Rachel’s skin prickled as they left the plane; there was a helicopter waiting for them when they exited the aircraft.
The air was much chillier than she anticipated; even though it didn’t bother her, it was the first time she’d experienced the northern winter. Large snow deposits were shoveled off to the sides of the airstrip, and there were still men working on clearing a section of the airfield with army support.
They descended the steps of the jet, Fiona, Maria, and Scarlet humming with interest as they left the enclosure.
“Snow!” Fiona cheered, dust turning from blue to yellow. “I saw a lot back home when I visited; to be honest, I kind of miss it.”
Maria’s lips curved into a frown. “This is snow? It’s super cold here,” she mumbled, rubbing her arms.
“Does it bother you?” Scarlet asked.
“What?” She puffed her cheek to the side, “you’re not cold?”
“Not at all,” Fiona grinned, doing a spin in the air; Maria growled a little, swiping at the yellow dust that floated around them as Scarlet giggled.
They followed Tom to the helicopter; he chuckled, glancing back at them. “Something about the four of you makes me smile; it just makes me feel like things aren’t as bad as they seem.”
“We’ll do our best,” Rachel said, giving Tom a bright smile and folding her ears in to make a heart.
Everyone but Maria laughed; she was still grumbling about the snow while folding her arms tightly around her core, accentuating her bust.
“You’re incredible,” Tom said as they walked, watching men open the doors to the vehicle ahead of them. “That image will be burned into my mind forever. It seems so out of place, but you make it look entirely natural; you have a gift.”
“I’m just a simple girl,” Rachel giggled.
“Anything but simple,” Scarlet said, bumping into her playfully. “You have a billion layers; I feel like I’m getting to know you, and then you swap it up.”
“Do I?”
“I don’t know,” Fiona hummed, floating between them. “I think Rachel’s pretty simple; she adapts to the situation where needed, but she’s a great friend.”
“Thanks.”
“Yeah,” Scarlet glared at her, “but I want to change a little to help you out. I feel like you do all the work.”
“That’s just her personality,” Maria chuckled, trying to hide her shivers. “Rachel’s a workaholic; she’s always working toward something.”
“You sure you aren’t cold, Maria?” Rachel asked, grinning back at her as she tightened her grip around her body.
“It’s just—okay, maybe I am! I’m just—wait, you’re just changing the subject!”
“She does look cold, though, doesn’t she?” Fiona commented, flipping around in the air to study the quivering Unicorn.
Rachel glanced around; it was partly cloudy, and there were sharp gusts of cold wind that shot across the flat field. The helicopter blew currents of chilled air around them; it was more strange that Scarlet, Fiona, and her weren’t cold. However, the moon was out, already past its peak and descending.
“It’s freezing for me,” Tom muttered, a shiver running down his body. “It is February, and probably negative twelve Celsius; colder with the wind chill. Billings gets cold during the winter.”
“Celsius,” Maria mumbled. “What’s that in Fahrenheit?”
“About ten degrees,” Fiona answered.
“You serious?” Maria whispered, rubbing her sides. “It’s like sixty-eight in Miami … f’ing wind!”
Maria ran past them toward the helicopter, causing the others to chuckle.
“Screw y’all!” Maria yelled, hopping inside.
They got inside the military vehicle, and it took off on Tom’s command; a black-haired man with a bulky looking laptop was inside. He greeted the general with a salute as the soldiers outside shut the door.
“General Dallas, there’s been some developments. The wavelength issues seem to be solved; we’ve enhanced the signal, which appears to have solved the interference. Also, sir, in the last report, we got a response from one of Alpha Team’s members, Cross. He gave the proper identification codes, but can’t give us a solid location for exfil. The best we’ve been able to determine is that it’s near section O-Seven.”
“Hmm,” Rachel’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the man. “Near the mountains.”
“You memorized the map?” Scarlet asked, sounding slightly depressed.
“Yes,” knowing she was feeling like an overachiever, but realizing she couldn’t do anything about it, Rachel pressed on. “Did he give you any useful information?”
