4- Operation Green

I imagine the green terrain my mother and father talked to me about. They say that our whole lives will be surrounded by so much green that someday we might consider hating the color. Years ago, Earth was one of the other planets that's filled with trees and mountains and lands that when you look up from the sky, you'd only see a vast area of green lands. It was all beautiful and calming.

'But it is all gone now. Only an abstract image of what we were supposed to have for our future only remains in our hearts.'

The once pride and joy of every human being, now filled with nothing but mutated plants and a whole bunch of waste.

"You good?" I ask Chan as we all decided to leave her here to guard the shuttle and to also watch out if any of our dear old friend missed us and decides to interrupt my plans.

"I'll buzz you when I sense something, I'll have access to all our eyes soon enough." Chanelle assured me as she was also trying to gain access to the cameras we planted before. Though some of them are still functional some has been destroyed by different creatures. Then to avoid causing fear up in the space station, Broody decided to lock all access to the server receiving images taken from those cameras.

Chanelle had a degree in computer science and was planning to study cybercrimes when all shit happened. Right now, she's one of the few that decided not to pursue their career on board the space station and instead volunteer herself on other things. However, times such as this, Chanelle tends to practice her skills and sometimes I fear her dark side.

"Okay, just make sure not to alert the ones watching us up there." I pointed my finger up, indicating the superiors that are waiting for us to do something bad so they could cast us out or blackmail us into submission.

Chan understands me of course and didn't say anything else. I left her typing something on her screen keyboard and that's how she always is. She'll always keep to herself and sometimes, I do appreciate that at least one of my members are not so rowdy or chatty.

The rest of my team are now waiting for me to emerge from the back of the shuttle. They already have their weapons with them and are now in position, looking lively and ready to kill. Levi stood at the center, I allowed him to bring a weapon with him, my weapon to be exact, so he can protect himself.

You may think I'm crazy for allowing him my weapon and put our lives in danger, but that is not the case here and the thing I explained earlier with our new techy watches, well they are not the only one that's been updated and made anew all these years.

All weapons we have back at the space station are equipped with voice recognition systems and they are uniquely made for each person who desires to use them. In simple terms, if you want a weapon, you need to get one yourself. If Levi decides to shoot me or any of the other members, he'll be just putting trouble upon himself.

"Let's synchronize our watches." I ordered as all of them gathered towards me. "Time now is fifteen hundred, we should be done after six hours, Levi, I trust that you'll lead us to where your civilization is?" I turn my attention to Levi, giving him the floor to freely speak and tell us where we go from here.

"Six hours is too long; we can get there by two hours on foot. We can't go near that place with your ride, it will just attract too much attention and I don't want to give away our home to those killers" Levi spoke in his manly and flat husky voice.

"Reapiens. Back at the station we have categorized those creatures as Reapiens." I corrected him, not because I wanted to educate him, but because I wanted to make sure that we are on the same page on who's our enemy in the place. Levi could only nod at my words but he didn't say anything else. ¨Okay then, we follow Levi from here on, if you sense any danger, report immediately. Dave you go high, Doc and Jack, you go with Levi, Carlos and I will be on the back. Keep your guard up, we are here to collect information so don't engage. Let´s avoid casualties this time boys. Do you get me? ¨

They all answered in unison of we get you and after that they all went back to their positions and Dave flew up. Yeah, that is his thing, he is like superman with the flying and laser shooting from his eyes thing, but he is less of a superman because his element doesn't have super strength.

As everything seemed to settle down, we began our journey towards civilization zero.

I admit I was full of fear but I was also trying my best to be positive with the situation I am in. This is all huge, this is history happening. I feel like I´m one of the people who finally discovered a new life form and now I am exploring more of it with the people I truly admire and trust. I am mixed with fear and excitement that my mind is filled with thoughts of my parents plans.

