2 Chapter 2 : About Time, Eh?

Gear Catalogue :

Extra set of clothes socks,underwear,undershirt,overshirt,pants(6kg) Black Steel-toe all weather waterproof Combat boots(4kg), Parka with removable hood and arctic winter liner(4kg), Black Toque(cold weather hat/beanie), Padded Tactical Assault gloves with removable liner(.6kg),Black Tactical vest with ballistic plate inserts(8.6kg), Black Tactical belt with carrying pouch(1.4kg),Diving K-bar and sheath with Ferro rod(0.3kg),2 Karambit knives and sheaths(0.4kg), Multitool with case(0.3kg), Canteen with nesting cup and adjustable carrying pouch(2.2kg:full) 30m 550 para cord strapped to the side(0.2kg), Collapsable grappling hook(0.6kg), 6 Heavy Duty metal carabiners(1.8kg),Tactical flashlight with web casing(0.2kg),Signal Flare (5) (1.8kg),small signaling mirror (0.1kg)10x 10 Tarp (0.2kg), (2) thick Wool blanket(1.8kg),-40c Bivy/Sleeping bag(2.1kg) Emergency mylar blanket(0.1), Steel Mess kit (0.5kg),(15) small resealable plastic bags, (100cm) Roll of black duct tape (1.8kg), Ring from Dad, Safety razor, (1000) waterproof matches in plastic bag, (2) Karambit shoulder harness straps, knife sharpening kit (1.8 kg), Personal Survival kit in waterproofed Tin casing(1kg), Medicinal kit (1.4kg), small waterproof container of nonperishable food(rice 4kg, beans 4kg, moose jerky 2kg) in Waterproof compression sack (10kg).

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I need a plan of action. 

According to my watch, it's 12:32 pm, February third...Dammit! Have I been unconscious for a day and a half? The Search and Rescue happened on the first. No wonder My stomach is growling at me, but it's not as bad as it should be.

Something is happening to my body, I'm not sure what, I have so many questions. What was that light? Why didn't I die of hypothermia? I mean I can't "flame on" or anything, but I feel super warm inside, kind of like I've downed cinnamon whiskey and a couple Jalapenos, I wonder what my core temp is right now.... 

Ok, ok, ok, forget the pointless questions without any answers we'll get there eventually. 

I need to gather all the information I can. Make a plan.

The altimeter in my watch says I'm still pretty high up even in this valley, a hundred meters above sea level if it's accurate. Luckily at the moment, I have quite a bit of gear, or I should if everything is in one piece. I need to take stock of what I have and figure out my options.

I begin by taking off my Tac vest, cold weather gear. It's far too warm to wear the cold weather kit. It feels and looks like a temperate climate zone if the plants work the same.

I take the notepad and pencil out of my jacket pocket I use for taking field notes in so I can take stock of what items I have and write out the immediate needs and figure out what to do. I place the winter gear over top My Pack and clear an area on the platform from ash and dirt. I proceed to open up my tac vest and go through the pockets attached to the front and sides. It's a black vest with dark mesh webbing covering the whole thing for easy customization, and internal pockets for the ballistic plates in the front and back for protection.

I pull out a small dull white coloured tin with black duct tape sealing the opening, my emergency survival kit is still sealed and has no external damage, After checking the contents I put it back in my tac vest's small left side pocket just above the hip and tight to the body. 

I check the three knives sheathed on the vest. My K-Bar knife is sheathed in the upper left chest area, and My two special Issue Karambits sheathed on the either side of the lower back.

Unfortunately, I lost my spare rifle cartridge and radio from my front velcro pockets in the accident, not that it'd be useful here. 

I'll miss Elvira, best rifle I've ever had, used her for my long-distance record, she must have been tossed in the accident.

Ugh, I'd feel a whole lot better if I had my rifle with me, but at least I still have my Blades.

I remove the two front velcro pockets that are empty and place them to the side. I then proceed to open my adjacent side pouch that holds my water canteen. 

I'm so happy it's intact, I open it up and take a swig. 

"Blah tastes stale and full of chemicals." 

While scraping my tongue on teeth, I remove the canteen pouch and strap it to the outside of my right thigh to free up some movement.

in order to sate my hunger and get rid of the taste in my mouth, I undo my tac belt and rummage in the zippered pouch in the centre. Inside is a small plastic bag with some Moose jerky, a blister pack with water sterilization tablets, a wrapped length of paracord and a signalling mirror.

Ohh God, I didn't know moose jerky could taste so, "Mmmmhh Gooood." 

I blushed as I let out a shameful moan...

Thank god no one heard that...

After I devoured the whole small bag and I felt Satisfied. I've never tasted food so vividly in my entire life. I had eaten some of the jerkies before I got tossed overboard, and it wasn't anything like this. 