The man looked over at Tom with a lifted eyebrow, but he nodded. “Go ahead, Major. This group’s cleared for full access; they’ll be going inside next.”
“Understood,” he said, glancing between them as he spoke. “Currently, we’re holding the area around the crystal. Our last report came in eight minutes ago,” he said, glancing down at his laptop. “Cross told Captain Taliesin that they’d seen movement on their infrared camera, but could not see anything with their naked eye.
“Upon investigation, they noticed that they were being watched. They kept observation for five minutes before the creature crossed into the defended area; they attacked, and then everything went black. He suspects he was attacked by some kind of sonic weapon; when he came too, the entire unit was gone except for one other member of the team.
“They were a little dazed, and that was when he saw an invisible force lift the other Beret off the ground. He opened fire, trying to hit whatever was holding the soldier; the blue blood appears to have come from that creature. Even while wounded, it still took the soldier into the jungle. The one remaining soldier stuffed his earplugs in after realizing what had caused their dazed state.
“He noticed other figures through infrared blocking off his path to the crystal, and took to the jungle, trying to lose the creatures. He’s been trying to radio in, but there was some kind of interference that was disrupting our communications.”
Rachel nodded. “Bringing us back to you strengthening the signal; so, these creatures can be hit by bullets and bleed. It’s valuable information; we have creatures that might be the cause of the crystals. They seem intelligent, and they either have more advanced technology or abilities that allow them to blend into their environment. What do you think, Tom?”
Tom listened in silence, arms folded. He licked his lips, working around his jaw at her question. “I don’t like it,” He muttered. “Those Berets had earpieces to communicate that would block out enough sound to harm their ears from their guns.”
His vision slid to the Major. “I assume the Berets on the other side have taken measures to secure the area with that information?”
“Yes, we’re setting up infrared sensors around the area, and they’re keeping a watchful eye on their equipment. They took measures the moment they received the intel, and there were no invisible targets in the area.”
Tom popped his tongue against the roof of his mouth, sucking in a breath. “They attacked after we’d already been in the area for over twenty-four hours, and then they abandon the area? The other Berets could be alive … I’m concerned about what they used to incapacitate them.” He muttered, glancing at Rachel.
Rachel’s cheeks bunched to the side. “I agree, it could be an issue for me; however, I do have the ability to moderate the volume. It’s not perfect, but I constantly need to adjust it in any case.”
“We’ll be there too!” Fiona reassured from Rachel’s lap, flexing the non-existent muscle on her slim arm with a smile.
Scarlet nodded. “Yeah, we won’t let anything happen to Rachel, and I can find the soldier when we get there. Umm—I guess we’ll be going in hot, Rachel?”
“No new clothes, then,” Maria sighed, cracking her neck. “I’m ready to go the moment we land … anything to get out of this chill; I thought it got cold in Miami in the winter,” she mumbled.
“You’re the only one that thinks that,” Fiona giggled.
Maria glared at her light orange dust. “Excuse me for being normal.”
Rachel winked at her. “If you’re normal, then we must be absolutely insane.”
“Wait … what’s that supposed to mean?” Maria asked, trying to work through her statement. “I … don’t get it.”
Fiona and Scarlet giggled, causing Maria to blush. “Why am I the only one that doesn’t get it?”
“In any case,” Rachel breathed a light sigh, staring out of the window at the city below as they descended, “we need to be ready for a fight when we get on the other side.”
The other three fell silent.
Tom scratched his forehead, turning back to the Major. “Could the expansion have something to do with the creatures showing up?”
“It’s a possibility, but we can’t be sure. With the interference we’re getting, it’s hard to know much; it certainly increased when the crystal’s glow changed colors.”
The helicopter landed outside a makeshift structure; it appeared as if the Military had flown in some kind of makeshift bomb container that they’d dropped around the crystal. There were weapons set up around it and checkpoints blocking off much of the area.
