CHAPTER TEN
MOMENT OF PEACE
The black boat glides through Lake Makpik leaving a stirred white trail on the calm water. I nside the vehicle, the hums of the motorboat engine rev loudly amid the deafening silence. Empty gazes fill the hollow space, pouring emptiness into naught. They are close to their destination.
The research station Odile lies about a click away.
Rayne sits at the back of the boat with a stalwart expression like a poker player unwilling to let a single tell slip.
Look after your squad, those old words echo inside, reminding him of his duty.
The duty which he has failed.
Death is not uncommon, especially in his line of work, but that doesn’t make it easy. No, not easy at all.
I made them a promise, Rayne says to himself as he squeezes his hands digging nails deep into the flesh.
“We’re almost there,” Davenport says, eyes fixated on the research station. Red, tired eyes.
Rayne stands and looks ahead. He nods to himself.
We are soldiers, and we have a mission to complete. I’ve failed Akira but others still depend on me, Rayne encourages himself as he turns to his teammates. I can’t fail them. I mustn’t fail them. If there is no rock to lean on I will become the rock.
"Doctor, how are you doing?" Rayne asks as he goes to Olivia.
"I'm fine, Captain," Olivia says, holding the still sleeping Yui.
"What about her?" Rayne asks.
"She's just sleeping. I think she will be okay," Olivia says. Rayne nods.
He takes a look at Big George and Davenport. It's hard to tell anything from their appearance but knowing them for a long time Rayne can see the subtle nuances: prolonged silence, distancing, accelerated minute motions, a lack of a self-confident grin, and so on.
"George, Davenport," Rayne calls them as they slowly turn, "there is no guarantee that we will make it out alive. There is no guarantee of anything. As I see it we have to choice choices. Either we give up or..." he adds as he gets cut off.
"You are wrong there, Captain. There only one choice," Big George interjects.
"Yeah, Captain. Did you forget?” Davenport adds as he slightly pauses, “We never give up," he adds.
Rayne looks dumbfounded for a moment, then laughs out loud.
"Plus there is no way we are letting these mofo's off after what they did to Akira," Davenport says as his tired eyes re-ignite.
Big George approaches Rayne and puts his hand on his Captain's shoulder, "Remember what you told us in the forest?" he asks.
Rayne thinks for a moment. He smirks as he remembers.
"We kill the hell," the three men say in unison.
"Though we will need bullets to do that," Davenport adds bringing attention to the aforementioned.
Between the three of them, they only have one pistol magazine and a flashbang.
"It's fine. In the "dream" when Sara was here there were a lot of armed guards. Hopefully, we can scavenge something from them. And if we can't we still got knives, and if we lose our knives we got fists," Rayne says.
"What if we lose our fists?" Big George jokes.
"You got teeth, don't you?" Davenport says as he over-the-top smiles showcasing a full set of almost white teeth.
Olivia checks her weapon.
"Captain, I have one magazine," she gives magazine to Rayne.
The boat docks at the research station. If they didn't know better they would think this was an ordinary oil rig. Rayne steps out, Big George follows but stumbles.
"George?" Rayne asks as he grabs him.
"I... I don't know what happened but I suddenly felt sleepy," Big George explains as he laughs the trivial incident away.
Rayne releases him but Big George fumbles again; falling to the ground.
"George!" Rayne rushes to him.
"What?" Big George murmurs caught in a daze, "I'm sorry, Captain, I'm just so tired. I wish I brought another Cuban. It's a..." he falls asleep.
"George! George!" Rayne shakes his comrade trying to wake him up.
Davenport rushes to him.
"What's wrong with him?" Davenport asks, panicked.
Olivia turns to Yui, then she looks at her hands.
"It's like what happened to me?" Olivia says.
"Change of plans," Rayne says as he takes Big George's pistol and gives it to Olivia, "Doctor, we'll be going alone. Davenport you watch George and girl," he says.
Davenport nods as he mounts the machine gun.
Rayne and Davenport carry Big George back to the boat before he and Olivia proceed into the research station.
Steel doors open as spinning red lights welcome Rayne and Olivia.
The first step on the steel floor echoes loudly across the desolate halls like a scream in a tunnel. Rayne stops for a moment; he eases his pace. Best to remain as quiet as possible. Walking through the derelict halls they keep a vigilant eye. Best to remain as vigilant as possible. The spinning red lights color the darkness in crimson. Rayne smirks; he remembers his teammates called this place hell. The more time he spends here the more right they seem. It hasn't been long since Olivia and Rayne entered, at most they spent five minutes inspecting the structure, but why then does it feel like an hour?
"Doctor, I think we are alone." Rayne says ass he lowers his pistol in slight relief, "You're the expert on this place. Where should we go?" he asks.
