Arknights: Starsfall I

Chapter 57

"Heating up"

December 22th, Earth Time, 2055
October 23th, Terra Time, 1097

How did we get here? Irene was still pondering. Her group had been close enough to what seems like advance communications equipment. However, the second they got within 2 meters of the thing, they were snared by a trap. A great electrical feeling rocking them, followed by men and women with cuffs and batons rushing in to arrest them.

Irene could've have fought back, but the electrical feeling was so strong and powerful, that she was forced to the ground. She felt then what was a needle, that effectively numbed her and her fellow inquisitors. Irene recovered quickly but she was already cuffed and tied up.

Her fellow inquisitors slowly recovered. The lead began to look around, observing what she can.

Now they were on the roof of one of the taller buildings in Sal Viento, a small little shed like bit leading to a stairway, which would have taken a person into the building. 2 of the people that captured her and her team was watching her. They seemed relaxed now, and was eating something out of a bag.

Vaguely there was the smell of something fishy and cheese, as well as a more spicy scent to it.

There was a table, which has some sort of equipment which was barking out voices. There was 7 seats, 5 of which were empty. The 2 that werne't was occupied by the 2 people who were dressed strangely. There was 2 backpacks with what looks like little spinning devices near the bottom, a cylinder with a tube that had a mask at the end, 2 helmets of strange design, and 2 weapons, which - if her memory served her right - was not too dissimilar to some weapons made in Laterano.

The day seemed pretty clear, barely any clouds, except for what looks like a storm off to the east. Irene wanted to try and see more of the 2 people, but a sensation forced her to lay back down.

"Au my head..." she muttered, resting it against the floor. There was a dull throbbing there and she wanted to know what exactly is causing her to endure such pain like that. The 2 noticed her and her team moving, and they began to have a quick conversation.

After that, one of them turns around and speaks - after gulping down his food, "Ah, I'm sorry Ma'am, but we had to do it, Operational security all of that." he then shovels another bit of the food and lifts it out of the bag, "You would understand, right?"

He goes and puts what looks like heavily cooked bits of a sea terror ( which would appall many back in Iberia ), thoroughly covered in something green and red, into his mouth and was merrily chewing it.

That was something that made her eyes widened in surprise, but was only widened further when he gulped it down, and let out a breath of content.

The man didn't know why she was panicking so much, and just pushed up his bag, "Want some? It's pretty good, reminds me of clams and lobster." Irene shook her head, a little frantically. She was astonished on the fact that they were so casually eating those monsters like it was some regular old meal.

"N-no thank you, I'm good." She faces him and squints her eyes, "Who are you people with...?

He looks back at his buddy, she was content eating so she shrugged, "Yeah go ahead, I don't think Command'll care."

He looks back at Irene and speaks, "I'm from the United States Marine Corps," he points at a little emblem on his shoulder, which looks like some sort of rocket which was pointing and going through a tentacle creature, "13th Marine Division, Deep Sea Devils."

"Marine...corps?" Irene repeated, slowly. The man nodded, "That's right, the premier Maritime Assault branch for the United States of America."

Maritime Assaul- what the hell?! Collectively, that though ran through all of their heads when he finished that little statement.