Stepping out of the helicopter, Rachel examined what she could see with a single sweep, turning her head to get a full scope of the area. They were in a parking lot with a Mexican grill, Panda Express, Market, and Red Robin’s. She could see a lot of fast-food restaurants across the street and a coffee shop.
Military vehicles and personnel were stationed all over the place, and helicopters were coming and going like clockwork. She could hear jets flying overhead, making sweeps.
Tom’s literally prepared for war.
A black-haired Hispanic man in his mid-forties ran toward them with two stars on his shoulder. “General Dallas!”
“Jensen, what’s happening?” Tom asked, hopping on the stairs.
“I just got word from the NSA Deputy Director; five more crystals have been documented within the States.”
“Crap … when did they appear?”
“Three appear to have been active for more than twelve hours, two less than two.”
Tom turned to Rachel. “I need to get on the phone with the President. I need answers, Rachel. Whatever you need.”
Rachel nodded, and he walked off with the two-star general, moving into a trailer that had been set up at the corner of the parking lot.
The Major motioned to them. “Alright, I’ll guide you inside.”
They followed the man through three checkpoints, passing inside the temporary containment dome. Soldiers with massive guns and boxes of ammunition lined the hallway; they had to zig-zag around barriers that had been placed to funnel any form of assault. Scarlet and Fiona gave each other nervous smiles as they continued.
She continued to listen to the conversation Tom was having; he was on a conference call with the President, the Secretary of Defense, service secretaries, and Joint Chiefs of Staff.
So, the other crystals are the same shape and color but have a brown and sage green glow. It seems like our crystal is the only one that’s changed … at least none of them show any signs of having the High Rollings incident.
After a time, they arrived at the center. The crystal was a lot larger in person than Rachel anticipated, but was just the same as she’d seen in the pictures; an oval-shaped green crystal with a yellow glow and a pristine jungle clearing on the other side. It appeared to be nighttime.
It doesn’t reflect a perfect representation of what’s on the other side; right now, there should be a military camp built around that area, but it’s not showing. Does it carve an image of what’s on the other side the moment it’s created?
Nodding to Scarlet, she kept walking as the Major stopped. “Scarlet, you stay here until we figure out if it’s nighttime. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can get back to our lives.”
“Alright,” Scarlet cleared her throat before chuckling. “I guess we’ll be going to a new world … we’re like astronauts or something.”
“Let’s kick some ass!” Maria smiled, but Rachel could smell she was nervous.
Fiona hesitated for a moment but sped up to join them after looking back at the entrance. “I hope Nora and Erica are okay…”
You can’t pull back out once you touch it…
She tried to pull her arm out, but it was useless; it continued to pull her arm inside at a constant rate.
Interesting … I’d have to cut off my arm to get away.
“Eh, Rachel?” Maria asked, swallowing nervously as her own hand was being pulled in. “Are we going through, because I don’t think I can get out … crap.”
“No, let’s go.” She stepped through, and the crystal let her increase the pace; the moment her head went through, she was in a new world. Her shoes made a squelching sound as they sunk into the mud.
Time slowed as she looked around with her wide field of vision, walking a few steps in. It was nighttime. It was like she was floating.
Two bright moons showered their full glow across the clearing; they were three times the size of Earth’s. The sky was bright with stars and nebulae, dotting the clear sky with color. A smile lit her lips as she raised her hand; she was shining like a spotlight.
The sounds that fed into her ears were foreign; she could hear clicking, whirring of wings, cricket sounds, and dull vibrations throughout the forest. It only took her a moment to filter everything out to find the shallow breathing of a human to her left, near the massive mountains that resembled the pictures she’d seen of the Himalayas.
Bright lights atop poles lit the clearing, getting their power from a solar generator. A few soldiers turned to stare at her, eyes wide. She quickly took note of the enormous guns that were stationed around the area, fully armed, and the large Humvee with a massive radio tower on it.
One of the men quickly moved toward her.
“What the…” Fiona screamed as she came through, causing Rachel to turn. She barely kept herself from hitting the ground. “The flippin’ … heavy!” She grunted, slowly rising as she flapped her wings.