Olivia looks left and right at the empty rooms beside her and the equipment left behind. It's not that she doesn't trust the Captain but after everything, it's not so easy to relax. Most of the equipment appears to be in working condition. If they didn't know better they would think no one was here and that nothing happened despite the alarms.
Olivia lowers her pistol.
"We need to get to the control station. I should be able to download all the necessary data from there," Olivia says.
"Lead on, Doctor," Rayne says.
Olivia takes a step forth but stops near Rayne, hesitating.
Her hand's quiver.
"It's okay, Doctor. I won't leave your side," Rayne reassures her.
Olivia shakes her head.
"I'm such an embarrassment," Olivia says, smirking at the ill-begotten situation.
"Why do you say so, Doctor?" Rayne asks.
"Look at me? I'm a mess. I've been freaking out the moment trouble appeared. I'm just... just dead weight," Olivia says, shaking her head at her incompetence.
"You're wrong." Rayne says as Olivia turns to him, surprised, "My team and I have been struggling and we are trained soldiers with more than a decade worth of combat experience.
I'm not exaggerating when I say I know professional soldiers who wouldn't deal with this situation as well as you. It's okay to be scared. I'm scared. But being scared does not make someone a coward. It is their actions. And you, Doctor, are no coward," he says, staring her in the eyes with no doubt.
Olivia stops for a moment, stunned.
She wants to tell him he is just saying that to make her feel better. But his words don't come across as insincere. She wants to call him out for lying. But there is no deception in his eyes. She wants to doubt him. But she can't find a reason to.
"Do you think we will get out?" Olivia asks, unsure why she even asked such a pointless question. The words simply slipped out of her mouth.
You idiot, Olivia thinks as she smirks at her foolishness. How could anyone know the answer to such a question? The future is not set in stone.
"We will, Doctor. I'll make sure you and the others get out," Rayne says.
Olivia pauses again.
"That is a bald and foolish statement," Olivia immediately responds as the words escape her.
"You'll get no argument from me there," Rayne adds.
Olivia stares at the foolhardy Captain with a wide-open jaw. She lets out a small laugh.
What a fool, Olivia thinks. But why do I trust him? Maybe I'm a bigger fool than he is.
"This way," Olivia says as they get back on track.
Outside the research station.
Davenport stands behind the machine gun, unsure where exactly he is supposed to keep guard. He looks at the station, then at the lake. His look veers back and forth like a pendulum. A very nervous pendulum. Despite the calm, focused expression his right leg maniacally taps an anxious rhythm.
Next to him, Big George and Yui sleep.
Davenport relaxes for a moment; he draws out Akira's wakizashi.
"Fuck, man. I can't believe you are gone," he adds, shaking his head.
The eye of chroma, standing above them, thunders.
It's hard to tell but the colors inside it seem to fade. Or were they always so pale?
Davenport squints to get a better look. He sees the "winds" inside it turning like a whirlpool sucking everything inside.
But what exactly is it sucking in?
It looks like nothing, and it looks like everything.
"What the?" Davenport blurts out as he flinches.
He feels something touch his leg.
A long grey vine-like tentacle with short, sharp hairs creeps around the boat. Another almost on Yui. Six more rise up from the lake heading towards him and his sleeping comrades.
Davenport immediately jumps on the machine gun, doing a 180° toward the lake.
"Why does something always have to be in the water?" Davenport adds as he fires at the crawlers.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
"Dad!"
"What?"
"Dad, wake up!"
"What? Who is it?"
"It's me, silly."
He opens his eyes. A young 8-year-old girl with a big ear-to-ear smile stands before him.
"Marlene?" Big George blurts out as he abruptly stands from a big rocking chair and hugs her tightly.
Big George laughs out loud as his eyes glow a brilliant shine.
He lifts Marlene and spins her around like a roundabout.
The little girl laughs as she rides through the air.
"Marlene! What are you doing here?" Big George asks in blissful disbelief from seeing his daughter.
"I'm camping with my dad?" Marlene answers, unsure why her father would ask such an obvious question.
"Camping?" Big George blurts out as he puts down Marlene. He looks around at the cozy wooden structure around him.
This is my cabin, George concludes.
"Dad, the food," Marlene warns.
The food, George thinks?
He looks around; smoke comes pouring out of the kitchen.
Something is burning! Big George runs to the kitchen as he removes the food from the stove and opens the window to air out the place.
I burned the food again, Big George realizes as he smacks himself on the forehead. I really am horrible at cooking.
"I'm sorry, Marlene, but dad messed up the food again," Big George awkwardly laughs.
"It's okay, Dad," Marlene says as she goes to a small refrigerator in the cabin. She opens it and takes two store-bought sandwiches wrapped in plastic.
