Around twenty minutes had passed since the group began their assignment. Michael rested atop a large tree, Alice had lit up a large, purple candle and Shane was putting up slightly ripped clothes on to the drying rack. Veronica grunted, arm straining as she lifted the heavy excuse for a paddle, struggling to control it as it slammed against the clothing. A subtle ripping sound broke through the crashing tidal bores. She looked out at the vast river, watching as the water crashed against massive boulders inside it. Sighing, she got back to work. She wasn't sure if rivers were supposed to have waves, but she wasn't a ranger, it wasn't her job to know. It wasn't a bad thing, the waves were calming.
Shane placed one more piece of clothing -or at least what remained of it- on the drying rack. Happy with the plentiful hoard, he clapped his hands. "Hey Alice, is it time to switch?"
Alice looked up from where she was sitting, putting back down an odd looking machine. "Huh? what? Oh yeah, sure. Switch!" She stood up, walking to where Michael was. "Oi, airhead! Time to switch!"
Michael jumped up, awakening from his nap. "Oh! Alright, then"
Veronica didn't seem to hear, instead focused on the tides. She had never felt so at peace.
"Veronica, switch!" Alice called out to her, a nagging feeling at the back of her mind. "Veronica!"
Shane walked over to tap her on the shoulder, pausing for a second. The waves...they sounded so calming. His senses began to slow, eyes becoming less alert and reflexes dull. Alice and Michael watched the two, dumbfounded.
"Have they gone crazy?" Michael raised an eyebrow. "Or have I rubbed off on them?"
Alice's eyes narrowed. She replayed hers and Shane's journey to the cabin in her mind. Ever since she was a child, Alice has had a keen memory. Keener than most. She could remember things that happened to her once, instantly, and usually the memory was one hundred percent accurate. A chill ran down her spine as she realized too late.
"Michael, get Shane and Veronica away from the water!" She screamed, just as a colossal creature erupted from the waves.
The creature was at least twenty feet long, its gaping maw hid a disastrous beak inside. It's eyes were large and sunken, giving it a harrowing appearance. On it's head, two large slits opened, releasing an invisible pressure out into the world. Alice didn't see what it was it was releasing, but she could feel it.
Immediately, her mind began to slow, and with it her urge to fight. "...n-no..."
All seemed lost, the creature in front of them was too powerful. It had bided its time, slowly using its abilities to lull the four of them into dropping their guards. When the time was ripe, it reaped its harvest. It lunged forward, mouth falling forward and pushing it's beak out. With a deafening crack, it snapped it's beak shut. As it pulled it back in, the taste of blood and flesh that it usually feasted on was absent. When the beast looked to where its free meals would be, the creature unpleasantly found nothing but air.
A sharp gust of wind pulled it's attention away.
Placing his three incapacitated team mates aside, a boy with platinum hair and blue eyes laughed to himself. "If only Father let me bring the camera, you all look like vegetables". He used Shane's shirt to wipe the drool off his vacant face. He stopped for a second, noticing that Veronica's arm was shaking. 'Ooh, what a surprise' Michael tilted his head. A load roar reminded him of his current situation. "Ah well, I can't really beat this thing...but he can".
From out of the underbrush, the figure of a man with mismatched auburn and azure eyes appeared. He wore a displeased expression and had a spear in hand. Sighing, the man somberly looked at his spear. "I didn't think I'd have to step in so soon" his voice was monotone. "Much less for a stupid reason like this" he reared his arm back. A sharp whistle broke through the loud torrent of water. The beast fell down hard, shaking the ground as it slowly slid off and into the lake, disappearing down the river and making it run red.
Michael whistled. "Damn, thank you sir!"
Duncan turned to face his trainee. He sighed, furrowing his brow. "Wake these fools up, tell them that there won't be a next time". Like that, he left, leaving Michael alone with the others again. Unsure with how to undo the creature's spell, Michael picked up some of the wet clothes and slapped the faces of his comrades.
Veronica immediately broke out of it, body suddenly becoming full of life again. Her eyes turned wild, arm swinging at the nearest threat. Michael. Just as easily as he saved his allies, Michael stepped back, completely dodging the blow.
"Woah, relax!" Michael put his hands up. "I surrender!"
Veronica's mind caught up with her body, reeling her fist back. Her brow was knit, bewildered with her sudden reaction.
Just as quickly, Alice and Shane spurred. Rubbing their heads, they both arose. Shane yawned, stretching. "Sorry guys, did I fall asleep?"
Alice was the first to remember. Her back ran cold and a bead of sweat dripped down her brow. "What happened to that thing!"
"Its gone, Duncan showed up and got rid of it. You guys didn't actually think he would just leave us alone, right?" Michael seemed surprised that they didn't notice. "It would be pretty dumb if he didn't, otherwise that thing would have been the end of us"
Shane was confused. "What thing?"
"Remember the shadow we saw yesterday? Yeah, we just found out what cast it" Alice sat down. "It cast a hypnosis on us. It was large, had a large mouth with a beak and had these weird slits on its head."
"What? That can't be, if that was true then we'd be..." Shane's eyes trailed off to the bank of the river, inspecting the deep marks left by the beast's fall, followed by the stench of blood. "...dead"
Veronica cut in. "What was that thing".