Maria grunted as she walked through, pumping her arm. “Crap … why am I so dang heavy, and … I suddenly feel a little sick.” She mumbled, holding her stomach.
The man that had left his station by one of the large guns cleared his throat before saying, “Hey, you must be the assault force we’ve been waiting for … you’re one of the changed? My name’s Captain Taliesin…”
Rachel smiled welcomingly. “Yes, give me a moment; I need to let another member know it’s safe to come through.”
“Oh, okay…”
She’s already walked back, appearing on the other side. Scarlet was folding her arms nervously, eyes widening when she came through.
“So?”
“All clear, and there are two moons … I feel like I could fly.” She giggled, smiling ruefully at her fading glow. “It seems like the gravity is slightly stronger on the planet; so, be prepared for that.”
“Ah, I thought you’d been briefed on that,” the Major said apologetically.
“Don’t worry about it.” Rachel tilted her head and went through, waiting for Scarlet.
The first thing she heard was Maria complaining. “… have worn boots,” she grumbled.
“Yeah, this will take some getting used to,” Fiona mumbled, bobbing up and down.
Maria lifted an eyebrow, noticing she was back. “Dang, brillante como el sol.”
“Deas,” Fiona cooed. “You’re so beautiful!”
Scarlet appeared next to them, looking around with interest, but her black halo irises were instantly drawn to her. “Holy snap! I’m like—blind … your insides are on fire.”
Rachel smirked. “peeking? How rude, Scarlet.”
She smiled, turning her eyes to the soldiers. “Those are massive trees … some crazy creatures around us.”
“Those creatures?” Taliesin asked, head darting around.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Scarlet smiled apologetically. “I can see through a lot of things, including trees. I see a lot of creatures around us … underground in caves too.” She mumbled, nose twisting with disgust. “Those things are nasty looking … oh, they’re burrowing under us.”
Taliesin grunted a curse, gripping his weapon as he looked down. “Should we prep some charges?”
“Don’t worry; it’ll take them a little bit,” Scarlet said, scanning the area again.
“Scarlet, look this way,” Rachel said, pointing in the direction of the human she could still hear. “See him?”
“Umm … yeah, got him.” Taliesin shrank back as blood left Scarlet’s body, gathering into a flat disk in front of her and a few feet off the ground. “Here we go.” She said brightly as a muddy blob dropped out of the portal before it closed off, returning through her clothes.
“What the…”
The others looked down at the stunned man with the other Berets.
Maria sighed, horn appearing. “Twisted ankle and a few cuts … all fixed.”
Fiona lifted her finger and created a globe of water; it continued to grow until it was the size of the man. “Hold your breath,” she said with a bright tone, dropping it on him. It cycled a little before she lifted it up again and tossed it to their left.
The man was quivering, looking around at them before his eyes settled on the other Berets. “Am I … dreaming? Hot chicks, and I’m back in the camp?”
“Aww, thanks,” Fiona’s deep blue glow flipped to bright red, and she sent a spray of hot air at the man. “Just give me a second to dry you off.”
All Taliesin could do was stare and curse.
Rachel looked down at the dirt, a slight frown on her lips as she listened. Her ears twitched as the sound of digging became clear, and she could hear the sharp clicks of something. “I can hear them, Scarlet; they’re about forty feet down, six of them.”
They all turned to her, and Scarlet asked, “What do you want to do?”
“Hmm … I hear two more in the jungle with the same sounds thirty meters into the jungle in front of your second gun over there. There’s at least twelve of them in a burrow toward…,” she glanced up at the mountains. “Thought so; they’re coming from the burnt area. We’ll call the mountains north, which would put them southwest.”
She looked down at the man; he was nearly dry already. “What can you tell me; are they friendly or foe?”
He swallowed before clearing his throat. “Hey, you’re Taliesin, right?”
“Yes, Cross, and this is the assault team we’ve been waiting for.”
