The sound of heavy breathing filled the air as she ran, gasping for breath. Jackals heard it all. He slowly lifted his head in confusion.
There was complete darkness, yet a spotlight shone on the ground before him. Her pale skin glowed, glittering. Her long, white hair fell playfully over her shoulders.
Sitting on a metallic bench, she swung her leg absentmindedly, lost in memories. She was the same person he had met at the station.
His confusion eventually turned into curiosity. Jackals took a step forward, a cup of tea in hand. He inched closer until his feet were hit by the ray of light.
She stared at him with the eyes of a dead fish. He flinched backward at her sudden movement.
She stood up, her clothes swaying in the radiant light. With her hands behind her back, she leaned forward, balancing on her bare feet, and observed Jackals.
The letters "ESOP" were labeled on the coat she wore. He tried to speak but was interrupted.
"Do you like my tea?" she said with a blank expression, plain, looking through her silky hair as she tilted her head down slightly.
"But why in the paper cup, though?" he asked, recalling the mysterious tea that had once appeared in his hand at the station. The hot Darjeeling in the paper cup was quite contrasting, rich and elegant yet served in a mere paper cup.
"Is that a problem?" she responded, her tone flat and emotionless. She shifted her pose, standing straight and crossing her arms, her gaze still fixed on him. The shift in posture made her appear more distant yet strangely commanding.
Jackals hesitated, then took a deep breath. "No, just... who are you?" He cut to the chase, embracing the consequences of his curiosity.
[Blink]
The spotlight followed her step by step as she inched closer to him. Lifting her head up, she stared deep into the darkness, ignoring his question. Her lips curled. "Have you ever wondered what free will is?"
[Blink]
"Don't change the topic, love. What is your name?" Jackals pressed, a nervous smile on his face, shivers running down his spine.
[Blink]
She turned to face him fully, bathing in the blinding light; they both shared the same shadows. He couldn't move. Leaning closer to Jackals, their faces were mere millimeters apart. Placing her matte black hand on his cheek, she radiated a reminiscent heat he used to experience.
"??????, what could be better than to do nothing but look up, hm?" The hand holding the cup of tea shook violently. She spoke a name he didn't recognize, her words laden with silent menace.
[Blink]
Horror. The longer he trained into her eyes, the more he witnessed. Even a man of war who faced countless disgust and despair couldn't brace himself for this.
A woman brutally gang-raped by five men. Punches to her stomach brought her down to her knees. She looked up in despair. The contrast between the aphrodisiac, MDMA, and the ruptured in her vagina was horrifying. The vision blurred until... only darkness remained.
It's not the picture he saw, but the emotion he was forced to felt.
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Jackals gasped for air. He was awake on the wooden floor in the watchtower. Quickly spring himself up in a hand combat stance. Spray his vision around, panicked and alert.
"Jackals, your heart rate is exceeding 190 BPM. What happened?" Elysia informs the terrified man of his pounding chest and, thus, the bursting pipe.
Frustration dives the man into cussing. "You got permission to invade 50% of my brain, didn't you see it?" His voice was shaken, but he put aside the unease; his wounded hand was completely healed, and his energy was restored. Second passed, his beating chest slowing down to a normal pace.
"No jackals I didn't see anything; what happened?" Silence. They both fall into silence, cannot explain why and how it occurred—the dream, the nightmare. The only thing they can do is just put a pin on it and move on. Picking up the radio signal once after many hours of intense interference, it is the voice of no one but the recuse team.
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|Sergeant|
"Marksman, how is the status? We are about to enter the compound now." Jareth speaks with stern and strong as he was the man who have to keep his team intact.
|A-Marksman|
"Shit, I lost the signal with the drone, sir." This little information is enough to make the whole group stressed out.
With their eyes trained to the x-ray monitor visor, sweat drips into their eyes, but it doesn't make them even blink. Some of them swallowed hard as they knew that they might have already been fucked without knowing.
|Sergeant|
"Fucking hell, alright, we'll move on; keep your eyes up," thus the seven armed men have to proceed on their own.
Moving beyond the gate, they traverse into the Outpost in a spearhead formation. It is too quiet for the place with these many buildings. Closing into the watch tower. They stack up on the door, waiting for orders.
"Peek through the door; we don't want them to know we're coming," said the sergeant, who was the second man in the left stack, staring at the point man who got guts.
|A-Pointman|
A-Rifleman with the nerves of steel, reaches the door handle and pushes it open just enough for him to see. The room was dimly lit, but the sight was unmistakable.
"Captain Jackals." He whispered to the comms. "Looks like he's alone and alive."
|Breaching team|
Once they are confident about the identity of the figure in the room, both doors swing open, and they walk in with the two pointmen, rifles at low-ready. The rest falls in to the place with pace and coordination.
The tall figure smirked in amusement, relieved as he sat back on the wooden chair, speaking carelessly. "Ah, gentlemen, thank you for coming to rescue me. You won't believe what they've done to me," He wiggled his wounded right hand, covered in soaked black fabric.
The sudden shift in atmosphere with Jackals relaxed demeanor confused the task force.
