«You heard that?» Bradley raised his arm to signal the others to stop.
They all crouched and went silent, listening to the forest around them and on the lookout for threats.
His visor gave him a clear view of his surroundings, and would highlight anything that stood out. It worked better when connected to SATLINK, but they knew they would be cut off from it in the forest. He watched and waited, but nothing unusual appeared in his sight. Sometimes, Mother Nature’s gifts are simply better than even the best technology.
One moment the six members of Charlie Team were crouched and fully focused, tension palpable in the air. The next, Bradley was tackled from above by something massive. He fell on the ground, prone, hitting his head on a gnarled root. His full-faced tactical helmet dampened the impact to an extreme degree, but did nothing about the jaws trying to rip through the armour around his neck, nor about the weight on his back pinning him down. He felt the enormous pressure blocking his breath, and pain shot out through his whole body as his muscles contracted to resist. His pulse quickened and he felt his eyes bulge as he started to lose consciousness. Bradley tried to turn on his back, to bring his carbine to bear, anything to survive.
He was powerless, and understood he was about to die.
Four, suppressed, shots rang out, and the pressure vanished, replaced by a heavy mass that slumped on him. Bradley started to crawl away, then felt four hands grabbing his arms and drag him out. He turned on his back, unlocked the helmet and took it off, taking in as much air as possible. With help from Al, he stood up and leaned on an evergreen, an oak of some sort, one among the many in the surroundings. He tried to keep a cool expression, as stoic as possible, but inside he was still shaking, and the looks from Elisa and Al told him he was not fooling anyone. Bradley turned his green eyes on the mass of bark and moss that had almost ended his life.
A couple of minutes passed by as he regained his bearings and understood what happened.
«So, what is this thing? Ideas, anyone?» He asked, voice raucous and wheezy.
His M4A2 was aimed at the animal on the ground, index finger resting away from the trigger but ready to pull it at a moment’s notice. It looked dead, but he was not about to take chances with such a beast. Not when it had almost ripped his neck apart.
«I don’t know what to say, Brad. Never seen anything similar», Al replied. The olive-skinned Italian stroked his beard in contemplation, his own rifle pointed at the ground, helmet now hanging from his hip. He was a good ten centimetres smaller than Bradley, but even bodybuilders would envy his shoulders. «I mean, I’d call it a leopard or a jaguar, but it’s the wrong colour and way too big».
He was right. Despite closely resembling one, the animal was much bigger, closer in size to a lion or a tiger; what Bradley had mistaken for moss was its dark green fur, and what had seemed bark at first sight were brown rosettes.
«Damn, it must be at least two metres long, not counting the tail… Oh, right! A metre is—».
«I know what a meter is, Al, thanks», Bradley rolled his eyes as he cut him off, the dripping sarcasm unaffected by the harsh coughs and his strained voice. «We use the metric system in the U.S. military, in case you forgot».
«Well, you never know», he smirked.
Bradley pointed at the animal. «Since you feel like talking, explain that to me, wiseass. Ever seen a leopard or a lion with six fucking legs?» A fit of coughing attacked him before he could address the crouched figure still intent on examining the strange feline’s corpse. «Elisa, talk to me. What do you make of it?»
Bradley did not have to see her face to picture the deep frown and icy eyes analysing the animal on the ground. «Verdammt, Brad, I am a doctor, not a vet. My guess is as good as yours. Apart from what the eye can see, I have no friggin’ clue». Turning towards him, she carried on: «It does not seem to have any abnormalities or deformities, nor signs of human modification, as far as I can see, but we also have no records of such animals in this region. An autopsy would certainly tell us more, but it’s not our job. Someone else will take care of it, or maybe not. In any case», she finished, knocking on her helmet, «we have the recordings».
Standing up, she dusted her knees and addressed a fourth figure who had been silently on the look-out a few metres away, her back to the rest of the team. «Jas, I’m almost done here. Keep up the lookout, Steve and Tetsuo should be back soon. Meanwhile, Brad, you’ll sit down and let me have a look at your neck».
At the mention of her name, Jaspinder turned her head and nodded, staring from behind her visor as Bradley sat down grumbling, before turning back and resuming her watch. She kept scanning their surroundings, her head moving slowly, like a hound smelling for its prey.
Though unlikely, gunfire was liable to have drawn someone to their position, and Bradley knew it. After all, gunshots were loud. Sure, they had state-of-the-art gear and weapons, but even the best suppressor in the world could not silence a firearm. Not completely. Not even with the latest technological advances in warfare.
Al must have sent Cooper and Tetsuo on recon while I was out of it.
