We arrived at the drop-zone at 8 a.m.
The captain laid out the plan: We’d split into teams—Sane, Yukio, and I with her on the south; Dmitry, Loid, and Zack on the east; William with the twins on the west; and Drake, Diego, and Wardak on the north.
“Only attack on my signal. Is that understood?” The captain emphasized.
“Crystal clear Captain!” Billy quickly assured her. And then he turned to William, “Relax—you’re with pros.” He clapped William’s shoulder. “Bill-Board and I have run ops like this a hundred times. Just stick with us.”
And then, suddenly and without warning, Bill-Board hurled himself from the chopper, plunging toward the ocean below.
“Stop!” the captain barked, but he was gone. “What’s he thinking goddam-it!”
I leaned out, bewildered. “He does know the difference between a kilometer and a meter, right? The island’s still far off.”
“That’s Bill-Board for you! Always goes with the flow!” Billy revealed, a smile swept over his face
And then he followed behind his brother, whooping with exhilaration.
“What the fuck is wrong those two?” Drake swore under his breath. “I’m not jumping!”
“Of course not, damn it!” the captain growled, exasperated. “We have a boat, you fools! New plan: Dmitry’s team, take the west instead.”
The mission launched, tension coiling tighter. The captain underscored the operation’s stakes, especially since it’s fate was in the hands of amateurs, book nerds and muscle heads. The question left me wondering why the general had entrusted such a supposedly critical task to a squad of untested rookies.
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We reached the island by boat and then split into our designated teams. Our strategy was to stealthily enter the island, take our positions, and launch a coordinated assault on the captain’s signal. Thus far, aside from the twins’ unpredictable behavior, the operation proceeded as planned. The captain scanned for the device with an electromagnetic detector.
As we advanced, my curiosity peaked. “Captain, what is this device? Why is it so critical that the military is involved?”
“That information is classified, soldier. Stay focused on the task at hand!” Her guarded tone and furrowed brow betrayed an uncharacteristic anxiety—unusual for someone as straightforward as the captain.
On her command, we commenced our multi-pronged infiltration. The island spanned approximately 100 square kilometers. We searched and sprinted to its heart in under two minutes. But an eerie discovery awaited us: every enemy we encountered en route was already slain. Arriving at the island’s core, where the enemy’s main force was stationed, we found the twins sitting on a log, awaiting our arrival.
“About time you showed up,” Billie smirked, rising to his feet. The twins had single-handedly neutralized every hostile on the island.
But the captain didn’t tolerate defiance, and the twins seemed to be unaware of her simmering rage.
“Do you think this is a video game?” She scolded both of them
“No, ma’am!” Billie quickly replied.
“I gave you explicit orders to wait for my command. Was I unclear? Or perhaps this mission is a joke to you! Am I joke too!”
“What! No, Captain!”
“If you can’t follow orders, you’re welcome to leave,” she snapped.
Empathizing with her, I saw her point. She likely felt her team lacked commitment from the start. To assert her leadership, she adopted a hard line. The twins finally grasped the mission’s gravity for her. And did the rest of the team.
“Captain, I apologize for acting prematurely,” Billie said. “But I don’t understand why you’re this upset. I mean, we were told to neutralize all the threats, and we did.”
“Are you an idiot?” she retorted. “Our goal here isn’t just to kill the enemies—it’s to secure the device. Your impulsiveness endangered everything. We’ll address this later.”
She refocused on the task at hand. The remaining teams converged, reporting similar scenes. The twins’ feat defied explanation. Focusing back on the mission, the captain grabbed her scanner and she pinpointed the device’s location right where we stood.
“We’ve combed every structure—nothing,” Billie reported.
Yet the device remained elusive. “This doesn’t make sense—it has to be here,” The captain muttered, tension creasing her brow.
“What are we looking for, exactly?” Diego pressed. “If anything we need an idea regarding its, size, shape—anything to helps us identify it?”
His question was sound, but the captain deflected again. “It must be subterranean. Find a way down!”
Our curiosity grew,
We scoured the vicinity for hidden passages. A concealed staircase led down from a dilapidated shack. Going inside, we reached the bottom and a reinforced door barred our path. We breached it open and found two men in suits sitting on guard.
“Intruders,” one growled in a rather calm tone. “How did you—?”
Drake fired without warning, his bullet striking the man’s forehead.
The captain’s eyes flashed with rage. “What did I say? You wait for my...” Before she could finish her words, her gaze fixed on the man. He didn’t fall down dead—his wound sealed instantly.
“What is he?” Zack gasped.
His eyes ignited, unleashing a lethal beam. The beam’s heat was so intense that we all knew certain death was almost guaranteed if it reached us. Trapped, with seconds to react, death loomed, and we’d accomplished nothing. In a desperate act, the captain threw herself into its path, to sacrifice herself for us.
The beam hit. It engulfed her, her cries piercing the air. We were behind, shielded by her. But even we felt it. The heat scorched our skin. I thought she was done for, but energy began to coalesce within her. Yukio lunged to save her, but I seized him, holding him back. I knew all too well without knowing why, in that moment only she could withstand it.
She absorbed the beam, her form glowing like molten steel. For over a minute, she held firm until his beam faltered. As it ceased, Yukio caught her limp form. Her skin radiated heat like a furnace.
“Get her to safety,” I urged Yukio.
These were no ordinary foes—they were like us but enhanced. The other man, his companion exuded similar menace. The odds were uncertain, and the tight quarters favored them. Drake unleashed a volley, but the rounds ricocheted harmlessly.
“Why isn’t it working?” he shouted. His custom weapon was meant for such threats.
“Let me handle this,” Dmitry stepped forward, brandishing his war hammer. “They’ll regret crossing us.”
The energy beam-wieder picked up a spear and lunged at Dmitry. He streaked forward, faster than anyone in our squadron could move, aiming to strike Dmitry’s eyes. Using my hyper-cognition I tracked his every move. I knocked Dmitry clear and parried the spear with my gauntlet shielded forearms.
Neogens with unique abilities and heightened strength. It came unexpectedly but I wasn’t surprised. My hyper cognition and Victor’s speed were proof enough. The serum was able to give people special abilities on top of physical strength. Their full potential was a mystery, and this was no place for a stand.