"I forgot about those," Big George says as she sits by the table. Marlene cuts the plastic with nearby scissors; she goes to her father, climbs on his lap, and gives him one sandwich.
A tear barely keeps inside Big George's eye.
"Dad, are you crying?" Marlene asks with a mouthful.
"No, Marlene, it was just the smoke that got in there," Big George responds as he watches his little girl eat in happy silence.
As she finishes her sandwich she looks around.
"Here, honey," Big George gives her his sandwich.
"No, dad. That is yours," Marlene says.
Animal noises outside disturb their father-daughter time.
"What is that?" Marlene asks, turning to the window.
"Probably some wild animals. Wait right here, sweetheart," Big George says as he places her down. He goes to the nearby cabinet and takes out a classic fully loaded Smith & Wesson Model 27 revolver. There is also a box of Cuban cigars. He puts an unlit one in his mouth. As the door of the cabin opens Big George steps out, three foxes outside run away at the sight of a human.
A gust of wind blows through the trees carrying the scent of earth and fresh air. George takes a moment to look around. The mighty trees stand tall and proud amid the reddish earth. Autumn leaves rain upon the little cabin coloring it in nature's colors; warm amber and sunny gold.
Hidden, gentle chirps chirp among the tranquil. George takes a deep breath; perhaps the first real moment he had to relax for a long time. But why couldn't he relax before?
I've spent the weekend with my daughter, George wonders. Am I forgetting something?
George looks up at the sky, beyond the trees. There it is, an uneven opaque shifting shape.
"The Entity!" Big George blurts out as he rushes inside and takes Marlene by the hand.
"What's wrong, daddy?" Marlene asks, unsure why her father is suddenly panicking.
"We have to get out of here," Big George says as they go outside. He looks left, and right, and right, and left but wherever he turns the Entity is there just beyond the horizon.
"We can't leave." Marlene says as Big George turns to her, confusion melted with panic, "You can't escape unless you do what you've been told," Marlene says as her shape changes to the Child.
George abruptly wakes up to the sound of machine gun fire.
"DIE! DIE!" Davenport screams as he fires.
Several grey vine-like tentacles swarm above the boat as Davenport keeps them at bay. A giant clump of the vines surfaces from the lake; with no eyes or mouth it resembles a ball of yarn.
It opens revealing a black hole.Big George notices he has a revolver in his hand. He opts for the old strategy of shoot first ask questions never.
He shoots inside the black of the vine creature. The creature maniacally flinches as it descends back into the lake.
"George! You're okay?" Davenport blurts out, "Where did you get the gun? And the cigar?" he asks, unsure about their sudden appearance.
"What happened?" Yui asks as she wakes up with a well-rested yawn.
Big George and Davenport look at each other and shrug.
Yui notices something near Big George. It looks like a store-bought sandwich wrapped in plastic. She takes it.
Inside Odile's control station.
Olivia types on the consoles as Rayne scuttles around keeping guard, keeping busy.
Although Rayne isn't sure about the progress of the data extraction he does have a general idea that it is not going well. The disgruntled growls and discontented facial expressions coming from Olivia are more than a good indicator.
"This isn't working. The alarm locked out the data. We'll have to go to the lower level," Olivia says as she smacks the console one more time for good measure.
They proceed to the elevator. While walking Rayne presses a button on his helmet.
"Davenport, do you copy? Davenport," he asks as nothing but static appears.
Of course, it doesn't work, Rayne shakes his head.
"Copy, Captain," Davenport says appearing from nowhere with Big George and Yui.
"What the?" Rayne blurts out, slightly surprised at their sudden appearance, "George, you're alright?" he says as he happily taps his comrade on the shoulder. "Is that a revolver? Where did you find it?"
"I think I've pulled it out of my dreams," Big George says.
The two men shrug. Nothing surprising anymore.
"I'm also alright if anyone was wondering," Yui adds, adding herself to the short heartfelt moment.
"Glad to see you are okay," Rayne says.
Yui pauses for a moment at the unexpected response; she nods in recognition.
"Since everyone is here let's go," Rayne says as they turn to the elevator.
Olivia pulls out a rectangle-shaped black box; the same one she got from General Wilson before departing on the mission. She uses it on the elevator's security panel. A short but loud beep sounds off.
They hear the elevator moving.
Big George glances at Yui.
"Captain, should we let her come with us. I believe the data is classified," Big George asks, unsure how they should proceed.
"Oh yeah, I'll just stay here alone. What could go wrong?" Yui sarcastically quips as the station shakes.
"That is some impeccable timing," Davenport says as he smiles at her; she smiles back. Seeing Yui smile back Davenport enlarges his smile turning it into an awkward, jumbled mess. Yui reciprocates with the same awkward intensity. Amidst the uneasy-to-watch interaction they both become aware of their clumsy exchange and turn away.
