Volume 2, Chapter 5 – The Silent Silence. First Operation.
An hour into the journey.
The only thing saving me from the heat the entire way was the Microclimate Cooling Unit, issued by the IB Officer. In any other case, I'd have been cooked alive in this tin can.
And now we were there. Fighters were circling overhead — they'd arrived before us. SPGs were in position, tanks deployed and humming loudly, Apaches and Black Hawks holding a wide perimeter.
I jumped out of the Bradley and immediately put on noise-canceling headphones and goggles — it was loud out here, and the helicopters were kicking up a storm of dust.
Next to me stood the IB Officer with Alpha Group.
[IB Officer]: Base. We're in position.
[Base]: Copy. Collect the liquid.
"Give me a rifle," I walked up to the IB Officer.
He handed me an XM-7, and I took it.
"Here's the plan. Alpha secures the hole. Paladin already has the coordinates, and ten Paladin SPGs are on standby," he moved closer because of the noise. "Our job: go in, collect, and leave. Copy?"
I surveyed the area: the hole was covered by tank hulls, constantly humming and whistling, their cannons aimed directly into the cave.
The wind and sand pushed against me, and my mouth was already full of grit.
"Copy. In and out," I answered, heading toward the cave. The sun was blinding.
Alpha immediately split up, moving at a quick pace with weapons ready toward the cave.
And I, with my rifle at the ready, headed toward the tanks — the pain was gone, replaced by adrenaline in the face of the unknown. I'd only seen these creatures through a drone, and now I was on a real military operation to collect DNA.
The Soldiers were already in position, aiming downward, waiting for me and the IB Officer.
We approached a puddle near the crater where we were supposed to collect samples. It had dried up.
[IB Officer] (pressing his headset): Base. IB Officer. Puddles have dried up. Actions?
[Base]: IB. Check it. Flare into the cave.
The Officer pulled out a flare and walked to the edge. I followed him and saw darkness that pulsed constantly. The ground around the cave was covered in soot, and the strangest thing... There was no sound from the cave. As if there was nothing there — though the walls suggested otherwise. If it weren't for the Tomahawk, we wouldn't have been able to see this much; on the way here I'd noticed that the caves looked like air intakes on vehicles, and the missile had blown off the top lid, revealing what was inside.
Click.
Hiss.
The flare flew downward, illuminating everything in red, scattering sparks, falling without stopping — while the walls froze.
Clink-clink — the flare bounced off the dense surface and continued its path. Red shadows ran along the walls, and the monsters didn't move, but they were clearly visible: terrifying, black, oozing slime, blinking large yellow eyes, peeking out from behind each other, not moving — just watching the flare bounce over them.
It was a horrifying sight — seeing thousands of eyes, not in pairs, but varying numbers on every bump in the wall. It made you shudder and try to blink the image away.
[IB Officer] (pressing his headset): Base. Visual contact. No reaction.
[Base]: Copy. Gas grenade. Flashbang.
(What calms me down is their confidence — and of course, the five Abrams tanks in a ring, and the helicopters and fighters. I'm not even that scared when I see how the officers react to all this. How Alpha Group methodically scans the walls through their sights. How a light red smoke rises from the depths — and the fact that the eyes keep moving but the bodies don't — it doesn't bother me much anymore.)
Click.
And the grenade flew into the depths, landing in the same spot as the flare — and a hissing sound came with the smoke. The eyes simply closed as the gas grenade passed by them.
"Commander, weapons ready. We know they don't like sunlight, but now there's going to be a flashbang — so get ready," the IB Officer gave a quick briefing, and all the Soldiers immediately pulled out spare magazines for quick reloads in case of trouble.
One Apache flew closer, hovering directly over the hole — I could jump and grab onto it. It was beautiful... It was blowing the fear right out of me, and with effort I pulled the charging handle and aimed the barrel into the cave, bracing the stock against my left shoulder.
Click — the Officer wound up and threw the grenade as hard as he could, sending it deep into the cave — and only when it reached the two previous grenades did a BANG go off. The Officer quickly covered my eyes with his hand and just as quickly pulled it away.
And the situation changed — as if that hand had been a scene change. All the creatures started squeaking and retreating deep into the cave and into the tunnels branching off the walls. Within a few seconds, it looked like an ordinary cave — but the black liquid still remained on the walls.
[IB Officer]: Base. Flashbang reaction. Visual contact lost.
[Base]: IB. Copy. Collect the liquid.
"Let's go," he pressed against my shoulder and shouted, then waved his hand — and the Apache flew off.
The Officer looked around and jumped down into the cave, followed by Alpha Group, spreading out across the full width — each Soldier (130 functions) walked and scanned different spots; no one looked at the same place. All moving slowly, confidently.
I jumped down into the cave, stumbling from the weight of the rifle, and felt a pleasant cold, damp breeze wash over me — along with the stench of gas and gunpowder.
I caught up with them, moving into the front row with the IB Officer, holding the rifle — unsteadily, but holding. And the whole atmosphere was thick with dread. As we approached the puddle, everyone stopped, and the IB Officer took three vials and scooped up the liquid, while some Soldiers scraped soil from the wall and floor and put it into bags.
The Officer waved his hand, and everyone slowly backed away — half the Soldiers watching the rear, half watching the front and above.
Hoo-oh... We made it out. Nothing happened.
[IB Officer]: Base. Collection successful.
[Base]: IB. Copy. Return. White phosphorus and thermite will be deployed. Five minutes.
[IB Officer]: Base. Copy. Moving out.
The tanks returned to their tractors, the helicopters turned around. And I, along with the Officer, ran to the Bradley — we quickly climbed in and drove off.
I put the cooling vest back on and exhaled. I had just been on my first military operation in this world. And I did it in a place with no people. It lifted my spirits. I managed to do it, and now I was successfully heading back. Yes, I know I was probably dead weight — but I'll train so that people can rely on me.
Two fighters flew over the Bradley with loud booms.
And then two explosions sounded. And silence. The sound of the Bradley's engine returned, and that was it.
I relaxed and didn't notice how I leaned against the Officer and passed out.