Fallen Worlds

Chapter 2: A World Unknown

Pain. Not sharp. Not dull. Everything. Every muscle in Price's body screamed the moment consciousness returned. For several long seconds, he couldn't separate one sensation from another. His ears rang violently. His vision refused to focus. The scent of crushed grass mixed with damp earth filled his lungs, replacing the familiar smell of concrete dust and smoke. He stayed still. Years of experience overrode instinct. Listen first. Move second. Silence...

No. Not silence. Birdsong. Dozens of different calls echoed somewhere overhead. A breeze whispered through leaves. Branches creaked gently. Water trickled nearby. Price frowned. Water? That made no sense.

A groan broke the stillness. Heavy fabric shifted against the ground. Price turned his head just enough to see König pushing himself onto one knee. The Austrian's massive frame had flattened a wide patch of grass beneath him. One gloved hand pressed firmly against the side of his helmet. "...Der Schmerz..." His voice was rough. Strained. He slowly sat upright, shaking his head as though trying to clear it. "What..." He blinked several times. "...the hell..." His breathing steadied. "...happened?" Before anyone could answer—

"What the f**k happened?" Soap. Price looked just in time to watch the Scot scramble to his feet far too quickly. His legs immediately gave out beneath him. "Whoa—" He stumbled backward. Then disappeared. A loud crash echoed through the clearing. "...Ow!" Ghost and Gaz reacted instantly. Both were moving before Soap had even finished hitting the ground. "You alright?" Gaz called as he slid down the shallow embankment. Soap groaned. "I'm fine..." A beat passed. "...I think." Ghost looked over the edge. Soap was sitting in the middle of what appeared to be a dry creek bed, rubbing the back of his helmet. He frowned. "...What the hell's a creek doing in the middle of the city?" Nobody answered. Because nobody had one. Ghost slowly lifted his eyes. His gaze swept across the trees surrounding them. The clearing. The sky. The breeze moving through branches. His voice came out flat. Cold. "...Because we're not in a city anymore." The words settled over the group like frost.

Price finally pushed himself upright. Every joint protested. He ignored it. Years of military service had taught him how to move through pain. His first instinct was to find the building. The warehouse. The office complex. Anything. Instead… He found a meadow. Not large. Perhaps seventy meters across. Wild grass swayed gently in the morning breeze, each blade sparkling beneath droplets of dew. A narrow creek wound lazily through the clearing, though much of its bed had already begun drying beneath weeks without meaningful rain. Ancient trees surrounded them on every side. Towering pines mixed with broad-leafed hardwoods stretched impossibly high, their branches weaving together into a dense green canopy that filtered the early morning light into scattered shafts of gold. The forest felt...

Old. Not abandoned. Not overgrown. Alive. Birds called somewhere above. Their songs were unlike anything Price had ever heard. Some sounded almost familiar. Others… Not at all. There were no distant engines. No aircraft. No traffic. No sirens. Nothing. Just nature. The realization settled heavily in his chest. Kunstenaar was gone. "Call out." Price's voice cut cleanly through the clearing. One by one, the responses came. "Here," Gaz answered from the creek as he helped Soap climb back onto solid ground. "Aye, Cap." Ghost never took his eyes off the tree line. König raised one hand. "Here." Price gave a short nod. Everyone accounted for. That was something. He began checking himself over. Helmet intact. Plate carrier secure. Sidearm present. Primary weapon...

Still slung across his chest. His radio remained attached, though the display flickered strangely before going dark again. He keyed the handset. "This is Bravo Six, radio check." Static. Nothing else. He tried another frequency. Still nothing. Ghost was already doing the same. "Nothing." Gaz checked his own. "No signal." Soap frowned. "Jammed?" "Maybe." Price didn't believe it. Radio jamming didn't explain… Any of this.

"So..." Soap dusted dried mud from one knee. "...Anyone else wondering where the hell we are?" Price looked toward the endless forest. "That remains to be seen." His voice remained calm. Measured. The same steady tone he used on every operation. Panic spread quickly. Confidence spread faster. He wasn't about to let uncertainty infect his team. "Check your gear." The order snapped everyone back into routine. "If it's damaged beyond use, set it aside." He looked around the clearing once more. "If it still works..." His hand settled against the grip of his rifle. "...take inventory." Immediately, everyone went to work. Ghost checked magazines with practiced efficiency. Gaz inventoried medical supplies and spare ammunition. Soap inspected his rifle before giving the optic a skeptical tap. "Well..." He looked through it again. "...At least this survived." König knelt beside his rucksack, carefully checking every buckle and strap. Nothing appeared damaged. Even after whatever had happened… Their equipment had survived remarkably well. Price wasn't sure if that reassured him...

