2300 UNPC universal calendar
Wrote this one with a fever of 103, so it's kind of all over the place.
---
"bad weather" didn't quite describe the absolute insanity they found themselves in the middle of.
A whirlwind of hail, rain, leaves, tree limbs, and all sorts of things were whipping about without remorse for what they struck.
"A slight breeze they said" A9 spat. "Light showers my ass"
C7 laughed as they trudged forward, with Varg by her side, hail tinking off the tops of their helmets.
"this fucking sucks" B2 remarked.
"astute observation Holmes, what was your first clue?" C7 asked.
"this shit just isn't worth it" B2 said, shaking hail out of her dump pouch as he walked.
"suck it up, you're warm, safe, and walking to an evac point, you've faced worse" A9 said, shaking his head.
"it's been a very long time since we've evac'd by way of ground transport" C7 said.
"have you checked that kid we rescued lately?" C7 asked after a long pause in conversation.
"no, not lately, but I need to" A9 replied.
The kid, Amara, who had to be at least seven or eight, was living at installation 020, and had last seen Anton a year ago, but had no time to speak, just a simple wave.
"we should go see her" B2 said, a cheery uptick to her voice as she spoke.
"I'll see what I can do" A9 said, his feet hitting the tarmac of the road, starting the tried and true game of "hurry up and wait" for their exfil.
"last I heard she's wanting to become an augment like us" C7 said, resting her hands on her AK-5, which was body slung, with the rifle across the front of her body.
"really?" A9 asked, surprised.
"Yeah, evidently we've had an effect on her" C7 replied, the group forming a loose circle, Varg sitting in the middle.
"I'm sure the UNPC will watch her career with great interest" A9 said before seeing the ancient "cougar" MRAP roll over the hill behind C7 and B2.
"Ride's here" he said, nodding his chin upwards at it.
The friend or foe tag checked out, and the three flagged the driver down in the storm.
The truck slowed to a crawl next to them, and the driver flung open the passenger door after pulling up next to them, motioning them inside.
"They really sent you guys out in this shit?" The driver, a short olive skinned man with a strong physique said.
"Wasn't so bad when we got here" A9 said, climbing into the passenger seat, watching the other two pile into the back.
He closed the door and was met with the familiar grumble of the caterpillar C-7 diesel engine.
"what the hell were you guys doing out there?" the driver asked, throwing the cougar into gear and flipping a u-turn to go back the way he came.
"that's wayyyy above your pay grade" A9 replied. "No offense" he added, lifting his right hand slightly.
"none taken" the driver said as Anton removed his helmet, his hair in a loose ponytail.
C7 and B2 did the same as A9 took a drink from his reservoir.
"you two are women?" the driver asked, before shaking his head. "wait that sounded wrong"
"no need, we know what you meant" C7 said, smiling at the young infantryman.
"yes, female augments do exist" B2 told the driver.
"we're just fewer and further between than we ought to be" C7 said, leaning forward and resting her let forearm against the back of A9's seat.
"I've actually given some thought to becoming an augment" the driver said, turning down a worn hardtop road.
"If you want to, you can at contact the UNPC and they'll pull you from your military and make you one" A9 said. "they'll send someone to get you, and you'll start your training before you know it" he said, looking at the driver.
"wait so I can basically just up and quit what I'm doing now and join the UNPC as an augment?" he asked.
"well it does mean extended mandatory service" B2 said. "just fifty years"
"It's your choice" C7 said, gazing past A9, out the armored glass window streaked with rain, with the sunrise to her right.
"if you ever make up your mind, use the contact information on this card, and I'll come and personally pick you up" A9 said, holding out one of the trademark UNPC dark steel cards with a contact chain code on it, and "UNPC" printed on the other side, etched into the metal.
"thanks, I probably will" the driver said, taking it and putting it into the pocket of his Kevlar vest as he drove.
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A9 couldn't help but notice a spot of dark red dried blood on the collar of his vest.
"I've always wondered, how does your armor filter your urine into drinking water?" the driver asked, flipping on the defroster, which rattled to life with a squeal.
"not allowed to tell you actually, proprietary technology" A9 replied, taking another drink from the tube. "Though we could drink any odd source of water, clean or not, because of our augmentations" He adjusted how he was sitting in the worn seat, facing a little more to the left.
"our kidneys are enhanced to be more efficient, our water retention is better too, but has the side effect of making our urine very saturated with waste" C7 told the driver.
"what she's trying to say, is that our piss stinks really bad" B2 said.
"yes, it's the same way with cats, their urine stinks so bad of ammonia because their kidneys dump so many toxins into it" A9 added.
"we can even drink salt water believe it or not" B2 said, taking a drink from her own reservoir.
"I have so many more questions but I'd hate to annoy you three" the driver said, pushing his kevlar helmet up slightly with his left hand.
"shoot" A9 said, "we've got a long ways to go"
"alright, what's with the dog?"
"Varg's not a dog, he's a timber wolf" C7 said, grinning.
"Wait what, really?"
"Yup" A9 said, "he's a gray wolf, just trained" A9 replied.
"So he just helps you guys?"
"In a way, he's trained to sniff out IED, drugs, firearms, stuff like that, he can also kill a man" B2 said.
"that's really cool, I've never seen a wolf with my own eyes before"
"What's with the cloak?" The driver asked.
"I'm definitely not allowed to tell you about that" A9 replied, chuckling as he spoke.
A9 sat his V-06's 20'' barrel between his feet, and pressed open the pins with the edge of his sling's metal clips.
"That's a very nice rifle" the driver said, looking at it out of the corner of his eye.
"thanks, it's of my own design, still haven't figured out a easy way to clean it though" A9 said, popping the upper apart from the lower, hinging on the pin he'd yet to slide out.
