Chapter 12: first encounter

[~February 2nd, 2193~]

Having already set up a momentary base camp close to the area they landed, Daniel and his team took a few minutes to organize what they needed in the dead of night, donning any necessary weaponry as Morgan waited patiently above, keeping a watchful eye on the perimeter around them.

"Area clear" speaking through his headpiece, Morgan looked down at the rest of his team in confusion. "Where's the rest of the soldiers that are supposed to be assisting us?".

"Beta 110 already has a camp near the village, and we are heading to them now". Holstering his weapon, Daniel signaled to the others to wrap it up as he checked his watch. "Kayla, I need you to bring us to the meet-up location. I doubt we'll make it in time on foot."

Still looking exhausted from carrying the three of them from roughly twelve thousand meters in the air, Kayla took a moment before attempting to lift all of them from the ground, including herself. Floating momentarily, they all fell back to the floor as Kayla nearly collapsed. "I still need a few more minutes t—-." Interrupting her response, all of them began to float off the ground.

"That was fast," Praised Daniel as they rose above the treeline.

Confused and slightly panicked, Kayla looked down as they rose higher. "This isn't me."

"What do you me—?"

"It's me, now where are we going" speaking in a disinterested tone, Morgan interrupted their conversation.

Briefly startled by Morgan's new display, he brushed it off and pointed southeast of their location, Prompting Morgan to fly in that direction. In contrast, they flew closely behind him, slowly picking up speed as Morgan spontaneously broke the sound barrier for a brief moment, a muffled explosion ringing out as they near-instantly appeared over the location nearly two miles away.

Spotting a small camp set up in the area, the group rapidly descended from above the treeline, quietly landing behind a line of Soldiers hidden behind a random assortment of flares.

"Omega 1 reporting," speaking softly but loud enough for the nearest soldiers to hear, Daniel pulled out a small silver badge from his pants pocket and held it forward.

Initially startled with their guns aimed at the new arrivals, the soldiers lowered their weapons upon seeing the batch, one of the soldiers wearing a white satchel separating from the group and glaring at the sight of Daniel and his team, his demeanor showcasing some hostility towards them.

"You've finally arrived. Listen up," the commander said, addressing the team with a hint of hostility. "I don't know what the higher-ups were thinking of sending a bunch of greenhorn lab rats like you on this mission, but I don't have a choice."

Daniel stepped forward, his expression determined. "We're here to get the job done, sir."

Unconvinced, the commander sneered at Daniel. "Don't get ahead of yourself, kid. You and your little freak show might have some fancy powers, but don't forget who's in charge here."

Though on the sidelines, Morgan quickly grew annoyed by the commander's disrespect towards them. Stepping forward, Morgan's eyes narrowed as he looked down at the man. "We're all on the same team here. Let's focus on the mission at hand."

The commander scowled at Morgan with his arms crossed, not bothering to heed his words. "You'll do what you're told and keep your mouth shut. Got it?"

"Huh?" With a raised brow and a head tilted in confusion, Morgan's eyes narrowed as his expression grew dark.

The commander stood his ground, his eyes blazing with anger. "You heard me. You speak only when spoken to."

Uncrossing his arms and sizing up to the man, Morgan's eyes began to glow a bright blue as energy crackled around him, pulsing out from his body as he stood firmly. Knocking the commander off his feet, the rest of the team stepped back with concern etched on their faces.

"Morgan, stop!" Daniel yelled from a distance, trying to intervene but too scared to go any closer.

Ignoring his team, Morgan looked down at the frozen commander, chuckling at seeing him on the floor before looking at his teammates. "Let's get this over with. I'm looking forward to returning," Morgan said as he began to walk past the man on the floor.

Trying not to focus on what had just occurred, the team quickly went into action, examining their surroundings and looking for any signs of the target. Morgan and Kayla took to the trees to overlook the camp, scouting the area and watching for potential threats. Meanwhile, Mark, Talia, and Daniel moved on the ground, keeping their weapons ready as they followed the example of the other soldiers already present.

[3 hours later]

Hours passed as the soldiers lay prone amongst the underbrush, waiting for their target to appear, blending into the forest biome as the occasional rustle of leaves hushed the silent whispers of soldiers.

Positioned behind a tree, the commander diligently scanned the area with his night vision goggles, eventually checking his watch and frowning. There was still no sign of the monster. Looking through a tablet-like device with a map on the screen and seeing no signs of activity, the commander looked to the second-in-command, a young soldier who nearly perfectly blended in with the forest floor.

"Anything on the scanners, Jones?" he asked, crouching down not to raise his voice.

Jones shook his head. "No sir, it's been quiet all night."

The captain grunted in frustration before speaking through his headpiece. "Keep your eyes peeled. We don't want that thing sneaking up on us.". With one final check on the locators attached to each soldier, the commander returned his focus to his surroundings.

As the night wore on, the soldiers grew restless, their muscles stiff and aching as their minds began to wander.

