Into The Rift

In Our Nature (21)

-1402 Military Hours

Everyone maintains the rigid line perpendicular to our cautious advance.

A moral battle rages within as I move closer with each step, flanked on both sides by my men.

She's just a kid even if she did cause the drone to crash, there's no way I would train my weapon on her.

Not unless she assaults my fireteam, in which case I would have no regret acting in self defence.

With the objective in visual, it's up to me to decide on the next course of action.

Naturally that will be asset denial. "Secure the drone." None of our technology is to fall into local hands, period.

"Got it." Douglas steps forward, startling the odd looking girl with his gait.

After whispering those words, my eyes pick up a slight twitch to the kid's ears. They are pointed, almost unaturally so.

With the presence of a population on this island confirmed, it is imperative they be kept at arm's length from base camp. In-Ops has undeniable proof Factions Alpha and Beta are genetically distinct from us, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume the same can be said here.

The silence is balanced on a razor's edge, forcing my senses to the state of combat readiness. Unnerved by our closing proximity, the young girl finally lets out a yelp as she retreats further into the foliage.

South....She's running Southwards...

I take note of the exit direction, committing the observation to memory for future reference should the need arise. Something tells me it will be a highly relevant. My instincts have no reason to lie.

My experienced eyes are able to pin point the fear in her every movement. Seeing no reason to pursue the retreating figure, I focus on the ground she once stood on.

In her place, the girl left behind an animal. It was one of those that attacked base camp....only this one seems to be a infant based on its size.

"Jerome!" Douglas yells out from his position beside the tree, snapping my attention away from the harmless crustacean. "Alpha One-Fiver's pretty banged up. Two of the four rotors are clipped, it's definitely out of commission."

That's unfortunate, but not terribly so. The internal components might be salvageable, this will need to be confirmed.

"Give me that, I'll see what the hell is wrong with it." I declare with a firm voice.

"Should we relay our findings to base camp?" Robert offers, taking a momentary glance at the small arthropod-like animal still curled up defensively.

I signal for his attention, giving him the affirmative with a nod. "Definitely, give them the full spectrum. The guys back there will want to hear about this," I say.

From the subdued winds to the swaying leaves above, everything in this valley seems to convey a sense of wonder, this is a place humanity has never been before. My thoughts, however guarded they were, couldn't ignore the simple charm of the greenery all around.

With the palm sized drone in my custody, I begin to run a diagnostic via the computer interface on my left wrist.

Internally, I bring forth my expertise in engineering related matters. Relevant details concerning the damaged drone are displayed on the wrist interface, giving me a good overview of its status.

My eyes narrow into slits. Whatever the young girl did, it totally disrupted the internal wiring. The small DC motor windings seem to have been melted enough to compromise its insulation.