2087, UNPC Universal Calendar.
---
"There's been a dozen disappearances in this national park in the last month, all focusing around this area." Henderson, the US military consultant they'd assigned to us said, tapping an area of the map.
"Is there anything weird about it?" C7 asked, crossing her arms and sitting back.
"There's a constant with every victim we've found thus far." He paused, "their body had been converted into a tree or made of wood that's partially buried." Henderson said.
I frowned. Great, that's an anomalous effect. Now I need to know the rules.
They all looked at me expectantly. I shrugged, "I don't know what it is with just that explanation." I said.
I looked at A9, then to C7. "I want to do this by myself, not because I think you can't handle it, but just because I don't know the rules." I said.
A9 nodded. "I'll keep an eye on you with the drone." He said.
"What options for air support does he have?" C7 asked.
"The military has given Bravo Seven clearance up to tactical nuclear options, given the presumption of an outbreak class scenario." Henderson replied. "The united states is no longer taking chances with things like this."
I nodded, truthfully I expected it after as many clusterfucks they've been through.
"Is my transport ready?" I asked A9.
He nodded, "He's ready, he'll drop you here." He tapped a point on the map.
"Are you sure that's all you'll need?" Henderson asked, pointing at my flamethrower.
I scoffed, nodding at him. "Good news is that wood burns."
A9 laughed then spoke. "That thing kills, or at least hurts most anomalies." He paused. "Usually."
---
"We're here." Darren, the pilot A9 had recommended for me drawled.
The man had a thick, hardly understandable accent. I've been told that myself a time or two, so that's neither here nor there.
I stood, and motioned for the pilot to drop the ramp. He held the Chinook rock steady as it lowered. The helicopter was just inches from a treetop on the left, I didn't even feel it shudder.
The place I was going to ht the forest floor was clear, a gap between a few trees.
Only 75 or so feet to the ground, my exoskeleton could take it.
The forest floor was a black maw, even with my night vision, but I was steeled by my rangefinder display, and jumped.
I hit the ground not a moment later, and my bots sunk into the soft soil about an inch.
My night vision was a robust PVS-7 that physically attached to my helmet, and was without computerized aid.
I usually used my 360 degree cameras digital thermal fusion night vision to aid my peripheral vision.
The reason for me using the much older style was simple. It wasn't effected by anomalies in the same way newer stuff was.
Even though it was a 2nd generation device, the generation means nothing. The signal to noise ratio was all but perfected pretty early on.
My PVS-7 was hardly a PVS-7 at all. It had a longer life photocathode unit with a stronger output and clearer image. It was also auto focusing, but I never used that system. I was good enough close-up with braille anyways, even through my thick leather gloves.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
I hoped I wouldn't have to rely on just it to see what I was doing, but I knew hoping was useless.
The sat-scans and intel from the debrief were for once realistic. I silently thanked A9 for being a paper and intel wizard.
"Most likely he's seen what dropping the ball on intel can do" I thought.
The forest was normal, no off feelings, I could hear frogs and insects, and other wildlife out and about.
I still kept my flamethrower at low ready out of habit.
I reached the first victim's remains, and stooped to inspect t.
Unremarkable, and exactly as described. Skin had the appearance of tree bark, and everything they were wearing, in this case, a backpack, had the appearance of being a natural plant growth.
"We fine with a forest fire?" I asked over comms. "I'm at the site of the first found victim."
"Henderson said they're cool with it, they were going to schedule a controlled burn anyways. A9 replied after a moment.
"Understood, I'll dispose of it now." I said.
"Understood." A9 parroted.
I stood, and stepped back before washing the victims body down with the white hot bar of flame.
I wasn't worried about being caught in a forest fire, my armor was fireproof, and I had filters for the air. It was even equipped with a supplementary oxygen system.
Lessons learned with Triple A
The body was nothing but a pile of smoldering coals and ash in just a few seconds.
You think it doesn't effect me? That I don't care?
No, I was asking how you do it all the time.
Some people have different ways of coping with what they have to do Katelyn.
No lyn, just Kate.
Sorry.
I moved on, looking around occasionally, simply checking my surroundings.
The wind was good, so if the fire spread, it wouldn't be far.
"Am I near any trails?" I asked.
"Negative." A9 replied. "There's one about six hundred meters west-north-west of you, but other than that, nothing."
"She strayed pretty far then." I said, looking back to the still smoldering fire I could see behind me.
"There's a waterfall off the trail on the cliff about forty meters to your right." C7 reminded me.
"Didn't catch that, nice job." I said. Truthfully, that one impresses me every time I work with her.
"I just saw a tree move on your 11 o' clock, confirm visual contact?" A9 said, his voice losing all emotion and becoming the flat monotone of an experienced radio operator.
I was suddenly aware of how quiet the forest was. I could even hear the smoldering coals behind me if I strained my ears. Long ago I'd ditched the auditory enhancement system in my helmet, too many bad experiences.
"Negative visual contact." I replied, firing the propane flame on my flamethrower's ejector.
"You shouldn't have come here." a female voice whispered behind me.
My 360 degree cameras hadn't failed yet, so instead of turning to look, I stood steady.
"Confirm audio-visual contact with anomalous entity." I said.
"Confirm visual, negative audio." A9 replied.
"Who are you?" I asked over external audio and fire team comm.
"My name isn't important." the voice replied. "Why have you come to where I abide in this forest, and with such a weapon?" They asked as I stepped forward with my usual high ready shuffle, the propane flame burning.
"Because of what you've done." I said, still moving forward.
A female in the form of a tree hit me on my left, blindingly fast.
"Because of what I've done?" They asked hysterically, sweeping me off of my feet, wrapping vines and foliage around my legs and pulling me towards them.
I keyed my ejector on at my feet, coating my legs and the vines wrapping them in burning fuel.
I'd wager the entity wasn't prepared for me to not care if I was engulfed in flame along with them.
The entity shrieked, a voice of rage and agony as the vines burned and withered away, converted into ash.
She started chanting, cursing me in ancient Greek.
"A fucking Dryad? Here?" I thought.
They stopped pulling me towards them, and I stayed on my back, aiming my flamethrower up at the female figure, still spewing liquid flame.
I saw her tree bark face go skeletal as the burning fuel engulfed her.
I kept hosing her and her host tree down as I did a supine recovery, noting the fuel on my legs was still burning.
I barely even felt warmth through my insulation. It was made out of the same thing the outer cladding of space shuttles were made out of.
The primal scream kept up, till the tree withered away, and the human-like form of the entity was all that remained.
The entity was gray with ash and dirty, but her bright red hair was still discernible as my night vision entirely failed.
My armor let me know it was an EMP pulse, and that it was trying to bring my night vision equipment back online.
I stepped towards her as she laid on the ground in the fetal position in a pile of the gritty ash I knew all too well.
"Kill me if that's what you truly desire." She whispered, not from her own mouth, but the forest around me.
I waived my ejector over my head in a circle, putting out the still burning fuel on the ejector's tip, and cooling it somewhat.
I stopped, looking down at her with fire around us, considering my options.
"No." I said, bending down and picking her up in a fireman's carry.
"Why human, why?" The forest asked me.
"I'm tired of killing every interesting person I meet." I said. "Think I'll introduce you to a couple of my friends instead."
My night vision came back, meaning I was no longer stumbling around in the relative darkness of a burning forest.
"I've captured the asset." I said over comms.
"You-wai.... You what?" A9 stumbled over his words in the comm channel.
"I'm bringing them in." I said. "Ready for extraction."
The forest had one last thing to say.
"Thank you."