One soldier, in particular, began to lose focus and succumb to the fatigue washing over him. Though before he could doze off, the faint crunching of leaves caught his attention, the sound disappearing just as swiftly as it appeared.

Tightening his grip on his rifle, the soldier reached for his headpiece. "Commander, we have movement. Repeat, we have movement."

On the other side of the line, the captain momentarily lowered his rifle and quickly responded. "Where, soldier?"

But before the soldier could reply, a bloodcurdling scream bombarded the captain's ears as it echoed through the forest and his earpiece. The captain's heart pounded in his chest as he jumped to action.

"Soldier! What's your position!?" The commander yelled in his headpiece, startling his second-in-command.

But it was too late, the line going silent and leaving the commander with the worst in mind. Left with no time to think, he activated a small device on his arm, sending out a signal to all his soldiers, prompting them to commence their hunt.

Unbeknownst to them, watching their every move from the safety of the trees whilst using its incredible agility, the creature stalked them in silence.

Suddenly jumping from a branch, the creature made its move, leaping from the trees with lightning speed and landing amongst the unsuspecting soldiers. The soldiers barely had time to react before the monster's massive claws came slashing down upon them.

Being outside of their expectations, the monster had instead launched a surprise attack on them, catching them off guard. One by one, they were torn apart by the creature's razor-sharp claws and teeth. The forest was filled with the sounds of screams and gunfire.

Hearing the cries of his men as the quiet forest spontaneously erupted into chaos, the captain gritted his teeth and issued orders as his men died around him. "Spread out and surround it! Don't let it overtake us!"

As everything quickly fell into disarray, Daniel and his team rushed into action.

"Come on! We've got to help them!" Daniel shouted, leading the charge toward the creature.

Mark, Kayla, and Talia followed closely behind. As the team charged towards the creature, their weapons, and powers at the ready, they could feel the tension and a ting of fear building inside them. They were up against a creature they'd never faced before based on the files they received, and with the addition of their new unpredictable teammate, they held some concerns.

Instantly arriving to join the fight, their eyes landed on the massive creature barely illuminated by the flares set up around the area.

The creature was massive compared to the scrambling soldiers, its tall gaunt frame covered in blood as it danced around the battlefield, its thick leathery hide ignoring the bullets fired upon it.

As it spotted the other shoulders circling it, the creature let out a deafening roar as it charged wildly at the soldiers.

Unleashing his ability, Daniel was the first to engage the creature, his skin flushing a bright red as his muscles bulged unnaturally, threatening to burst from his skin. With his enhanced strength, he jumped into the air with his arms raised above his head, rapidly barrelling towards the creature with a boisterous roar of his own.

Noticing his approach, the creature easily evaded the attack and created some distance, avoiding the shockwave of the impact. With just as much haste, the creature rushed in and slashed at Daniel's back before he could recover from his attack.

Leaving a small gash on his back, Daniel dodged the creature's follow-up attack as his upper body quickly shrunk in size, the previous muscle mass transferring to his legs as he flickered out of the way, landing precise blows whenever he could. But this did nothing to the creature as it tanked his attack and retaliated in kind.

Acting as a support, Kayla telekinetically reached deep into the soil and grabbed as many large rocks and boulders as she could find. Hoisting them into the air, she held them above Daniel and the creature.

Once everything was in position, Kayla called out to her leader. "Daniel, step back!"

Hurling the boulders at the creature with all her might. The rocks slammed into the creature's thick hide with incredible force, kicking up a cloud of dirt that she quickly cleared with her abilities, keeping the creature in sight. The attack didn't seem to have done much damage. Instead, the creature turned its attention to Kayla, charging towards her with a fierce determination.

Seeing this, she aggressively pushed out her palm, knocking the creature back before holding it down, allowing the soldiers around them to continue their gunfire.

Mark and Talia were next to engage the creature alongside Daniel, whilst Daniel and his massive frame barreled towards the creature like a freight train. He tackled the creature to the ground, grappling with it as he tried to pin it down. But the creature was strong, its massive legs kicking and thrashing as it tried to break free from his grasp.

Giving the two a chance, Talia and Mark rushed over, Mark appearing out of seemingly nowhere and placing his palms on the chest of the creature, immediately causing it to scream in pain as the area of contact began to rapidly melt away, revealing its bones beneath. With its defense weakened, Talia plunged her claws into the area of melting flesh, injecting a toxin into the body of the creature.

Breaking free from Daniel's grasp, the creature knocked them all back and swiftly created some distance, covering its wound as the soldiers returned to firing their weapons. Looking at its melting flesh, the creature grew enraged at the sight, focusing its gaze on Daniel's team and the soldiers around it, glaring furiously at the entities that surrounded it.

Dropping to its knees, the creature coiled over, exposing its back as the mushroom-like growths on its back began to glow.

"What is it doing!?" Not waiting to find out, Daniel rushed the creature once more, his team following behind him.

Though they didn't get far before a deafening explosion rang out, everything vanishing within a bright flash of light.