My parents, they are both experts on their own fields of science. My mom was more on the biological side while my dad works more on whats out there. Growing up, I never understand how they even managed to find love when both of them are so busy with their own fields of study. They both work for the government and let's just say, they are one of the few who wishes for a better tomorrow for the human race.

I remember how they would often make me promise to never put myself first. They trained me to be just like them because in their beliefs, an act of service to others is what the world needs. I witness them sacrifice everything just for the sake of humanity, they were selfless and sacrificial. Too sacrificial that they even threw their lives at the first sight of danger. They love the humankind so much that they have forgotten they created one. They forgot that they still have me.

"Are you okay? Your emotions are slipping?" Carlos whispers to me as we were walking around tall leaved of green and blue. I shake away the thoughts inside my head before answering Carlos.

"I'm sorry. I'm just remembering my mother and father." I simply smiled as I mentioned my parents.

"They would be proud of what you have done until now X." Carlos assures me with his familiar handsome smile, the kind that would usually make any girl fall but not me of course.

I admit that Carlos is good and handsome and he is someone who would be a blessing to any girl he fall into but he is also someone I deeply trust and value. I might have liked him in the past since we're around the same age but right now, I only see him as someone who I would so anything not to lose. He is like the brother I wished I had and he knows that. We both know that.

"We both know I don't really care whether they are proud of me or not." I whispered back while trying to slowly approach the area where Levi, Jack and Doc gathered. Carlos didn't say anything else but I saw him shake his hand at how I responded. Carlos doesn't know my whole story, no one does, however, they all know that I didn't really like the relationship I had with my parents. And I appreciate that they are not asking me.

Dave flew down on us as we were all standing on a cliff while looking down on the vast land that in my theory, moved, since the last time we were here.

"Things must have happened while we were up there, the last time we were here. Some things have changed. The trees have grown a lot too. I saw some movement down west but I couldn't gather more information because of the damn rainbow trees." Dave complained as he was trying to squint his eyes. Since his element emits laser beams out of his eyes, it is also sensitive to multi-colors. Doc explains it as one of the peculiar things we received after the wave we experience years back.

I could feel the irritation growing on Dave and so as the exhaustion from others. I look at my time and to my surprise, we were walking for three hours, but it still feels like a few minutes ago.

"Hey Chan?" I spoke subtly.

"Cap't?" she immediately answered.

"How long has it been since we left the shuttle?" I asked curiously.

"About 15 minutes. Why?" I look at my time again when Chan answered, and it is showing a different time.

"Everyone, check you time, how long have we been here?" I worriedly ask for everyone to check their time. If their time is the same as Chans, then mines broken but if they have the same time as mine, something else is happening and that worries me.

"Mine shows 2 hours 15 seconds past fifteen hundred." Jack reports.

"Yeah that's funny, mines showing 4 hours has passed" Dave raised his eye brow before looking at me with realization hitting his brain. "What the hell is happening?"

"Something else is in play here. Something we haven't encountered before" I answered back while being on guard.

"Guys, where are you? Why can't I pin any of your location?" Chan asks in a hurry but I was already busy looking around, sensing if there's anyone other than us in this place.

All my senses are on high alert and every piece of my cell are awakening, looking for something that could explain the situation we are in. I was getting frustrated until I sensed a calm emotion among us. I looked to each of the team and they all feel the same as I did, then there's Levi.

He was the source of this calm and relax demeanor I'm experiencing. He turns around to look at me with a smile on his face.

"Don't panic" he mouths at me. He then closes his eyes then he raises both of his hand looking like he was about to cast something. I could feel something different rising from his emotions. His facial expression shows nothing but peace, but I could feel it all. The rush, the blood boiling and extending to every corner of the body. I could feel all of him and it's making me weak.

I looked at him and the rest of the team but unlike me they were unaffected. I was the only one who could feel it all. I looked at Levi and that's when he did it. He casted out his element and surrounded us like a ball of clear glistening crystal.

