Chapter 2 - Classified facility

  The train began to slow. Without the spinal locks keeping the soldiers in place, the quick deceleration would have thrown all the people into the chair in front of them. Lisa felt the spinal port tug at her lower body as she was stopped from being thrown around like a training dummy. Grunting, as her head thumped into the slightly cushioned headrest, she turned to Joe who had a confused expression.

  “We’ve only been moving for five hours.” he mumbled to himself.

  “Krotata is at least eight hours by Maglev speeds while the next nearest base is 17 hours away.” The train cart also had murmurs of similar realizations and small whispers of confused questions to their neighbors. Lisa leaned towards Joe and was about to ask where he thought they could be, but the cart filled with the mechanical clicks of their spinal locks releasing. The pressure released from the port infused into the top of the sacrum making everyone on board instinctively adjust themselves, some starting to slouch while others started to sit up. Lisa and Joe were in the slouching camp, as they tried to move their knees from pressing against the hard plastic chairs in front of them, Lisa brought her legs up while Joe spread his legs into the gaps between the chairs. Just as they both felt fresh blood flow through their lower bodies, the other side of the train wall swung up.

  Turning to look at the entrance, a robotic figure awaits the platoon. A smaller framed android standing eerily still. Its silver frame was painted with warning markings around the pistons which gave the robot its ability to move. Its wireframe chassis held the onboard hydrogen cell it ran on, its head gleaming like a glassy orb. Bright colours matching the vocal frequency coloured its face as it spoke.

  “Platoon IZ - 213, I am the service android designated to deliver you to the armory where you are to deposit layer two and three of your armour as well as your weapons, after that you are to head to the recreation room. You will spend the rest of your day here and sleep at 21:00 in the conjoined barracks. By 04:30 you are to be in attendance at a mission brief. Please put on your helmets, they have been updated on your way here so that the onboard AI will alert you if you are heading into restricted space. If you still continue to enter restricted areas your AI will deliver a lethal electric shock upon a second warning. This is in accordance with the Falling Mountains LTD military and security terms and conditions you have all accepted upon joining the company.” The robot finished its long speech and its head lost all colour, the hum of its deactivation slowly ringing out through the car.

  The first to move was squad leader Cook, standing up from his seat by the opened door and moving to the android's stationary side. He was tall, standing at six foot two, his large frame giving him an opposing presence. His bald head reflected the white light of the train back at the onlooking soldiers. His heavily scarred visage complimented his dark skin and square face causing the man to be as threatening with and without his helmet.

  “You heard the thing.” the squad leader bellowed, slotting his helmet on. The air tight seal hissed shut, locking him in the dark warsuit. “Helmets on and line up in formation. We will do a quick inspection before heading out” the helmet encoded his words so only those he intended to converse with could understand, sounding like harsh gibberish to someone he didn't wish to hear.

  Lisa and Joe grumbled to themselves as they pulled their helmets over their heads. With a shrill hiss, the helmets locked to the rest of the suits. The logo of the falling mountains filled Lisa's vision, its three upside down triangles rotating around slowly, matching the subtle red lights of the interior of the helmet. Feeling the slight heat of the power supply attached to the valley in her back, the AI loaded up. After a moment the logo faded and the familiar augmented reality of the helmet covered the world. Looking up, the compass spun with the turning of her head while she checked the security of the lock. In the top right the clock ticked up 17:22:31.393. Just below the constantly climbing clock other useful information was listed: June 10th, 2183, 21℃, predicted weather for the next three hours: Classified. On the left side more mission orientated information sat: mission time remaining: N/A, Squadmates status: N/A. On the bottom right her ammunition count flashed with a red zero. Bringing her eyes up to the center of her vision, a blue marker directed her to her spot in the squad to stand at. With a shuffle of the other soldiers shifted their way through the cramped cart and out to the station floor. Joe hid a stretch as he left the crammed cart and stood in line with the other now masked men and women, following suit with Joe, she looked him up and down. Although he was broad-shouldered, he was pretty lean and despite not being her desired height for a man, he stood at five foot nine; just taller than Lisa.