Or worried him more. He walked to the edge of the clearing. Beyond the trees, the forest stretched farther than he could see. No roads. No power lines. No buildings. No smoke. No aircraft. Nothing that suggested civilization. Only an endless sea of green. For the first time in many years… Captain John Price had absolutely no idea where he was.

The silence didn't last. Crack. A twig snapped somewhere to their left. Every rifle swung toward the sound. "Close ranks," Price ordered. The team moved without hesitation, years of training taking over where uncertainty threatened to creep in. They formed a tight defensive circle, each man covering a different angle of the forest. Leaves rustled. Branches shifted. Something was moving. "What're we doing, Price?" Gaz asked, his voice lower now, eyes fixed on the trees. "We stay focused." Price never looked away from the movement. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet." "Focused isn't the problem." Soap's rifle remained trained on the brush, though the slight tremor in his hands hadn't escaped Ghost's notice. Ghost stepped up beside him, placing a steady hand against his shoulder. "Hush." His eyes never left the treeline. "Eyes front." A beat. "Price?" "We hold." The bushes shook again. Closer. Whatever was in there wasn't trying to be quiet anymore. Every heartbeat seemed louder than the last. Price slowly tightened his grip on his rifle. "Hold..." The leaves parted. A rabbit hopped into the clearing. Or...

Something that resembled one. It stood no higher than a house cat, its white fur almost glowing in the morning light. Long ears twitched independently as crimson eyes studied the strangers. Rising from the center of its forehead was a polished black horn, no longer than a man's finger. Nobody fired. "...That's different," Soap muttered. Gaz frowned. "What is that?" The creature sniffed the air. Its nose twitched. Then it screamed. The sound was nothing like any rabbit. High-pitched. Violent. Predatory. It launched itself straight toward Price. Its mouth opened impossibly wide. Rows of needle-like teeth flashed. Price barely had time to react. A blur of blue shot across the clearing.

Crack!

The creature vanished sideways. A spear of crystal-clear ice slammed through its body, carrying it several meters before burying itself deep into the trunk of a nearby tree. Silence. The rabbit hung there, nearly split in two. Its body twitched once. Then went still. Price stared. "...What..." Ghost grabbed his shoulder. "Captain." Price blinked. "Stay with us." The team immediately shifted formation again. This time, not toward the rabbit. Toward wherever that spear had come from. Someone else was here. Hidden. Watching. Then a woman's voice drifted through the trees. Calm. Almost amused. "You boys look terribly lost." Every weapon snapped toward the sound. Price raised his voice. "Show yourself." A quiet laugh echoed through the forest.

"I will." A pause. "But first..." The forest answered. Roots burst from beneath the earth. Vines coiled around rifles before anyone could react. Weapons were tugged from startled hands, carried several yards away where they settled gently into the grass. "Hey!" Soap protested, instinctively taking a step forward. "I wouldn't." The unseen voice remained strangely cheerful. "Unless you'd rather end up beside the horned rabbit." Soap stopped. Ghost's hand caught his forearm before he could move again anyway. Price slowly raised both empty hands. "We're not looking for a fight." "No?" "No." Another heartbeat passed. Then a figure dropped gracefully from an overhanging branch. She landed so lightly the grass barely bent beneath her boots.

