Shots were fired, smoke bombs were thrown, and punches were deflected or dodged. Occasionally, there was the glint of a knife, a tackle, or some aerial maneuver.

-Captain… I thought this was a hot site, not an active war zone-

-Roger that private. It WAS a hot site. A few hours ago, an army of unknowns appeared out of nowhere and opened fire. Don’t worry, it was well before you came-

-Captain… I’m not asking who’s at fault here. When exactly did they come?-

-Not really important, but the first wave was sighted at 0800 hours coming from the west-

-Captain?-

..

-Captain?-

..

-Team, the captains busy and engaged-

-Yeah. Heard. Something feels not right-

-What is it, Shelton?-

-Coming from the west at 0800. Sounds familiar?-

-We arrived here from the west. We got our orders at 0800 the previous day. That’s a coincidence, not some mad divine intervention-

-Sure, but it’s way too coincidental, almost like we were fated to be here-

-Get your head out of the gutter. First, we gotta survive-

-What about the extraction?-

-We aren’t throwing away more lives than we can save-

-But the information-

-There’s a cold site too. They might have gotten something-

-Ok. What if they didn’t?-

-What if our guy doesn’t die and we get something? Too many what-ifs. Focus on the here and now-

-Roger. I appreciate you as a leader Dekadel-

-It’s something you naturally understand after being thrown into too many of these-

-What’s it like? Being a veteran of these?-

-I do it for the country. This is my home, as well as everyone else’s. If I got the capabilities, why not? Do enough good, and I’ll get promoted. Get a better understanding of what’s going on-

-Amen brother-

-What’s the next plan?-

-I’m thinking. My previous thought was to be careful and find the target. Now I’m thinking-

-Any breaks in the battle?-

-The unknown seems endless and inexhaustible. We might get pulled out soon. The suit seems resistant to everything we throw at them. Can’t even get a proper understanding of who they are-

-F—k-

-Wait, I just got a command. The cold site was more of a hot site. They NEED us to extract the target to confirm something. He CAN’T be dead-

-Damn. We need to get behind enemy line, then. They got any bodies left to help us?-

-The command was to both the veterans and us. The veterans are lending us a few to extract the target. Their best-

-Let’s do it then-

-You little guys ready? We have orders to extract from behind enemy line. Info is supercritical. If some lives are lost, some lives are lost. The country is at stake. This is what we signed up for-

-Roger that. I’m terrified and excited at the same time-

-Amen little guy. We’ll lead from the front, with 2 bodies in the back, just in case. You guys just follow us-

Nine people split off, heading towards the active hot spots. They fired shots during carefully timed intervals, stuck to the walls and shadows, and were as quiet as possible. A few meters from their line of defense was a door that led to a stairwell. The moment it opened, intense gunfire concentrated on it, filling it with holes. They kept their heads low as they headed down the stairwell.

——|——|—|—|——|——

It was dark and terrifying. There was no light anywhere. Everything was cold to the touch, and odd sounds like laughter, some mocking, and the shuffling of feet across the floor. It was always within a few feet, causing your head to turn around instinctively, but there was always nothing.

The light would turn on in a room, then off, then in another room, then in the main room. Also, off again. Maybe it was someone playing a prank, but it happened too often. After the voices came, then it became serious.

What was originally excellent equipment started breaking down. No cause. No explanation. It was the same way food started to rot. The smoke bomb was gripped hard. Then the doubts came in. Then it went back into its pouch. Defective. Couldn’t take the chance. What if the unknown fixed it somehow and used it against you? Gotta always stay alert.

The first floor of the basement, some unknowns were taken out. That felt good. Confidence was raised. The second floor, some of them were unknowns. The others were issues with the architecture. Third floor. The third floor was maintained to military perfection. The noises were still there, yet no damage.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Confidence eroded. Doubt arose. Questions began to form. That’s when the unknowns came out of nowhere. A shot or two was fired. Diving through the air. But nothing. Paranoia kicks in. A call to the captain, next HQ. The channels were open, and people were talking, but no response. No acknowledgment.

