Chapter 11

Recon Sec. 2

Ghost

I stayed hidden waiting for that thing to leave Wide Eye’s tent. I had just finished a short written message which I promptly sent to my squad. They were to finish their objectives and exfil immediately from the camp/base, no back-talk allowed.

It was a risky move, for me above all else. Being left alone within an enemy base with an unknown amount of hostiles between me and safety was truly a stupid decision on my part, but if what I was planning failed, then it was imperative that my team be able to complete the mission.

I was no glory seeking hog with a death wish; I was someone who tried his best to look out for those under him with minimal collateral damage. Am I a sentimental guy who’s truly a softy at heart? No, I can be sympathetic to those I meet depending on the situation, but my heart hardened a long time ago. I may be a young commander, but sometimes sacrifices are needed in order to achieve the best outcome possible; at this point in the mission, orders be damned.

“I shall return tomorrow you insignificant worm, if you refuse to give me what I want, then I shall give you a fate much worse than this…”

My eyes shot open in horror as something that shouldn't have possible came to fruition.

(-------------------)

I stumbled away from the tents, and drunkenly made my way to a spot where I could sit and think. I had just watched the impossible, watched and heard. My mind flashed the images through my consciousness trying to comprehend what had transpired.

I had seen when Wide...no, Samuel Burke, had made a move when the figure's back had been turned. As he had lifted a blade like object and proceeded to attempt to drive it into his exposed back. I watched as the figure almost seemed to phase out of sight before appearing again, slightly to the side and grasping Burke's arm firmly by the elbow. He had stared into Burke's eyes with sharp almost black eyes, eyes that froze his movement and drove him into shock.

I had seen Operators who could move so quickly that they seemed almost to blur through your vision. Their lightning-like reflexes along with techniques and strikes that would put a cobra to shame, appeared almost superhuman to the untrained observer.

What I had never seen, is a man's eyes turn black as pitch as if someone had poured black ink into a clear container. I had never seen someone who, with only his index finger and thumb, was able to snap a man's elbow with barely any leverage, but the move so crisp that you could not believe otherwise. I had never seen someone's forearm dissolve into dust beginning at the tips of the fingers to where the break had occurred.

I had watched fascinated as Samuel's arm was rendered to nothing but a stump. Once the 'Disintegration' had stopped did I return to my senses and realize that I was gripping my combat knife like a vise and had my legs tensed, ready to slash through the fabric of the tent. I realized that while a part of me had been fascinated by the occurrence, another part had been horrified to the point of a mental freeze of activities, and yet my training still unconsciously had me ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

I had always held the science types in contempt. They thought that because of their higher intellect, that they were able to make decisions or come to conclusions that the rest of us could not. I hold them in contempt because they lack the experience to be able to know that those conclusions are in fact incorrect. Some know that they should gain this experience before truly backing all of their decisions on the field, and yet continue to believe that their intellect will pull them through. Hmph...sometimes the bullets need to start flying before they realize their mistake, but no one deserved that.

I had seen many gruesome sights in my short life, but most became such a daily occurrence that they would not strike me as badly as the first few times. Humans are amazing in the fact that we can adapt to almost anything, whether physically, mentally, or emotionally. The disintegration of Samuel’s arm was not a horrifying perspective; I had watched soldiers and civilians alike be torn in half by the Van, their blood and organs flying in all directions. Instead, I was horrified by the uses that such an ability could see in combat, its uses would be unparalleled in hand to hand combat.

I was not too surprised by the new addition to the field of battle. I have seen weapons that use gravitational forces, and all of my recurring nightmares seem to hint at something more. I remember one in which I was watching through the eyes of one using the ability for torture and intimidation before a skirmish. The reasoning behind it was unknown, but I could understand the psychological impact that such an event could have on our troops.

Maybe the dreams aren't really dreams after all?

I shook my head slightly and froze as I heard boot-steps nearing my position. Looking up from my secluded corner I watched as the figure marched past, his annoyance visibly present in the way his shoulders were taught and his back straight. For a brief moment I felt something akin to familiarity, at least I wasn't the only one that was pissed off regularly by scientists.

I waited ten seconds before getting slowly to my feet, mindful of my equipment and the many possible noise makers that surrounded me. I made my way back to Samuel’s tent when a realization hit me and a small glimmer of an idea broke through the dark clouds that smothered my mood. It had been 72 hours since Samuel had been taken. He was the project lead, and knew the TSTMD inside and out, if the figure had other means to create the device, then he would of certainly been killed by now, but he was still alive which meant that that wasn't possible. I smiled as I quickened my pace towards his tent, the outline of an idea forming in my mind.

{------------------------}

Alex (Pick)

I made my way slowly through the camp, trying to avoid contact wherever I could. The camouflage that our suits were equipped with was good, but not good enough to hide me from the trained predatory eyes of a Van sentry. Using the shadows to my advantage I ducked into every space of cover that I could as I made my way to where the hostages were being held. On the way, I was dropping some of my own little handmade surprises into several important looking places to act as a distraction should one be needed wither now or later.

Since Ghost had sent me to keep watch over the hostages and free them should we deiced to engage tonight, I could tell that he was trying for the best possible outcome. Should it come to it, I would do my utmost to make sure that the noncombatants were rescued and kept safe, even if I had to distract the whole base myself. The way I grew up allowed no other alternative, so I would comply.

All I had to do was wait for the signal.

{-------------------------}

Dan

Darkness and shadow, fear and uncertainty, hatred and violence…all of these things were but a daily occurrence in this time-period known as Pre-Equestria. Know that by continuing to read this account of closely guarded facts you are hereby foregoing all of the things that you hold dear in your life. There is no turning back once you learn the truth of that which keeps all life in this world safe from harm…

I slowly put down the book that I had filched from the human-like beings’ library. The information that the book had once contained had already been stripped from the pages, only leaving jagged pieces of paper as all that remained of the original text. A textbook called “A Brief History…” would never had started with such a foreboding Prologue. The evidence of tampering, and the stark contrast between the colors of the book’s original paper compared to that of the current residing information only proved my theories that someone had switched out the contents for the book with that of another.

Possibly to hide it? But then why not destroy it or secure it in a safe or their equivalent of one?

I thought about that idea as I watched Char’ plant small cubic charges of X-12 plastic explosive on fuel dumps and anything that looked remotely flammable. I shook my head as she sneaked into a large wooden hut that had several chimneys as well as a small shack attached to its side. We had already found out that it was a kitchen, and what better way to disorient an opposing force than by throwing off their stomachs?

Then again, something being purposefully hidden when it looks like it should be out for public display would bring an unbearable curiosity down upon the finder. Hiding it in plain sight as well as changing it into the guise of one of the most attention dulling topics known to sentient life is an impeccably smart idea. Who would want to learn about the modern world when you live in it?

…

I've really got to stop watching those Sherlock Holmes movies, his vocabulary and the time period is starting to work its way into my head.

I shook my head slightly in an attempt to dispel my sudden reversion to fancy English and had my attention drawn to the sight of Char’ pulling a large vat out of the hut.

‘Well…that’s not going to be pretty…’

Author's Note

It's a short chapter I know, but there really wasn't much more I could put in it to add relevance to the upcoming part of the story. So for now it will remain like this. Who knows? Maybe once I'm done with the first arc, I'll come back and redo this chapter to include more information that has been solidified into the plot-line.

S111 signing off...