The Lost Squadron (Mindcrack FF)

Chapter 10: Moving On From The Past

As Beef regained consciousness, he heard his friends voices echo all around him. He could barely tell what they were saying, and the butcher wasn't even sure if they were speaking about him or not. Suddenly, he felt a hand grasp his shoulder, shaking him roughly as a echoed voice screamed at him. Beef tried to open his eyes, but the light that blared above him was too bright for his weak optics to deal with. Beef then mustered up enough strength to open his eyes, squinting as a groan exited his mouth. Then, he could hear clearly. Beef groaned, sitting up as he placed a hand on his head.

"What... what happened?" The butcher asked. A chuckle came from his left.

"You passed out from blood loss. Thought we lost you." Beef recognized the voice as Guude. Beef's vision straightened, shaking his head as he blinked a couple of times.

"Did I? God, I didn't realize the wound was that bad." The butcher admitted. Etho smiled.

"You're lucky I can heal wounds like that. Well, not exactly heal, but... you know what I mean." The ninja chuckled. Beef looked to Guude.

"You have a lot of explaining to do." The butcher told him, getting a chuckle from the others. Anders smiled, holstering his hammer in it's holster as he waved at Guude.

"I'll wait for you outside. No need to rush though Commander. Take your time." The Swede announced, walking through the front door and taking in the rising sun's warmth. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Anders chuckled, shaking his head as he sat on a nearby tree stump before placing his holstered weapon on the floor beside him. The Swede sighed, grabbing a circular device from one of his pockets as he brought it out in front of him. The disk reflected the sun's rays, creating an image before him above the disk. Himself and someone else. The person had brown hair, brown soul patch, a flat top hat, a leather jacket, blue jeans, and black sneakers. Anders seemed different in the photo as well. He had glasses, and his beard wasn't as bushy as it was now. He also wore a shirt with a potato on a stick on the front. Anders gave off a sad smile, shaking his head as he placed it on the ground in front of him.

"Don't worry Steffen... we'll meet again..." Anders sighed as he stared at the photo. A sudden sound of a branch breaking snapped him out of his daze, making him swiftly look to where he thought the sound came from. Nervous, Anders went to reach for his hammer.

"Hello? Who's there?" The Swede asked, waiting for an answer that he never got. Anders growled, grabbing his hammer and unfolding it to its battle shape. He held it then with two hands, having his body placed in a fighting position as he squinted into the dark forest.

"I said, WHO'S THERE?!" He shouted again, but once more got no answer. His heart rate slowed down, allowing him to relax as he let the hammer rest on the ground.

"Probably just an animal... buggers have accidents now a days all the time... Attans..." Anders chuckled, sitting back on the stump where he previously was as he continued to stare at the photo. Someone dropped down from the trees onto the rooftop above silently, then dropping down behind the Swede without him hearing or noticing. The person then put his arm out in front of him, watching as the robotic arm transformed into a pulse cannon that was shimmering blue from it's power core on the side. The man pointed it at Anders, who instantly felt the machinery brush against the back of his head. The Swede chuckled, bowing his head as he slightly turned it to the side.

"I didn't think someone like me would deserve an assassination." Anders commented as he started to turn around. However, he knew he had to stop when the person placed the cannon even closer to his head, to the point where the end was putting enough pressure that it tilted his head forwards. Anders put his hands up.