Bradley wanted nothing more than to move on and leave the area. However, he knew a moment of levity was a good way to relieve some tension and avoid being too strung up, especially after a dangerous encounter. He had seen even the most expert soldiers fall to fatigue as stress crept up and slowly wore out the mind and dulled the senses. Therefore, he had readily grumbled at Elisa’s orders, even as he followed them – he knew better than to ignore their fiery combat medic’s commands – and he noticed the corners of Jaspinder’s eyes briefly wrinkle in genuine amusement. Behind him, he heard Al snicker, the bastard.
Moreover, he knew he needed not worry about his team relaxing too much or getting careless in such environment; Jaspinder had already resumed her surveillance and Al had never stopped scanning the trees for possible threats.
After all, they were Tier One operators. They knew their business.
While Elisa checked his neck and chest for wounds he knew were not there, Bradley reflected on what happened. He had not expected a friggin’ six-legged leopard to ambush them, and not with that level of stealth. The damn beast had been invisible until he had attacked. If not for his body armour, he would have found himself with a few new holes from where to breathe. The neck guard had done its job, but he could still feel the bite, as his usual deep voice was now raucous and interrupted by dry coughs. His teammates were visibly worried.
The plan had been simple: enter the forest by boat, reach the enemy camp unseen, infiltrate the compound, capture the HVT, exfiltrate and call a drone strike. Of course, “simple” did not mean “easy”, otherwise the UNSOC would not have sent a SIG team. That something would go wrong was part of the course, especially in their line of work, but they were trained to adapt and ensure the mission’s success.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
So, where the hell did that come out from? There are no big cats in Europe, and six-legged leopards are typical of nowhere. Frustration in his thoughts.
«Brad, I don’t like this. I suggest we abort while we are still undetected», Al said.
«Not a chance».
«Al is right», Elisa said. «What if there are more of these beasts around?»
«No. We have no idea when we’ll get another shot at capturing Varchenko. No one will break radio silence».
«Brad—»
«No. I’m fine. I’m uninjured, Elisa. We should carry on. Get ready to move when the others come back».
«Listen, Brad, you’re the master chief, but I’m the medic, and I say that you still need to rest».
«Brad», Al chimed in before an argument could develop, «there’s no need to rush. We’re still on schedule and well hidden; the forest is too big and too dense for any surveillance system to have noticed us, you know it, and with our gear we’re invisible even to thermal scanners. Varchenko won’t run away, not this time. Let’s wait for Tetsuo and Steve».
Elisa’s firm tone and Al’s sound reasoning convinced the ex-SEAL to rest at least the time to receive first aid. Hopefully, the gunshots had not been heard, but they would have to wait for Steve and Tetsuo to come back to know.
***
Whilst Elisa was finishing her check on Bradley’s neck with evident relief in her eyes, Alessandro put his helmet on and went back to stare at the surrounding trees and listen for any unusual noise. He was looking for threats but could not help the nagging thoughts from emerging: he was ill at ease, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong with the forest; not just the animals, even the plants, the smell... everything seemed strange. The air itself felt heavier, more oppressive than before, and every time he looked beyond the nearby trees, he felt a prickle down his spine. However, he prided himself in his ability to keep focused and cool-headed even in the worst situations, so he took a deep breath and quickly silenced such paranoid feelings. Letting fear and doubt creep into his heart and mind was a recipe for disaster, he knew it, especially when deep into hostile territory.
Still, even the birds’ cries are strange, and that beast… Since where are there leopards in Eastern Europe? Perhaps it is an escaped experiment, or a mutation of some sort. Whatever, it’s not the moment to make wild guesses. Best to keep focused.
Alessandro would have kept pondering for hours, if a familiar voice had not interrupted his musings. «Charlie Two, this is Charlie Four, coming with Charlie Six from south-west. Over».
«Copy, Four, I see you. Out», came his immediate reply over their direct comms. A green contour highlighted his companions as friendlies on his visor. If not for that, he would not have noticed the two men appearing from the foliage a few seconds later. Despite having the same gear and training, Alessandro did not have the uncanny ability to blend in with the environment his two companions had, but compensated for it with patience and experience.
The shortest of the new arrivals waved at him, his right arm holding a light machine gun with apparent ease, the bulge of his muscles evident even with the full body armour on. Despite that, his steps were measured and as silent as they could be; a discerning eye could see it was the fruit of meticulous training. The second man followed at a short distance with an unnaturally silent and graceful gait, perfectly complementing his tall and lean build. In contrast to the first one, his movements felt more like a natural gift. He would have probably been at home walking among the elves of Rivendell, but any similarity between the two ended there, as it was made clear the moment he spoke.