Then the scorn came in. The ridicule. The self-critique. Not good enough for the military. Years of training for what? Family in the military? So what? High marks in the academy? So what? No one’s paying attention now. Just another loser lost in the passage of time.

Now what? Gotta survive, but suddenly the exit is gone. Not where it should be. Not anywhere. Unknowns are still there but aren’t. Food is disappearing, but you didn’t eat anything. The unknown crept up on you and ate it. Gotta take out one of em, at least. Contribute something. Maybe that’s what you’ll be remembered for.

Sitting underneath a table, back against the wall, hugging the legs. C4 wrapped around you, ready to go off the first moment the unknowns touched you.

Perfect spot.

Sweet spot.

Go down in history for a tiny contribution.

Or not?

Hands gripped real tightly around the trigger sequence now.

Smiling.

Happy, can’t be sad.

——|——|—|—|——|——

The team walked through the first floor of the basement. A couple of dead bodies. Bullet holes and smoke traces. Nothing out of the ordinary. These are just basic responses when encountering the unknown. Shoot first, maybe kill later.

The enemy doesn’t have any identification. Helmets that still can’t be removed. They were taken back to the lab. There’s a secret that someone doesn’t want coming out. They made a lot of effort to make sure it remains like that.

There’s nothing of use on any of the computers. A smoke bomb is thrown around each corner. A flash-bang the next. Gotta switch it up to throw the enemy off guard if any hid somewhere.

-Where is everyone else? You were supposed to stick with me.-

A question, not a command.

-We are? We’re still sweeping the first floor of the basement-

-Private, you’re supposed to be sticking with us. Don’t wander off. We can’t protect you if you explore on your own-

-Uh, sir? I think you’re the one that wandered off. The rest of us are still exploring the first floor-

-What the hell? You guys are right behind me. I’m seeing it with my own eyes-

-That’s not us then-

-One second-

(Silence)

-Ok. I think you guys need to get the hell off the line. What unit are you from? Why does your voice sound different? I can’t believe I’m messing up now. Gonna get the earful. Identify yourselves-

(Silence)

-Not saying anything ain’t gonna get you anywhere-

(Silence)

-Forget it. Don’t let me see you. If you do, we’re gonna have a problem-

(Bzzt)

-What the hell is going on?-

-I have no idea-

-Who are they?-

-Your guess is as good as mine-

-What do we do?-

-No choice. Gotta figure out what the hell the leader is seeing. The one in the back. Report it to the captain but don’t stop moving. Also, how the hell did we lose him? Didn’t you guys have sight on him?-

-F—k. I was too busy sweeping the rooms. He was right next to you. I didn’t think much of it-

-Goddamit. This place is creepy as hell. Keep your guard up. We lost one person, and we might lose more-

-Dekadel, what the hell is going on? People are disappearing from right in front of us now-

-Do you know what disappearing means? He’s still on the line. Just went off somewhere-

-How do we know that’s really him?-

-Didn’t he identify himself?-

-What if the unknown killed him and impersonated him?-

-Takes time to digitally impersonate a voice. Manual impersonation would show up on the stats-

-What the hell is happening then?-

-Gotta go to the source. That’s the only way to find out-

The team swept the second floor of the basement for unknowns but encountered the same situation. It was just cleaner. There was less external damage and more things left untouched. Parts of the floor even seemed well maintained.

-Sir. Do you have a moment?-

-What is it-

-Way too clean-

(Silence)

-An endless stream of unknowns on the ground floor. They saw us entering the stairwell. If we didn’t go up, then we went down. They could spare some manpower. But there’s almost nobody-

-Go on-

-Simple. Why are they only staying on the ground floor? I suggest that Private Amelia check on the dead bodies on the first floor. I think that’s going to be our major clue-

-Losing manpower isn’t good, but no threat so far. Just a man that’s gone off somewhere. I’ll send someone to go with her, get her back-

-Good-

As Amelia and another person returned, the rest of the team went forward. They were 6 now. 1 in the front, 3 in the middle, and 2 in the back.

They encountered less as they swept the second floor instead of encountering more carnage.

-Each step we take forward confirms my suspicions-

-Good, private. I’m noticing it too, but I can’t make heads or tails of it-