What needs to be done for a better world

Chapter 9

Posted on the walls of the base near Decarta City, guards patrolled diligently while a few sentinels kept watch in the distance. One of the sentinels, a deer, noticed movement on the plains surrounding the base. From a distance, he could make out two bipedal figures, but his natural night vision had its limits. He took out a pair of binoculars equipped with night vision to get a clearer view. Startled, he discovered one of the figures was human.

The human was fully equipped with weapons and full armor, but what stood out was the fact that he was wearing two rucksacks. The gears of the sentinel's mind began to turn rapidly, speculating that the human might be carrying explosives to take down their base.

His speculations were proven wrong, however, when he finally focused on the second silhouette. This one he recognized, and he was dumbfounded by what he was witnessing.

Someone he had gone on a mission with a few months ago and who had been reported as KIA just yesterday was walking towards them. It was none other than Julie.

A wild joy surfaced in his mind as he exploded to his feet and sprinted to the nearest hangar. He jumped into a Humvee and started the engine, startling the soldiers on the base, who wondered what had driven this madman to get inside a vehicle without authorization. As he sped towards the gate, he was soon confronted by two soldiers pointing their weapons at him.

"Get out! Now!" one of the soldiers yelled at him.

Unbothered in the slightest, the deer yelled back, "Open the bloody gate! And call Colonel Anders, the remaining members of Gamma Squad 1 are back!"

Hearing this, the two soldiers stationed at the gate exchanged puzzled looks, silently questioning how someone could be high enough to think they were seeing dead people.

Starting to get impatient, he growled and snapped, "Corporal Jordan Second is asking you to open the gate and pick up a stray allied unit! Move your asses, now!"

Hearing this, the two privates hastily complied, though they still questioned their superior's mental well-being. One of them, a mongoose named Allan, quickly moved to the internal communication device. He picked up the phone and requested to be connected to Colonel Anders.

After a few dial tones, Anders answered, "I hope this is important at this hour of the night, or I swear I'll make your unit run until the same time tomorrow." The tiredness in his voice was unmistakable.

Allan gulped audibly before making his report, "Sir! Corporal Jordan Second just left the base in a Humvee. He said he was going to pick up the missing members of Gamma Squad 1!"

Anders was at a loss for words. What the hell was this private talking about? If it was a joke, it was in extremely poor taste. The report had come from a member of the team who had been a witness to their supposed demise. There was no way this new report could be true.

Even though he knew the odds, a glimmer of hope began to emerge. Anders knew his duty was to verify whether this report was true. Despite having only slept for two hours, caught up in the aftermath of Gamma Squad's deaths and the many tasks that needed attention, work had not given him a moment's rest.

After a long sigh that did little to relieve his tiredness, Anders finally got up. He dressed quickly and walked to the entrance of the base, where a few people had gathered, curious about the commotion. As he approached, they made room and saluted him. The gate was still wide open, and through it, Anders could see the Humvee's headlights growing nearer.

He stood there, enduring the torturous seconds of uncertainty as a swirl of thoughts crowded his mind. Could it be possible? It would be incredible if they were still alive and well, even though the chances seemed slim to none.