Awakening

Chapter 9 - Wet Land (1/2)

A barely working radio-communicator, a training laser rifle and a vest--these were the only tools Eric and the rest of the team got before they were kicked from the flier out to the cold and wet ground of Origin.

They were told to leave the vest and the masks on at all times, but Eric--being an Undertown urchin in his youth--knew it didn't make any difference if you hit an area with high amount of radiation. The masks and vests were probably the receiving end of the rifle to indicate 'control' you have been hit and out of the game.

They all grunted, one at a time, as their bodies collided with the wet mud beneath and rolled to dissipate some of the blow.

"Guys," Eric said, coughing the impact from his body. "Set a perimeter. Everybody stay frosty."

They knew the drill--the months of training created a well-oiled machinery of death. Everybody spread and created a circle, pointing their toy rifles outside of it, searching for targets. Every movement was a threat here--it was them versus the others and there will be only one team winning this game. Of course, the ranking would be individual and dependent on performance, but Eric knew it in his heart that the winning team will have the higher grades.

Being the only Undertown urchin in the team, only Eric could relate to the sight of the area surrounding them--ruined buildings of various sizes and shapes on cracked pavements of concrete. The ruins popped around randomly like pimples on a teenager--creating sporadic shapes of a destroyed past facades. The entire place was dead--no green or blue around to accommodate the dead gray of the buildings, just plain yellow with dull gray. The only difference from the Undertown streets of Palael was the death-cloud. There was none over here.

"It's going to get dark really soon," Eric said. "We need to start building our base."

"Damn that sergeant," Saib said, vocalizing everyone's thought probably. "Left us with nothing here."

"Now now," Hawks said with his deep voice. "We'll have plenty time to cry about this later."

The group nodded in agreement. No one wanted to be on the arguing side of Hawks, given his sizes and strength, even though they consciously knew he was not the aggressive type. Still, being far from any living soul...

"Alright," Eric said. "Move out."

He stood from the crouching position with a slight grunt--the fall did take its toll on his body it seemed. His rifle was an extension of his body, always pointing at the direction of his advancement. The splat of the feet kissing the muddy ground, the whisper of the wind and his heartbeat were the only things in his world. His eyes were darting from shape to shape--the destroyed buildings in front--looking for threats.

"Saib." He said throwing a backwards glance.

"Yeah I got back." Saib said before Eric could complete the sentence. He always did.

They advanced, jumping between rubbles of concrete and decayed metal--the solid wall on Eric's back reassuring him every jump between them. He didn't stop--these crumpled pieces of walls were too ruined and had little to no cover for the night. He had to find a viable place to sleep while being able to protect themselves from other teams and rain.

There has to be a building here, he thought hopefully.

But there wasn't. All that left in this part of the destroyed city was nothing more than clutters of walls, ceilings and the occasional craters--a reminder of the ancient war on Origin, back when it was still called Earth.

"Stop," Eric finally said after exhausting his team from running around the ruins. "This is the best we get."

They were clumped around a wide space of huge building. Its walls were standing a proud meter tall flawlessly until they met a huge lightning-like crack which sliced them, leaving the rest of the height exposed to the night. It was like a chocolate house that a kid punched through at the top and ate the rest. This structure must have had at least two floors--a sloped torn ceiling was providing cover on one of the edges looked more like a floor of another level. It was far from what Eric looked for, but it had to suffice for now.

Just for the night, Eric thought.

"We stay there." Eric pointed and everybody muttered their agreement.

"I take first watch." Hawks said, his deep voice creating an echo inside their new home.

Land. Find shelter. Plan. Execute.

"What's the plan?" Croak asked as they all moved to the only visible roof in this structure.

"Sleep." Eric said.

"Yeah, I mean the mission."

"Shit on mission," Seph said. "Sleep first. Damn HQ didn't give no time for sleep."

It was true. They were just about to sleep when the sergeant barged in with the new mission. But Croak was right--they had to start planning ASAP. Any moment spent here could be the last.

"We'll find a more suitable spot for a rear base," Eric said answering the still floating question. "And commence scouting ops. I want to leave as many soldiers back as possible at all times."

Croak nodded in agreement and asked "Any clue where the target is?"

Eric shook his head. "Negative. I still need to study the map better to understand our exact location."

"And for that," Seph said. "We need light. So..."

Eric grinned and slapped Seph on the shoulder. "Always worried about the well-being of your brothers?"

"If not me," he said. "Then you would sleep in mud tonight."

They sat beneath the collapsed ceiling of the structure, Hawks still scouting the area. The deadly teeth of Origin, portrayed by the shadows of the ruins, swallowed the sun and made way for darkness to rule the dead city once more. It was a quiet place--no living soul was around before the teams landed. No lights. No low humming of electricity. No chatter. Many people lived and died never knowing what complete darkness actually meant.