Eternal Squad - The Resurrection

The Stranger - Origins

-Are you crazy?- Asks Ten, after listening One’s story -Why the f**k didn’t you tell us nothing?-

-Could be a trap…- Continues Three.

-I don’t think so.- Says Five, adjusting the upgraded vision addition of his ear transmitter.

-What?-

-It would be so obvious. They know we wouldn’t enter. Besides… it looks empty.- He adds, observing the deeps of the jungle with his objectives searcher.

-Whatever it is, we won’t follow that way.- Concludes Ten, turning back to the place they came from -Let’s go.-

While Ten walks, the other soldiers behold for an instant the big monument in front of them, asking themselves in their minds the origin and nature of it…

-It’s not a trap.- Affirms One, interrupting the silent doubt of the others.

-How are you so sure?- Asks Three.

And, after a second of silence, Krein ends:

-Because the voice didn’t come from my transmitter.-

After his answer, One gives the first step forward while he stares the huge monument.

-What are you doing? You want us to be killed?- Asks Ten from afar.

The other warriors keep silent, until Five follows the initiative of the squad member with more conviction in his choice:

-A trap or not… there is nowhere else to go, brothers. This is the end.- Concludes, following the path of One.

Without more comments, Two and Three look at each other’s eyes, sharing a deep feeling of uncertainty, but knowing that they have no option but stay united with their team. Once starting the path, Ten turns mad by seeing that all of them walk in the contrary way as him:

-f**k this shit.-

No one can imagine the origin of that structure; it’s complexity is not sophisticated… it seems that was designed by an elder civilization. It’s great length and big width make it imposing to view. The height is not unreachable, but it would be an obstacle for a few men stacked. Two pyramids cover the towers of the extremities, while a dome with pointed end poses above the foundations of the entrance. The tunnel to cross the bard is just in the middle with triangle shape, with shining metallic yellow colored stones covering the outline, delimiting it from the rest of the black material that covers the wall. It’s a strong structure, squared and well designed… but there is only a detail that doesn’t match with the logic of this place; it looks like it was just finished a few days before their arrival.

After crossing the wall, the novices walk across a path of stones, surrounded by giant trees. Nobody feels quiet. The cold of the night and the whistling among the bushes provokes a sensation of being watched by a thing which their memories have no knowledge about. Like being stalked… hunted. Coming back is not an option, but continuing it’s an insane idea… an alternative that could freeze the whole team in front of an unexpected situation. The despair breaks them step by step. Nobody feels quiet. Nobody… except Krein.

It’s the end of the path. A circular surface made out of the same stones, with a really wide diameter, also surrounded by trees, seems to mark what used to be the center of this elder civilization. Following the direction of the path, hundreds of stairs above a hill continue the way, dividing in huge platforms, until reaching what looks like a big temple with the same architectural style from that majestic entrance. Turning left and right, two other paths continue to other buildings of the same kind, that only can be seen by looking over the trees.

Guarding the steps of the youngest, the soldiers move until the middle point of the circle.

-You hear that?- Asks Two, a little altered, while a strange buzzing runs in a high speed among the trees.

Putting their backs together, the brothers set in a position where they can see all around them, take their weapons and get ready for their next movement.

After trying to see what is prowling between the trees, the five of them move in shape of a pentagon, each one to a different tip. Their steps are slow… careful. Alert to any danger they could face. The whistling increases the speed and doesn’t stop spinning around them. One by one, they stop before reaching the edge of the circle, until something completely unexpected happens; behind them, a blue glare start shining from the center of the surface, growing every second and invading the space between the trees. Some seconds go away until the team get the guts to turn and see what’s emerging from that center and, once getting their eyes on the lightning with unknown origin, a flash of the same thing abruptly pushes the soldiers out of the surface, crashing them on the floor and making them unconscious.

The dream ends. The light of the new day awakes the warriors. However, noticing what is before their eyes, nobody has enough breath to make any move. And, even if they had it, some kind of paralysis from their hips and down doesn’t allow them to make any try. Inexplicably, a transmission breaks the silence:

-Recon unit, control speaking. Can you hear me? We need your status, now.-

-Control! Dan here, from the Generation Nine.- Responds Five, who seems to be the most sane in the situation.

-Five, we need the status. Inform.-

-Sir… the mission was a failure. We were ambushed by hundreds of hostiles.- He answers, with melancholic tone -We are five survivors in total.-

-What happened to the recon team?-

-All dead, sir… nobody made it.-

-And the rest of the Generation?-

Five doesn’t have enough strength to speak about his fallen brothers during the last day, but his silence is well interpreted by the superior behind the transmission.

-Five, we need you to recover the collected data from…-

-Sir, we need to be evacuated, now.-

-Negative. Your mission now is to save everything that the recon team…-

-You don’t understand, sir.- Interrupts again, a little altered, holding his view to the eyes of the strange man located in the middle of the team -We need that evacuation… now.-

-Five, we won’t discuss about your mission. It’s necessary to…-

-Sir…- Says Dan, one last time.

Eternal seconds full of tension go away until they listen the awaited answer by all of them:

-We’ll send a ship for you.- Responds control -By the situation, the evacuation will reach in approximately two days. Stay alert for it’s arrival.-

-Dammit, sir, we don’t have two days! Control! Control, somebody answer!.-

The pleadings of Five are in vain. The transmission ends and there is no way to reconnect with it.

-Who are you?- Asks Ten, mad and prepotent to the man in the middle of the circle.

-Were you sent to kill us?- Continues Two, scared by the strange apparition.

-s**t, shut up. You, answer me. Who are you? Who sent you?-

From it’s position, the stranger slowly rounds his view to all of them, but there is no answer at all.

-If you don’t speak, I swear I’m gonna…-

-Stop.- Interrupts Krein -You… you are doing this, right?- Asks to the stranger, observing his own legs with no response -Can you free us?-

-Krein…-

-I promise… I promise we won’t hurt you. But let us go.-

Some instants after the request, an inexplicable force deactivate the chest and abdominal armor of the soldiers, same happening with the arms, back and every equipment from their hips to up. Their legs work again.

The warriors stand up. All of them are confused, but Ten is more insistent than his curiosity; wielding his hands, the oldest member of the team gets determined to end with the life of the sixth individual. However, the stranger extends a hand to the direction of the soldier… the paralysis is back just for him, now in all his body.

-Kill him.- Orders Ten, trying to move with all his strength.

The instinct of the novices is to defend their brother, but all of them know this is a bigger situation. They had never heard before about something similar, much less witnessing power of such that magnitude. By an instant, Two, Three and Five get the guts to attack, but the calmness of Krein tells them that the best way to solve this, is doing nothing.

Noticing the surrender of the soldiers, the stranger puts his hand down, giving Ten his mobility back.

-We’ll talk after eating.- He says -You have a jungle to explore… surprise me.-