I mean, anything’s possible nowadays; I know a couple blokes who had fake horns put into their foreheads, but so many of them together? Maybe they all belong to some kind of religious sect? Do people worship the tooth fairy? You know, I...»
Elisa quickly tuned out Cooper’s inane blabbering but kept watching as Jaspinder took a blueberry from among the various fruits resting on the makeshift kitchen work-top, stared at it, put it down, then quickly moved closer to Steve and spoke between clenched teeth. She probably intended to be very quiet, but not as much as she intended, since Elisa still heard her words quite clearly despite being a few metres away.
«Steve, why the fuck did you pick those up again?»
«Don’t worry, Jas», he whispered back. «We’ll be fine. I mean, I was fine, remember? I think there won’t be any problem if we don’t stuff ourselves».
«Ha-ha, very funny. Thanks but I’ll pass. Once was enough for me».
«What are you two whispering about? Share with the team», Alessandro’s voice cut in. Elisa had not noticed him moving back closer to them.
So much for situational awareness, she chided herself.
«Gah! Chief, don’t sneak up on us. You’ll give me a heart attack...» Cooper exclaimed, a hand on his chest. «Also, it’s bad manners».
Alessandro rolled his eyes and replied: «Stop being an idiot and talk. So what’s up with you two? Something wrong with the food?»
Elisa saw Jaspinder send a brief but very meaningful look at Steve. She didn’t know what it was about, but the message was clearly something along the lines of “Say something and you’re dead”. After all, she had perfected her own version of such stare, so it was easy to recognise.
«Nothing much, chief. I was just telling Jas to leave some food for us and not to gorge herself like she always does».
Jaspinder punched him on the shoulder. Hard.
Cooper simply laughed it off, his usual shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Until Rossi smacked the back of his head with a perfectly timed slap. It was almost a trademark at that point, and the sound it made was music to Elisa’s ears. Schadenfreude was a German word, after all.
Massaging his neck, Steve grimaced at Rossi before addressing Jaspinder again: «Now, if you don’t have anything better to do except abusing poor old me, I’d appreciate if you took out your knife and helped me skin these».
«Actually, Steve, I do. I’ve been tasked by the master chief to be Elisa’s bodyguard while she bandages our silent friends. So, unfortunately, I can’t help you».
«Are you serious? Why, what happened?» he asked before popping a walnut into his mouth. Then he picked one of the infamous blueberries and offered it to Jaspinder, smiling.
«No, thanks», was her reply, together with a meaningful eye-roll. «So, a couple hours ag—»
«Hættu!»
Everybody stopped in their tracks, startled and put on alert by the sudden shout, all turning to look at its origin.
The woman was on her feet, leaning forward as if she had wanted to lounge at them but stopped herself halfway through. Her blue eyes were staring intensely at Cooper, uncaring of the wild strands of hair half-obstructing her vision. Her right hand was held up, just another sign of the barely-concealed panic she was exuding.
Oh? It’s her again. Perhaps we’ll be able to talk to her talk if we’re lucky. And what’s with those quads? Looks like someone never skips leg day here, Elisa thought, before she put her pistol back into the holster. Drawing it had been pure reflex, but seeing that there was no actual danger about to befall them, she relaxed.
«Is it just me or did that sound a lot like “Halt”?»
«It’s not just you, Jaspinder. The translator gave me nothing, but whether that’s what she said or not, I think she conveyed her intentions quite clearly», Rossi replied, a hint of curiosity in his voice.
Elisa did not join their back and forth, but considered the woman’s actions: She must have shouted for a reason, and from the looks of it she’s... afraid for Steve?
Acting on a hunch, she turned and addressed the rest of the team: «Nobody touch the food. Cooper, put down those berries. I might be mistaken, but I bet at least one of them is poisonous»
«What? But it’s not—»
Elisa glared at him for a moment and the Australian complied. Whatever he had wanted to say did not leave his mouth.
When Steve put down the blueberries, the woman visibly relaxed. Without missing a beat, Elisa walked towards her and took off her armoured glove. Despite being fairly tall herself, she had to crane her neck a bit to look the raven-haired amazon – a blend of muscle and feminine charms – in the eyes.
Then, she extended her hand, palm upward, and waited.
Come on, have some trust. You know we don’t want to hurt you. She stared with a pleading eye. Grab my hand. Come on!
It was a clear invitation that transcended language and culture, now it was up to the other woman to accept it.