  Inching out of the train, she was the last of the soldiers to exit, being in the furthermost column. Glancing to her right and left, each cart contained another squad with an awaiting android most likely parroting the same speech to all the other people crammed in the 100 meter long bullet train. Standing behind Joe at the rehearsed distance of her platoon of 24, excluding the squad leader, she stood at ease. The Squad leader walked carefully down the five man by five man formation, carefully scrutinising each person until, finally, he stopped behind Lisa. Her shoulder felt slightly lighter as the rifle was lifted up to the squad leader's eyes.

  “Your rifle fails inspection. The paint markings have been scratched and could be identified as a different model, breaking article 7, paragraph 32 c, line 3 of the Falling Mountains LTD weapons maintenance rulebook.” the squad leader hissed from behind her, dropping the rifle back onto her shoulder. She rolled her eyes but didn't show her mood, as she stood as still as a statue.

  “I'm sorry Steve but you have inspected my rifle hundreds of times and have undoubtedly seen those scratches. Why are they an issue now?” Lisa asked back in her most neutral tone, hiding her annoyance.

  “I should write you up for questioning a higher ranked member of the company.” Steve, the squad leader, spat almost instantly, but followed up after a moment “If it wasn't for you being the reason for our platoon to be one of the highest ranked in the IZ-200’s I would have, oh mark my words I would have. But I'll give you the reason, we have been deployed. more eyes are on us here then in the training yards; more opportunities for the platoon to rise higher in the rankings with me as the leader. Don't fuck it up for the rest of us and fix the rifle today.” Steve walked out from behind Lisa and continued to the front. Standing before the android, he spoke again.

  “Krizzt kurattt urkasx krax ovra.” Steve spoke gibberish to the android before it lit up and began walking off.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “IZ-213, heads high. We need to show the other Platoons how insignificant they are compared to us. March!” Steve boomed, before spinning around and marching. In the corner of every soldier in the platoon’s augmented vision a metronome popped up following pace with Steve's movement and on the next tick they began to march.

  Lisa didn't need the metronome, her movements were automatic as she knew them like second nature. She had been forced to march for years; blistering heat - Steve dragged them out at dawn, only finishing once the sun crested a new day; acid rain - “the pain builds character” Steve would say and add an extra half an hour outside for every flinch at the sharp pain, however he would ignore the fact that he was practically shaking after each raindrop hit him. Horrific winds - after discovering that a non-leathal taser was usable on soldiers not following orders he asked them to stand straight for six hours, tasing anyone he thought moved. To Lisa, and to what she assumed was the rest of the company, he was a right dick. And the reason why she didn't call him by his last name or his rank as often as she could was because she had an inkling that the reason he was squadleader was because his dad was a part of the advisory board on Gavis base. She hated the fact that someone like her had to climb the ranks while people like Steve could get more because of someone else’s merits.

  Trying to take her mind off of Steve, she looked around at the still unknown facility she was in. Remembering what Joe said, she furled her brow. He was right. The closest base from Izlathis was Krotata but the ambient temperature was actually colder than Izlathis. Frowning deeper, she inspected the empty hall she was marching through. It was barely half-way complete, maintenance androids securing the hardened steel plating to the walls while others worked on installing lights; the signature white tile flooring the Falling Mountains buildings was missing, instead having rough grey concrete. Lisa was now deeply confused and went to her AI for answers.

  “Suit, where am I?” she asked in a hushed voice so that people couldn't hear her talking in formation.

  “Information restricted - Classified facility. Further inquiries into this topic will have superior officers notified.” the AI typed out in its red text

  “Shit…” Lisa thought as she marched deeper into the unfinished facility.

  ____________________________________________________________________________

  Leandros’ armor shimmered in the late-afternoon rain, its silver shine contrasting with the dark leathers that bound the halfplate to him. He didn't wear his helmet as the constant hammering of rain against his head would make him go mad. Behind him, Orthanis walked, bracing herself against her quarterstaff. Behind her, Ithlix wore his loose fitting red robe that fluttered in the wind; Leandros knew him long enough to know that Ithlix was wanting to get to his warm bed soon, but he hid it well. Finally, taking up the rear, Katlin cheerily strode humming a song to herself. Leandros’ not-so-merry company trudged through the woods, rain attacking them all, drenching their clothes and chilling the weary party to the bone. The one most vocal party member who was complaining at the horrific weather was Orthanis. Shivering, her long ears and button nose were red as she sniffled; if it wasn't for the thick coating of mud staining her white robes, they would have been stuck to her body, amplifying her chill.