I guess something odd must have happened to me during the process of getting to this Cathedral. 

I put the vest back on and adjust it to fit snugly as I no longer have the parka on, 

just my black long-sleeved uniform and my t-shirt underneath.

I roll my sleeves up past my elbows to cool off a bit. I notice one of my tattoos on my right forearm, It's a large anchor with a depiction of My favourite underwater sleeping eldritch nightmare watching the right and a crested Corinthian helmet watching the left with a frayed rope tracing a serpentine shape behind it.

I remember I got it after completing my first mission as a combat diver to be a reminder, never be afraid of the unknown, I really just might need to start believing in Gods otherwise I'll never figure out how I got here.

I check the quick access to my knives and confirm my ease of movement.

The karambits have wicked looking double-edged claw-like blade with curved handles and a large ring at the base to hook a finger it helps keep them in my hands during use. They are my edged weapon of choice, and one of the main weapons I've trained to use since I was Younger. I had these two commissioned by the base Quarter Master when I got my last promotion, they've never let me down since.

As for the K-bar it's my survival, utility knife, it's got a straight heavy black blade good for chopping and stabbing, it's black rubber grip means I can really swing it around without worrying it'll slip out of my hand if it's wet and has a small compartment with a Ferro rod inside.

Knowing I still have some offensive weapons and getting out of my heavy gear has made me much more relaxed. 

I toss the two extra pockets on top of my winter gear and open my pack. 

Inside should be everything I need to survive at least somewhat comfortably considering my personal gear and the Medical kit for the search and rescue mission.

I don't think they'll find me if they send out another team for me... Ehhh, whatever it's not going to matter, but I'll leave a message behind about where I'm going just in case. 

I need to make a list of what I have readily available.

After cataloguing all my items in my field journal and putting most of it back in my pack along with most of my cold weather gear. I put on my gloves after taking the winter liners out and putting them in my pack. I move my Multi-tool pouch along with the small flashlight to my left hip on my Tac belt, I refill the central pouch with more moose jerky, the length of paracord, and the previous blister pack of water sterilizing tablets. I leave some space for the signalling mirror I have in my hand and stuff a signal flare in between the webbing on the outside of my pack. 

I check my face for any bruising, after all, I'm pretty sure I fell face first when I passed out on the way here. I don't see any injuries on the exposed lightly-coloured skin around the upper part of my face, I part my thick beard and moustache looking for cuts or abrasions, thankfully seeing none. I've been told I have a nice squarish, unassuming face. I'm not sure if that's actually a compliment, but my mum always tells me she loves my bright hazel-green eyes...My brows pinch together as I think of the last time we talked. She was trying to get me to meet with a daughter of her friend. Sighing, I push my dark chestnut brown hair back out of my face, it's in that undercut style that's gotten popular a while back, the one that's shaved all around the sides except for the top part which is longer and lays back and to the left on me. My mother was the one who suggested the look. I think she's impatiently waiting for me to give her a grandchild, but I've never had the greatest luck in that department. I'm pretty sure I pull off the whole lumbersexual look quite well if I'm being honest, plus maintenance is easy, at least everyone who sees me will know right away I'm Canadian. Whatever I need to stop complaining.

I have to prioritize here, I put the mirror in the pouch on my lower back and sit against my pack. I should write a set of immediate goals. I have sufficient food to last at least 6 days worth of meals admittedly it's mostly moose jerky but with my newfound sense of taste it's like eating a juicy prime cut, so no complaints there.

So first, I need to find out if the water in the river is safe to drink, given how clear it looks and the lush green vegetation, it's probably a safe bet but I don't want to catch any otherworldly parasites, the ones on earth are bad enough, Holy shit! Does this mean I'm an alien? I'm totally an alien right now! This is so cool! Ahem..cough, cough. I'll refill my canteen and use a few sterilization tablets for now. I'll be following the river upstream to the City in the mountain.

Second, I need to make my way to the city and find shelter for the night, there's most likely a night, given the movement of the Shadows it'll probably be somewhat similar to earth. So I have a few hours before the sunsets, dual suns set? Until the two suns go down. I have no clue what the name of two suns setting is, the point is I can see a Moon in the sky and it's not so cloudy, so it shouldn't be too dark but I shouldn't be out in the open in case there are predators around here that get active at night. 

Third, I should look for some tinder and fire making materials while looking at the plants to see if there is any similarity to the ones back on earth. I should be able to make it to the First wall of the City within a few hours, it only looks to be a couple kilometres away. Hopefully, the path leads to a gate. 

I layout my initials and an arrow with some of the rubble pointing towards the city near the circular platform I woke up on. 

I'll eat, drink some water, and write a few thoughts. I set an alarm on my watch, I move out in thirty minutes.