Upon nothing

Ch 14

"Did I do the right thing?"

"Of course you did.  She was attempting to obstruct the project and needed to be taken care of."

"But after all the work she has done, does that mean she still deserved her fate?"

"She should've known the consequences of her actions.  Everyone there knows that getting in the way will result in punishment.  If you did the same thing, you would be treated no differently."

"But I could've helped her.  I tried to convince her to stop before-."

"Yeah, and you were really close to skating on thin ice!  Not that it wasn't already thin before getting on it!"

"Just accept it!  What's done is done, and you can't-!"

"Sir?"

Justin snapped out of his thoughts and quickly turned towards the source of the voice.  To his left was one of his soldiers who was giving him a strange look. 

"Hm?  What is it?"  Justin asked him.

"We are approaching the base and will arrive in a few minutes."  The man informed him. 

Justin grunted as he understood the importance of knowing that.  He opened up a compartment of the vehicle and pulled out a military grade walkie talkie.  It was fully charged and ready to relay any message within the same channel.  It was crucial to ensure the radio was in working condition, lest they wish to invite a quick death.

With the radio ready, Justin glanced back behind them.  He was currently in a large transport van that was carrying important cargo.  In the back were two armed men that were watching over two unconscious individuals.  They were attending a prestigious college, but they would be absent indefinitely.  Both of them were captured at the same time and was their top priority to bring them back. 

Confirming that everything was going smoothly, Justin looked out the vehicle window.  It was dark outside, which restricted what he could see.  Tall trees were densely scattered besides the road, also contributing to the limited view.  He could barely see the stars among the countless branches covering the sky.

For some reason, looking up at the starry sky made him feel calm and relaxed. 

With most of home base being beneath the surface of the earth, going out on missions was really the only chance to see it.  It gave him a small boost of motivation, not that he wouldn't carry out whatever mission he was given.  Just from seeing the distant stars in the sky, it always brought contentment to him. 

His attention was eventually taken away from the sky as they arrived at a massive open area.  The road that continued on had no trees or shrubs growing next to it.  The road went on until it ended at the side of a huge hill.  At that point, an ordinary individual would see nowhere else to go and turn around. 

Not letting any time go to waste, Justin immediately activated the radio and turned it to the specific channel. 

"This is unit 9-7 Alpha, returning from a mission and requesting entry."  He spoke in a serious tone.

There was no immediate response back from the radio.  None of the men in the vehicle muttered a word, contributing to the silence.  They waited patiently in the vehicle for what felt like a long time

"Permission granted."  A voice eventually replied. 

Moments after the voice spoke, a section of the mountain side began splitting open.  A bright light shined out of said crack, temporarily blinding those up front.  When their vision returned, the main entrance to the base was in sight before them.