"why's your armor purple?" the driver flicked the defroster off.
"I overheated the hell out of it" He pulled out the reciprocating offset bolt carrier group assembly out, and put it in a vacant magazine pouch, the end sticking out of the pouch about three inches.
"wait, you're that guy?" The driver smiled, A9 slapping an entirely new BCG into his V-06, and popping it back together.
"yeah, yeah, I'm the guy that got the UNPC cross a few years back, don't go treating me like a celebrity" He put the rear disassembly pin back into it's proper place.
The driver applied the brakes, and turned down another weathered asphalt road.
A9 looked at his WMD, and saw that the storm overhead was moving in the opposite direction they were heading.
"hey, what's your MOS?" A9 asked, referring to the driver's Military Occupational Specialty.
"uhh, eighty-eight-emm" the driver replied. "why?"
"just wondering"
A9 drew his pistol, and aimed it at the driver's head.
"stop the truck" he said in a conversational neutral monotone.
The terrified driver did as he was told, hitting the brakes and bringing the MRAP to a stop.
"I'm going to ask you this once, and only once." A9 said. "What's your name and Military ID number?" he asked, releasing the slack from the trigger of his Maxim-10mm pistol.
"Griffin Ramos, 15842968" the terrified driver stammered out.
"open the driver's side door, with your left hand, keeping your right on the steering wheel" A9 said.
He opened the door of the MRAP, gravity taking over and throwing the door open as the vehicle was on a slight grade.
"undo your seatbelt with your left hand"
He did so, and the worn seatbelt return spring lazily drew the nylon strap back into it's housing atop the driver's seat.
"Who's your squad leader?"
"Searga-" was all the driver got out before A9 pulled the trigger, the 220 grain 10mm hollow point going clean through the driver's helmet, then through their skull, then right through the other side of their helmet.
He fell out of the open door in a heap.
"thanks for keeping a pokerface" A9 said shortly before opening his door and hopping out.
"not a problem" C7 replied, donning her helmet and opening the rear door of the vehicle and hopping out herself.
"Pick up his legs" A9 said, unfurling the large black canvas body bag that he kept on his rigging.
it was infinitely useful for things besides carrying dead bodies. But this time it'd be used for its intended purpose.
C7 did as instructed, and lifted his legs while A9 put the bulk of the man's frame into the bag, eventually the now occupied bag ended up in the back of the MRAP, and A9 hopped into the driver's seat, donning his helmet that laid atop the dashboard, propped against the top of the A/C unit and the passenger storage compartment.
"Wait, I'm confused" B2 said, her affliction clear on her face.
"what else is new" A9 grinned.
"why'd you guys just do that?" she asked, ignoring A9's jest.
"the bigger question is why does this guy have two sets of dogtags?" C7 asked, searching the dead man's body.
"first of all, where's his battle buddy? also why did he quote an Army MOS while wearing Marine camouflage and Navy issue battle rattle with blood on it?" A9 stated more than asked.
"and squad leaders in the marines are corporals....." B2 trailed off, connecting the dots as she looked at his body, the cogs turning in her head.
"here, take your card" C7 said, flicking it up at A9, his 360° cameras letting him see it coming.
He snatched it out of the air in a smooth overhand motion with his right hand, and tucked behind a magazine pouch on his chestplate rigging.
"I still don't get why you had to kill him" B2 said, narrowing her eyes.
"All impersonators are to be shot on site, no questions asked" C7 said, "You know that honey" she added, her tone compassionate as she rifled through the man's possessions, finding a non military radio and a satellite phone which they'd pass off to whoever came asking.
"don't stress it too much, I can go on and on about how the guy was sketchy from the start, but I don't think you want to hear it right now" A9 said, checking their destination against their heading and finding they were on the complete wrong road.
"but it wasn't recorded, we had our helmets off" B2 said.
"Varg has his cameras on his vest" A9 corrected her, gesturing towards Varg as he made a U turn.
Varg, the ever so dutiful wolf sat in a seat, looking out the front window without a worry in the world.
"you're right" B2 said, squirming to sit in the passenger seat, turning on the A/C as the morning sun was beating down on the MRAP.
"we'll be okay" A9 said, smiling and extending his hand to her, which she took and held.
C7 hopped up into the vacant ring mount, and tossed the hatch open as she stood up, letting in the light rain as she poked her head out.
---
A9 pulled the MRAP into the gate of the under funded and undermanned smaller out-of-the-way installation 106, and parked the vehicle.
he tossed the keys to a waiting specialist.
"we sent two guys four hours ago" the female specialist said, catching the keys.
"that's the thing, sorry for the wait, it's a long story that we don't have the time to tell" A9 said, giving a hand signal to Darren, their pilot, who was sitting in the cockpit of the waiting black hawk.
The helicopter, sitting at the helipad less than 100m away from them started to spin up it's rotors.
"tel your leadership that they can contact this line directly for a redacted copy of the After Action Report" A9 said, handing the woman his card.
He walked away and towards the helicopter.
The three augments and their wolf found their usual seats in their usual helicopter with their usual pilot.
"began to miss y'all" Darren drawled over their team comm channel.
"Long time no see" A9 replied.
"glad to see you again" C7 mirrored.
"likewise" Darren said, lifting off.
"all that shit for a damn decryptor" A9 said, putting his head back against the top of the seat's headrest, which was made specifically to accommodate his height.
"how the hell did they even manage to lose it in the first place?" C7 asked.
"hell they've lost two dozen nukes in a 100 year period" B2 said. "which I'm sure we'll be tasked to retrieve soon enough"
"if they find them" C7 said.
just another day in the office