Rayne thinks for a second.
"She's coming with us. We'll deal with the issues later," Rayne says as the elevator arrives.
The door opens.
Rayne presses the button for the underwater floor.
The caged box descends as it releases minute screeches of steel grinding on steel.
The same noise Sara heard, Rayne reminisces about his "dream".
No words are spoken. There is some solace in the moment of peace; for all of them.
Olivia taps Davenport on the shoulder; as he turns she gives him the pistol.
He is a professional soldier after all.
Big George searches through his pockets as he takes out a lighter.
"Don't even think about it," Rayne says just as George is about to light the Cuban. He puts both the lighter and the Cuban back and sighs. A loud and sad sigh.
The Fang Two unit members watch the door of the descending elevator; Yui, on the other hand, focuses on keeping at least a modicum of distance from everyone.
Here and there she secretly peeks at Davenport.
She never was interested in anyone before so why now and most of all why this person? The chain of thought breaks as Big George slightly leans back almost inadvertently touching her.
The descent is long; it makes the idle brain wander into memories.
And the death of their comrade is fresh. Too fresh.
Davenport glances at the wakizashi by his side.
"You know how he got the sword?" Big George asks, noticing Davenport's disheartened eyes.
"Didn't he just buy it?" Davenport states, unsure of any special story behind it.
"It's a funny story actually," Big George reminiscences with a smile.
Somewhere inside a mostly empty dim-lit bar, four glasses of Jagermeister rise up in the air.
"Cheers!" multiple voices festively yell as they toast.
"Why am I doing this again?" Akira asks, confused by this entire unwanted situation.
They chug their drinks.
"That's it! I'm done," a man says as he abruptly stands, grabs a chair to keep balance, "You have my blessing, Akira," he says as he walks away as if walking on a serpentine road.
"Listen, Akira, to join the Fang Two you must drink like Fang Two," Big George explains.
"That doesn't make any sense," Akira remarks.
Big George glances around the table. Only three men are left.
"I think we can call it a night."
"Why stop now, Chris?" Akira adds as he slides his empty glass on the table, "Another round." he says.
Chris looks at Big George, unsure how to proceed.
"Bartender, three more Jaggers! And make it double," Big George orders.
He looks at Akira who looks at him back; they keep their eyes from blinking in absolute focus.
Then, after full seven seconds, the focus fades.
Their eyes drift away by accident and inebriation away from each other.
They quickly fix their gaze but this time on the wrong thing.
Big George stares at an empty chair while Akira focuses on a glass coaster.
Both of them are unsure of what exactly they are doing.
The bartender brings three double Jagger's; he hesitates for a moment after seeing the three clearly intoxicated men. But only for a moment.
He puts down the drinks, shrugs, and walks away.
Chris looks at the glass more than a little uneasy.
Akira grabs the drink first and raises it in the air.
"Cheers," he slowly says, toasting in the evilest way possible.
They chug the drinks.
"Four arms?" Chris says as he waves his hands in front of his eyes, "Maybe I need to rest for a bit," he slams, head first, on the table.
"Alright, alright. You can handle your liquor. Let's go back to the base," Big George says as he and Akira stand.
They make their way outside the bar only to notice there is a man left behind and soldier's don't leave men behind.
Their drive arrives.
They throw the unconscious Chris inside.
"That was quick?" Akira says, surprised how or why a car appeared.
"Preplanning," Big George states as he waves his smartphone.
"Are we going back to the base?" Akira asks.
"Yeah. Where else?" Big George asks.
"Could do with some burgers," Akira suggests.
"Change of plans, Mr. Driver," Big George says as they enter the cab.
Big George finishes his story.
“Is that it?” Yui asks, confused.
“Yeah. We went for some burgers. Akira talked about his sister. He really loved her. Then, I think we went for one more drink and it all kinda went blank,” Big George explains.
The others look at each other.
“George, I don't think you went for ONE MORE drink,” Rayne speculates.
Big George nods; the speculation is accurate.
“What about the sword?” Davenport asks.
“Well, we woke up at the base the next day. We lost Chris but Akira had the wakizashi. No one knows how or where he got it,” Big George explains as he shrugs.
“How is that a funny story?” Yui asks, even more confused.
“It must have been. The only problem is no one is able to remember,” Big George says.
Yui facepalms herself.
The elevator continues to descend.
They aren't sure how deep it goes but it feels like they will arrive soon.
The carefree atmosphere turns intense as relaxed muscled stiff up.
Hands grip harder, and eyes open wider. Davenport looks around as if contemplating something.
“Could use some of that elevator music,” he adds, watching the elevator.
The others turn to him with a sour expression.