Chapter 14 - Old Friend

After the adrenaline died down, I felt my body relax and and slowly succumbed to the pleasure of sleep.

"..."

"..."

"Hagh, I want to sleep too." Jason whined a bit before dragging Mark to a wall so he could lay on it.

"Me, too" George agreed

Their entire bodies ached all over.

"Who would've thought that flower was actually a bomb" Jason chuckled

"And you were playing with it too!" Jason suddenly remembered

George felt cold sweat running down his forehead.

'I could've died!'

"So what now?" George asked while stretching his body

"Now...no clue" Jason sighed

George wanted to complain for keeping him in suspense for nothing, when

*PSSHH*

An entire squad of soldiers came running out of armored vehicles, surrounding them.

George and Jason were vigilant. Watching the 2 tanks and 3 armored trucks. The soldiers had blank expressions as they aimed their guns.

Two people walked to the front. A middle aged man in his mid 30's and a young woman seemingly in her late 20's.

"This is the Spearhead Legion's Squad 5 of the Extraterrestrial Investigation Bureau. State your names!"

Jason stayed quiet observing the pair. George stepped in front of Mark as he was currently without defense.

The two sides stayed in a stalemate quietly observing each other. The captain was about to speak, when

"Jason?!"

A man in his 20's walked out from the rows of armed troops.

"Jakey?" Jason asked while staring at the young man

"Haha! I knew you would be alive!" Jake Hammer exclaimed

The captain raised his hand, signalling his men to lower their guns.

Jake reached his hand for handshake. Jason stared at it for a bit before deciding to receive it.

'We lost our food and water in our last battle, so I guess I should sponge off from Jake for now.'

"It's been a while" Jason said with a smile

When the women in the squad saw his smile they couldn't help but blush, and not even the woman next to the captain was spared. Truly a despicable man, despite doing it unintentionally.

"Lieutenant Hammer, do you know these men?" Captain Briggs asked

"Ah, haha, yeah me and Jason went to school together." Jake said realizing that they were in the middle of a confrontation.

"I see..." The captain responded

"How are you George?" Jake asked after seeing two more people with Jason

"Been better." George replied, before hurriedly asking

"You think you can spare some doctors for my friend?" George asked brutishly

"Hm?" Jake looked down to see the heavily burned Mark

"He's still alive?" Jake asked shocked

"Can you help him?" George urged, ignoring his desire to punch Jake.

"Okay, I'll have a medic take a look" Jake said, though he didn't have much faith that their friend would survive.

'What the hell even happened to him?'

"First Lieutenant Jake Hammer! It's highly inappropriate to take decisions without asking for permis-"

"You heard him. Medic go take a look at their 'well done' friend." He said, ordering his troops to set up camp before starting their search for survivors.

While Jake spoke with Jason and George, and the medic went to examine Mark's condition. Captain Briggs and Lieutenant Flinger walked to the back of one of the trucks meant to transfer survivors.

Knocking rythmically on the large double backdoors. He entered inside to see an empty space with only a girl -err- woman whose small stature is commonly confused for a little girl, inside. She wore a worn out khaki colored jacket that was hiding her gray military shirt, accompanying it was loose black jeans and boots. She had her coffee brown hair tied messily in a ponytail and had a bored blank expression.

As the the captain stared at her sapphire blue eyes, feeling as if his entire being was being analyzed. He suddenly had the idea, 'How can a woman look so stunning in worn out clothes?'.

Shaking his head as he sighed, muttering 'I really got to enter the dating world again'

His lieutenant stared at him with a deadpan expression, understanding his feelings as she was also ensnared by her beauty when she first met her.

"Do you have an order, sir?" Maria Blanks asked when she saw that the two intru- *cough* guests. Stayed silent.

"Yes, I need you to search the parameter in the area to make sure there aren't anymore aliens in the vicinity.

"Anymore?" Maria asked, still with an ever bored expression.

"Yes, the reason we came here in the first place was because we received an alert that there was an extraterrestrial in this town." The captain explained

"So...what happened to it?" Maria asked, noticing that the captain was speaking in past tense

"We haven't received any information regarding what happened...but guessing from the 3 boys we met just now. I... believe they are the cause for its sudden disappearence."

Maria's eyes flashed with intrigued light before disappearing. Not noticing her interest, he started explaining to her that it was highly unlikely and that it'll be better if they just made sure that the alien wasn't lurking around them.

Leaving the truck, the captain and second lieutenant went to the newly formed tent where the two conscious boys where in, along with Mark.

"Captain, I always wanted to ask. But why do you act so subservial to First Lieutenant Maria Blanks and Jake Hammer?"

"Haha subservial? I guess, that's what my attitude to the two would look like to outsiders." The captain laughed, dumbfounding the lieutenant.

"If you believe that those two are just 'normal soldiers' then you'd be the biggest dumbass in the country!"

"...Well, yes I have noticed that they're exceedingly exceptional compared to the other soldiers. But that doesn't explain your extremely respectful attitude." She responded

"Glacier's Vein"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"That-that project actually existed?!" She practically screamed, startling the oblivious soldiers.

"I don't know. But that's what I was told when Major Marshall assigned them to my squad."

"Unbelievable. Do you think it's true that 'Glaciers Vein' was a gene enhancement therapy?" She asked, agitated.

"Like I said I don't know much about it, only as much as the rumors say."