Shane quivered, shaking his head. "No way...that was...a Siren!"
"Yup, that thing" Michael clicked his fingers. "It was pretty scary"
Scratching her head, Alice asked: "How come you weren't affected?"
"Ah, Elemental things" Michael chalked it up to that. "I'm not too sure, my body just repelled it"
Veronica moved to the bank of the river, staring at the chunks of clothing that was floating down it's violent current. Sighing, she picked up the metal bat and placed it on her shoulder. "Return to the cabin, we've failed".
* * *
Duncan sat on a chair, placed atop his porch. He waited, staring at the line of trees as four figures emerged. He didn't bother to leave his seat. Approaching Duncan, Shane, Alice, Michael and Veronica returned, unsuccessful in their task.
"That's twice you've failed me" Duncan bit his cheek. "That's twice I've given you a simple task, only for you to fail".
Alice opened her mouth to speak, deciding not to after Duncan gave her a deathly glare.
"Return to Invictus. Come back once you've got clothing".
"Yes Instructor!" they all saluted.
.
.
.
The gates of the indomitable bastion were as large as ever. Guards shouted from up above as the colossal doors opened, causing a rush of wind to blow through Shane. He sighed, walking back into his home.
"So, should we go to sector one or two?" Shane asked.
Michael was first to move in. "Military district for sure, I'll get my father to give us a bunch of clothes".
"Actually, now that we're here, I think we use this opportunity to gather some belongings" Alice proposed. "Who knows when we'll be back in here".
Veronica nodded. "I have stuff to do".
Shane gave a thumbs up in agreement. There was some stuff he needed to bring as well. "Alright, sweet!"
"Meet back in an hour. Michael, you're in charge of getting the clothes. Get a lot" Alice decided. "Agreed?"
They all nodded, going off to do their own thing.
* * *
Shane returned to his barracks, the one he had lived in ever since he was six. Looking at it now reaffirmed Shane's belief.
'Man, what a dreary place'.
He opened the door, stepping inside. Empty. Thankful for his luck, Shane quickly moved to his bed, pulling out from under it a large, leather book.
'Yes!'
He placed it in his bag, but with the book being so large, it filled the entire thing. Shane was about to leave, but then turned back to retrieve one more item. Hidden underneath his top bunk's bed frame, Shane gently pulled out a dusty photograph.
'Can't forget this' he somberly smiled, eyes lingering on it before carefully placing it in his pocket. 'Right, time to go'
* * *
Shane was the first to return, waiting for his companions to arrive. Sitting down on a stone, Shane observed his home for the past sixteen years. The gates of Sector Three loomed above him like a giant, casting a shadow down on all before it. Sector Three was where the military housed the civilians, so, it was also the liveliest. Shane observed as children ran around, sticks in hand, pretending to be soldiers. Their parents watched from afar, giggling and talking to one another about their children's shenanigans.
He felt a deep sense of longing as he stared from afar.
One of the children fell over, scratching their knee on the cement and drawing blood. The mother ran to her crying child and consoled them, cradling them in her arms. The mother noticed Shane's gaze, both of them locked eyes for a moment. Shane beamed, walking over and giving the mother some bandages he was carrying.
"Oh, thank you, boy" she gently smiled. "And what are you doing here? Are you waiting for your parents or sergeant?"
Shane politely shook his head. "No ma'am, I am waiting for my friends"
The lady tutted. "You young folk better not be slacking off. No time for fun nowadays".
"We're not, I promise" Shane brought his lips up. "Just reconvening here and going back out".
The lady seemed surprised. "Outside? When its so dangerous? What is the military doing to our youth nowadays?"
Shane chuckled. "Its a new training project, ma'am, in response to growing Arxian threat".
"Oh really now?" She seemed to be unaware of it. "Why, that's wonderful, young man! For the future of humanity!" she brought a fist to her heart.
Shane replied in kind. "To the future of humanity".
.
.
.
The lady would return home with her child after bandaging them up, and a little while later, the others would return. Michael and Alice.
"Hey Michael, do you have the clothes?" Shane asked.
Michael pointed to the large sack over his shoulder. "What do you think?" he grinned. "Father gave me a little extra, he said he left a special present inside for Duncan".
"Oh really? I didn't think your Dad and Duncan were that close" Alice said. "I thought they were just military friends".
Michael's mouth grew agape. "Are you kidding? The two were practically brothers! From all the stories my father told me when I was a kid..."
"Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't know, Alice" Shane looked at his short companion. "Pretty much everybody in Invictus knows".
Alice scoffed. "Yeah, well, if it wasn't obvious I'm not from Invictus" she revealed. "I'm from another settlement. I arrived here just last year".
"Oh! So that's why I didn't recognize you!" Shane put a hand to his head, finally figuring it out. "Just last year? Dang, where did you come from then?".
Alice shrugged her shoulders, nonchalant. "Eh, just a random village. No biggie".
"Huh, cool" Shane believed her. "So, do we just wait for Veronica now?"
Michael smiled without the usual humor in his eyes. "I was waiting for you guys to notice. Its been over an hour, knowing her, she's either doing something important or..."
Shane's eyes grew wide. Alice seemed to catch on.
Michael's eyes glimmered with a cold light. "Spot on".