«We’re back, mates! Nothing out of the ordinary in the perimeter, no souls in a hundred metres radius, not even a bird or a bloody mozzie. We checked our whole surroundings, moving like ninjas», he said, his voice relaxed, almost amused. «Did our dear Bogeyman discover anything on the big cat?»
«Be quiet, Cooper, I’m working here. For a supposed “ninja” you sure make a friggin’ lot of noise», came the medic’s reply, her hands and eyes doing a final check on Bradley’s neck. «I’m always baffled by how someone who can move so quietly can speak so much and be so loud. Is this another weird Aussie trait or is it just you? Aren’t snipers trained to be “like ghosts” as I recall you saying too many times? And don’t call me “Bogeyman”, Steve. For you I am Chief Schwartzman».
«Jawohl, Herr Chief Spezial Warfare Operator Schwartzman! Mein apolozies!» Cooper addressed her by her full rank as he snapped at attention and saluted, speaking in a fake German accent and displaying his trademark smirk. Ignoring the annoyed stare Elisa sent his way, he turned towards him: «So, chief, what has our Teutonic medic found out?»
With a visible shrug and a heavy sigh, Alessandro relayed to the two fellow operators what they had discovered – that is to say, nothing much – before he felt the need to give some advice to his younger comrade. «Just so you know, Steve, I wouldn’t annoy Elisa too much if I were you. It’s a bad idea to piss off our medic, trust me». He chuckled to hide the involuntary shiver, as he recalled the one time he had made her really angry, when he learned that the difference between medicine and poison was really just a matter of dosage. Fortuitously, the following morning everyone knew her new nickname, and no one could deny that “Bogeyman” was seriously cool. The fact that the story behind it was definitely not and that it was also a bad pun for a selected few were but details of his small revenge.
Well, even I am allowed to be petty sometimes, no?
«Also, in German you use “Frau” to address a woman, not “Herr”… but I guess you already knew that. Right, punk? Don’t come crying to me when she poisons your coffee». He closed his eyes and automatically moved to pinch the bridge of his nose, but then again, his helmet was in the way, so he opted for another sigh instead. Shaking his head, he addressed their machine gunner. «So, going back to more serious things… Tetsuo, anything else to report? Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary, other strange animals?»
The brawny man did not immediately reply, seemingly pondering the question for a few seconds, then spoke with a clear and soothing voice, not a trace of Japanese accent to be heard. «I confirm what Charlie Six reported, Chief Rossi, sir. We have not seen nor heard any trace of human activity nearby. No enemy patrols either. It appears we were lucky and no one heard the gunshots. No unordinary animals either, not that we could spot any, actually. It all looks fine. It’s just… my gut keeps telling me that something is wrong».
«Come on, old man», Steve chimed in, rejoining the conversation, «it was just a weird-ass overgrown cat, probably some crazy scientist’s escaped experiment and it didn’t even faze our heroic master chief. Don’t let the gloomy atmosphere get to you». He slapped Tetsuo on the back. «This forest is dark and depressing, sure, but still quite tame compared to the bush. There you have to be careful of everything! Everything, I tell you, mate. And I don’t mean just the animals, though those can kill you just fine, you need to be wary not to find yourself around some Gympie Gympie. Awesome and terrifying plant, that, fair dinkum! It has these stinging hairs filled with neurotoxin, which is so painful they say it’s like being set on fire and at the same time—»
«For the love of... Dundee, shut up for a moment. Where’s your off-switch?» It was Bradley. His voice was still somewhat weak, but he had finally stopped coughing. He was in the process of fastening his neck guard and helmet, while Elisa had just finished putting her backpack back on and was picking up her weapon. Seeing how relaxed she was, the combat medic had clearly given him the all-clear.
«We don’t have time for another one of your stories about murderous Australian things», Brad continued, trying not to strain his voice. «We’ve already stayed here for too long and we’re still fourteen klicks away from our target. Al, sitrep».
«We’re clear to go, Brad. Nothing nearby».
With a nod, he started walking. «Good. Formation Bravo. Everyone, keep eyes and ears open, especially on the trees, I don’t want another unwelcome surprise. Let’s move».
The sudden stream of orders was smoothly followed by the team, each member moving quickly into position like gears of a well-oiled mechanism. The thousands of hours of training and field experience displayed in the seamless transition from relaxed banter to quiet professionalism. Even Steve was now fully focused on their mission; Alessandro had no doubt he already had some witty retorts ready, but they would wait for later.
Moving as fast as possible without abandoning stealth, Charlie Team proceeded towards their target, six phantoms stalking their prey.