Long blonde hair caught the morning sunlight, almost glowing against blue-and-white robes that stirred gently in the breeze. A polished wooden staff rested casually in one hand. Blue eyes examined each of them carefully. Not fearful. Curious. She circled them at an unhurried pace, keeping just outside arm's reach. Studying. Observing. "Hmm..." She tilted her head. "This is..." Another slow circle. "...new." Soap frowned. "What do you mean 'new'?" Ghost answered with an elbow to his ribs. Soap grunted. The woman smiled faintly. "I'd recommend listening to the quiet one." She stopped in front of Price. "You all look..." She searched for the right word. "...odd." "We're not odd," Soap muttered. "From my perspective..." A small smile tugged at her lips. "...you very much are." Price ignored the exchange. "My name's Captain John Price." He kept his hands visible. "My team and I appear to have become... displaced." Her eyes lingered on his uniform. Then his equipment. Then the others. "You certainly aren't from any kingdom I've ever seen." "No." "We're not." She considered that answer. Finally, she rested one hand against her chest. "My name is Alice." Her gaze swept over the five soldiers one last time. "And wherever you came from..." She frowned thoughtfully. "...it wasn't anywhere near here."

Alice looked between the five soldiers once more before smiling. "I suppose introductions are in order." She gestured toward the others. "I've told you my name." Alice returned to Price. "It only seems fair that I know the names of your companions." Price inclined his head slightly. "Fair enough." He motioned toward the young soldier standing nearest the creek. "Sergeant Kyle Garrick." Gaz offered a polite nod. "Most call me Gaz." Price pointed toward the towering Austrian. "König." The contractor acknowledged her with a single nod. "The quiet one," Price continued, "is Lieutenant Simon Riley." Ghost remained motionless. "...Ghost." Finally, Price looked toward the last member of the team. "And the one who talks more than the rest of us combined..." Soap sighed. "...Here we go." "...Sergeant John MacTavish." Price allowed himself the faintest smile. "Soap." "Oi." Soap pointed accusingly. "I've got plenty of good qualities." Ghost answered without missing a beat. "We're still looking." Gaz snorted. Even König's shoulders shifted slightly beneath his gear. Alice laughed. It wasn't forced. Just genuine amusement. "You really are an unusual group." She tilted her head ever so slightly. "Don't you think?" At first...

No one answered. Then another voice did. "Their clothing..." The words seemed to come from everywhere at once. "...is unfamiliar." The voice was calm. Low. Layered. As though several people had spoken the same sentence in perfect unison. The laughter vanished from Alice's face. Not from fear. Recognition. "There you are." Price's shoulders stiffened. Another contact. Another unknown. "You've got company," he observed carefully. Alice nodded. "I do." She glanced toward the tree line. "You can come out." A small smile crossed her face. "I think they're harmless." Silence.

Then...

The shadows beneath the soldiers' feet began to move. Soap immediately took a step back. "What the—" The darkness stretched unnaturally across the grass, flowing like liquid ink toward Alice. Every shadow in the clearing seemed to answer. They gathered. Twisted. Rose. The air grew noticeably colder. Not freezing. Just… Still. The shadows folded upward into the shape of a person. First armor. Black. Trimmed in worn gold. Then long raven-black hair spilled over polished pauldrons. Finally...

A mask. Matte black. Wolf-like in shape, its elongated snout and tall ears lending it an almost regal silhouette. Elegant gold accents traced the eyes and layered edges, catching the morning light without a hint of ornamentation. Nothing beneath it was visible. Only two molten-gold eyes regarded the strangers. Steady. Unblinking. Price had spent decades reading people. Body language. Posture. Eyes. Everything. The woman standing before him revealed absolutely nothing. Yet something about her demanded attention. She wasn't standing aggressively. Nor defensively. She simply… Occupied the space. Like an old oak that had stood through centuries of storms. Without realizing it, Soap stopped fidgeting. Gaz straightened. Even Ghost's posture shifted almost imperceptibly. Instinct. The same instinct that had warned Price about Kunstenaar. It whispered again. This one...

...is dangerous. Not because she intended violence. Because violence clearly wasn't something she feared. "You trust too easily." Her voice carried the same layered quality they'd heard moments before. Ancient. Measured. Alice folded her arms. "And you're too skeptical." The blonde smiled. "It balances out." For just a moment...

The corner of Wolf's mask tilted. Not quite amusement. Close enough. Price took one careful step forward. Hands still visible. "If we're introducing ourselves..." He met the stranger's golden gaze. "...may we know your name?" The woman regarded him for several quiet seconds. Long enough that Price wondered whether she'd answer at all. When she finally spoke… It was simple. "You may call me..." A pause. "...Wolf." Nothing more. No title. No explanation. Just a name. Price nodded once. "It suits you." Wolf didn't react. If she appreciated the remark… Her mask gave no sign.