"Unlink yourself X" Doc sees me and shakes me so I can turn my focus on him. "Look at me." Doc clears his throat and reaches out to me. I close my eyes and try breathing normally, I focused on my breathing just like how Doc taught me before. I shut off everyone's emotions and when I finally calmed down, I opened my eyes only to see everyone now surrounding me. "Are you okay now?" Doc checks on me while he held my wrist, probably checking if my pulse was steady or erratic.

I didn't answer his question but instead I looked for Levi, afraid that he must have ran off after seeing me weak and everyone distracted, however, he was there. He was standing among the team and he was looking at me.

"I told you not to panic." Levi approaches me then he extends his hand for me to grab. I reached for his hand and stood up to face him. "I have to use my curse to free us from the delusion this place is giving. Why don't you look at your time now?" Levi calmly talks to me while looking all confident.

I never really got a good look on him, I did say before that he was rather cute and also a little hot, but right now, I can genuinely say he was blessed with good looks. One would think he was sculpted to perfection too. If I wasn't in such an awkward situation, I would have complimented him but I am in an awkward situation and I do not wish to look like I'm flirting in front of my team.

"He is right captain, our time went back to normal." Dave confirms.

"How did you know it was a delusion?"

"Because I have lived and witness all their tricks throughout the years." Levi proudly answered. "I guess being left behind has its perks." He says with a hint of sadness lingering his words.

"Your element is truly beautiful, I have my suspicions but seeing them in person, its spectacular. Look Carlos, this are truly amazing." Doc spoke while tapping the ball of defense that Levi created. He and Clark examined the surface and they both started talking in theri own language. Dave got interested and he even joined them, which is rare since he doesn't like those stuff.

Jack stayed behind not to accompany me but to check our surrounding. This is the first time I get to talk to Levi without the others watching.

"Thank you. You save us from falling into a trap." I sincerely said not wanting to deny that he did help us. Levi only gave me a brief smile then he turned his back on me.

I didn't say much after that then I tried focusing myself now to our surrounding. Though we are covered by Levi's ball of defense, I can still see clearly the things that are happening outsude the ball. We are somehow located at the center of plants that emits this hallucinogen. I know this plant since I have been studying one years back. Though in my memory they are much smaller than the ones we have right now. I call them Tensys.

Thing is, since this plants are harmless and they usually have effective hallucinogens, they serve as a drug for those creatures to enjoy, which means…

"Everyone, prepare your weapons." I commanded while looking around to see any sign of them. If one of them gets a whiff of this hallucinogens they usually get twice as aggressive as they are.

"Your quick to realize." Levi complimented out of no where. He was already on guard and I could feel it.

"How long can this little shell last?" I asked while formulating a plan inside my head.

"Depends on me. I can manipulate it for as long as I want" I sensed some confidence while he brags about his element.

"On my signal, open a small area where all of you can run back to the ship. I'll stay behind to fend them off. Reapiens usually travel like a herd, even if only one of them shows up, there could be others following." I requested from Levi but the other must have heard me because they all gathered around me with angry faces.

"Really Capt? Your doing it again!" Dave was the first one to speak. He was mad and he is purposely maing me feel all his anger.

"I am not. I am only buying you guys some time to return back to the ship. I'll follow once I'm done killing them all. My priority now is to keep you all safe, we came here for reckon and to actually see more human being, not lose them. Reapians are smart and they evolve fast. If they see us all together, they'll know that we are here for a reason!" I tried explaining fast. "I can create a divertion, just enough to throw them off course. Plus we all know you guys can't be here when I use my element."

I could tell that all of them are dejected, especially Levi. I thought he would say no and fight me for his freedom, but he didn't instead he nods at my words and went to the side where I think he would open later on when the reapians finally shows up.

The rest of the team wanted to join me but I gave them my orders and I already decided to use my element so they know I can be destructive and they can't be here when it happens. I do not wish to hurt any of them and I honestly don't want those creatures to find out that we are here because there are others.

That is why, I have to kill all of them. Any of them that gets here. I have to finish them all.