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"So... are you actually okay or not?" the sergeant asked. He didn't know how to react in such a situation. They had tried their hardest to make their way here, enduring hardship only to find the captain mockingly smiling at them with his hand wrapped in bandages.
The group stared at Jackals, their expressions a mix of concern, confusion, and lingering dilemma. It was a complex moment, difficult to put into words. Suddenly, a voice crept into their helmets, emanating from Elysia, who had connected her way in. Sensing the need to diffuse the tension, she spoke up, her words aimed at settling down the situation.
"Ahem." The monotonous voice drew everyone's attention, dissolving the tension between them instantly. "May I require your attention for a second? I, Captain Jackals' personal combat assistant, named Elysia, have the pleasure of meeting you all." Soldiers listened to the voice echoed in their helmets in awe. "As for your answer, Sergeant, The captain's right hand has been injured and will be healed shortly." Elysia answered Jareth's question straight to the point, while Jackals waved his injured hand again. "I may explain the situation for you all to understand."
Regulators waited for her next word before she spoke, "But firstly, I suggest that we follow the captain to the secured location. I am asking for your cooperation." Thus, soldiers, mixed with concern and skepticism, watched as Jackals stood up and gave them a nod. "Follow me, don't drop your guard," his voice was more workable than before.
They traversed to the next floor. A-Marksman whispered in curiosity, "What does the sign say?" Yet shortly after, the yellow text overrode the unreadable letters into the words "Dining quarter." He was enlightened by Elysia.
Jackals peeking thr door with caution as he didn't want to trigger his alarm trap. He crouched down and untangle the fishing wire. Nodding, "come on in, pal."
The group after placing theirs heavy unnecessary equipment in the corner of the room. They sitting cross-legged in a circle. To started the discussion about what to do next. Elysia upload the slides of intelligence that she and Jackals has encountered.
"Sergeant." Jareth spooked as he was called by Jackals. He facing him waiting for a speech
"I know we all have a question, starting with you sergeant." Jackals was open-minded, as this was the most effective way to inform everyone about the situation.
Soon after have a chance to ask he quickly take it. "Okay, I have a tons of shits to ask you captain."
"Okay sure what is it."
"How are you getting captured?" Jareth was speaking in a strong and clear with the twist of frustration, fear and tired.
"Well, Elysia show them the slides."
As commanded, The first picture is the log of his muscle functionality when he was observing the bloody battlefield of hunters against gigantic fiend.
[Data Log NO. 249935]
-Supplying sodium...[]interrupted[]
-Detect foreign molecules
-Cleaning blocked gate.....[]failed[]
-repeat.....[]failed[]
-repeat.....[]failed[]
-repeat.....[]failed[]
-Lost sodium supply
-ATP fabrication disrupted
-Movement constricted
Watching in awe and confused, the soldiers are waiting for Jackals to explain.
"This is what happens. My bio scanner got interrupted during scouting it because of the intense interference, like the thing that happens to your drones."
Like a light bulb popping on theirs head, they nodding.
"If I have to said precisely, it is mysterious particles/molecules that appears out of thin air and bounce our communication frequency, thus this can be minimise by using laser communication system, take a note of tha sergeant."
Suddenly B-Leads raised his hand and speak.
"Firstly captain, why are you so confident about this? Secondly what is the log is about?"
Jackals listen while scratching his head trying to find a word, but it doesn't take so long because Elysia is already make her move.
"As for you answer, B-Firing team leader. I and Captain Jackals have carefully analysing the sample from his central nerves and his muscles, can be read in the Log. As well as the sample in the atmosphere when we were firstly descending in a cargo pod."
"And?" B-Leads still puzzled.
"We've found that it was the same particles. please take a look at this next slide."
The record of a person in medieval knight armour yet covered his head covered in a green hood with golden threads embedded beautifully. The person here is the one who caused a bright explosion upon the enormous fiend in the battle.
Looking at the video before their eyes only served as fuel to dazed them even more, but soon they will understand as Elysia is gonna continue the lecturing.
"If you pay attention at the centre of the light. You can see that it distorted the pixel of the image because it is the source of that mysterious particles and we will name it U.C.P. to avoid long name and misunderstanding. Observing from the bright light and explosions, we can confirm that U.C.P. is some kind of controllable catalytic."
Yet B-Leads finally put the thing together.
"So in conclusion, U.C.P. is the mysterious particles that can make stuff surpassed reason and make air explode and is a neurotoxin and the interference to our communication?"
"Yes, but it is not actually neurotoxin. Something or Someone has to be controlling U.C.P. to act like so." Elysia reply.
"So it is witchcraft?" A-marksman added.
"No, it is not." Elysia denied.
"Come on, that guy look like a wizard though. It must be a magic" B-MG added.
"No, it is not." Elysia denied.
"What is cool came from a staff and make something goes boom if it wasn't magic?" A-AT added.
"No, it is explainable phenomenal, just not yet." She trying so hard to fight a brick wall.
"Elysia listen, it is a magic alright?" Finally, Jackals speak up.
[Sigh]
"Okay, I gave up. It is for now a magic." Elysia losses against silliness of men at arms.