  “W..w..why are we out here?” she asked for the seventh time to nobody in particular.

  “This is the last time I'm saying this Orthanis.” Ithlix spoke from behind, his calm voice soothing the shivering elf slightly. “We have been commissioned for this job by the high court Archwizard, refusing would have stunted our parties growth and may have our group blacklisted from the quest board. I know you are uncomfortable but we have just gotten through the worst of the hike. Just keep focused and think of sitting in front of the hot fire at the Inn, drinking a fresh cup of tea.”

  “If it makes you feel better each time you slip, I feel that this expedition was worth the miles of walking.” Katlin said loudly from the back of the group. She was almost unblemished, her dark clothes bone dry without a speck of mud marking the intricate patterns adorning her long dress. Her wide brimmed hat was also dry. Only when looking above her, the reason why she was still dry was clear. An invisible shield covering her head blocked the constant assault from the sky. If somebody would look closely at the magenta crystal in her staff, the liquid inside very slowly disappeared.

  Orthanis spun around, almost slipping in the process, and glared at the witch. “At least I'm not cheating and wasting my mana on keeping myself dry!” she almost screamed “if it wasn't for Socks…”

  “ENOUGH” Leandros roared from the front of the line, turning to the squabbling women, “Katlin, not helpful. Orthanis is right as well. Don't waste your mana on keeping yourself dry. I doubt you can keep that shield up and conduct the survey at the same time so it's just delaying getting wet. Orthanis, we all know you are upset to be out here but don't take it out on us and especially Socks, you know more than me how much of a sacrifice Katlin makes to keep him around.”

  Orthanis hung her head while Katlin averted her gaze, both feeling embarrassed at causing Leandros to explode. They walked for a bit in silence as the group passed through the woodland undisturbed, until Ithlix broke the awkward silence.

  “Ahh,” he sighed “Timalis is up ahead. We must be close.”

  Leandros looked up at the sun hidden behind the raining clouds, but it was almost set, from where it was and it being in the middle of summer he reckoned it would be at least half nine at night. Maybe it was the rain but he expected at least something to have ambushed them slowing them down by an hour or so. Continuing onward they saw Timalis, who sat on a rock under the canopy of a tree, trying to hide away from the rain. His cloak was wrapped around him making him somewhat blend into the surrounding foliage, while his cloth halfmask covered his mouth. Standing up once he noticed the approaching people, he picked up his longbow and went to meet them at the edge of the tree’s canopy.

  “The spot is up ahead.” Timalis said, while regrouping with his party. He patted Leandro’s shoulder, shook Ithlix’s hand, waved at Katlin and ruffled Orthanis’s hair. Once his brief greeting was out of the way he turned to the knight with a serious expression. “Leo, I have a bad feeling about this. I didn't see a single kobold hunting party or even a pixie trying to find out what I'm doing. On top of that I climbed a tree and looked at the survey spot and saw a light, it was a pure white light; stable as a glowstone but as bright as a bonfire.”

  The party digested the information. They could all attest, the quiet was abnormal.

  “The only light like that I've heard about is the Goddess’ angels- but they typically make themselves known rather than hide away in a random wood.” Orthanis chirped up. They all turned to her and nodded.

  “We should be careful then.” Leandos said before taking command. “Katlin, will you have the mana to cast your invisibility spell on you and Timalis and have enough to conduct the survey?”

  “I will need to rest for an hour- just on the cast. But I should be able to.”

  “Hmmm… I guess it can't be helped then. Both of you get as close as you can before casting the spell and look around as quickly as possible before making your way back. Also make sure you identify what is giving off that light.” Leandros turned to Orthanis. “Can you mark them?”

  The elf gritted her teeth slightly, walking up to the two awaiting people. Pressing a hand on their shoulders, she uttered out a small prayer.

  “By the power of the Goddess, I share a fraction of my blessing with you, so that you will be safe even in the darkest void or lightless sea.”

  A small constantly changing rune of gold floated above the touched shoulders before fading away.

  “Thank you.” Timalis ruffled her hair again before turning to Katlin. “Let's go.”