“Where’d they find them, a cosplay convention?” He grunted, standing up to look at her. “Anyways, thanks, and honestly, I can’t say. As far as I know, the others are fine.”
Rachel pursed her lips, looking southwest. “I’m not so sure about that … Scarlet, go scout out the burnt area and tell me if you can find the soldiers. It’s too far away for me to hear, which means it must be more than several miles … unless they’re underground.”
Scarlet’s features brightened as she saluted her. “I’ll check it out!” She was swallowed by shadows.
Cross’ eyes shot open. “Where the … nevermind—I’ve seen enough crap today … what’re my orders, Captain? I assume you’re the highest-ranking officer here at the moment.”
“Yes, right now, we’ve been told to just secure the area; do you have anything important to report?”
“Know about the invisible creatures?”
“We got that,” Maria mumbled, yawning a little. “Why do I feel sick to my stomach?”
Rachel looked up at the sky. Her weakest resistance was supposed to be Lunar Energy. “Probably the double moons; they’re really close, and both are full.”
“Of course,” she moaned, cracking her neck. “What about you? How are you dealing with the energy spike?”
“Like the energizer bunny,” Rachel chuckled. “Although, I suppose I’d get stuck really easily with this mud … I’ll probably have to jump from tree to tree, parkour-style.”
“That sounds fun,” Fiona chimed, white tones returning as she cut the spell. “What do you want me to do?”
“Scout out the air, and tell me if you find something of interest and if anything attacks you—light them up. Bring down one prisoner if you can; can you use Freeze on one?”
“Umm, yup!.”
“Great, and if you’re having issues, then prioritize your safety.”
“What would Maria say?” Fiona hummed thoughtfully before saying, “I’ll rip a hole in through their panza!” Fiona shouted, shooting into the sky.
Maria’s eyebrows lifted as she followed her ascent. “Actually sounds like somethin’ I’d say; you’re learnin’ fast.”
“Alright, well—this is happening,” Cross grunted, frowning down at his AR. “I hid in a mud pit, and was scouting around, but I didn’t find much. Got a bigger gun with some stronger ammo?”
“Cases in the back of the humvee.”
“Sweet.” Cross moved to the vehicle.
“What’s your plan?” Taliesin asked.
“Don’t know yet. We have creatures burrowing below us, but we don’t know their intent. I don’t hear anything significant that they’re doing other than likely talking to each other. The two ahead of us might be scouting us out; I can’t see unintelligent creatures just chilling around a place where they’d been attacked.”
“I’ll just chill by the car,” Maria said, stretching out as she stomped her way through the mud, grumbling about it the entire way.
Rachel looked up as several sounds shot across the sky, rocketing toward Fiona. I thought there might be an enemy that would see her. It sounds like those dragonfly-like creatures. Fiona’s a powerhouse, though … there’s no way she’d miss them.
Sure enough, she heard Fiona chuckle darkly. “You were right, Rachel. Now, what to use? Fire might be too bright … target practice?”
Large spikes of ice appeared around her, and she threw them into the dark, but the creatures seemed to shift directions easily to avoid them as they neared.
“Okay,” Fiona whispered. “Y’all asked for it! I gotta hustle, won’t quit; grind, won’t stop, dirty little misfit, illin’ just to kill it! Muscle through like Arnie, then I hit em’ with the … pop, pop, pop!”
Rachel laughed, watching Fiona shoot toward them, ball of fire growing around her as she chased the creatures around the sky, disintegrating their thin bodies while singing and ramming them through with shards of ice as more joined the chase.
“All across the land, all I do is slay, fastest Fairy in the ace; I’m stupid dub sick, Queen of Faiya here to stay … Supa fly life, livin’ just ta kill ‘em; power level off the scale; I’m pop and droppin’ y’all shrimps! I got some wings; flyin’ high like a superhero pimp; getting cred for my skillz with insects on a stick!
“If I want it, bet I got it, if I don’t, bet all I gotta do is smoke, rip … smoke, rip, smoke, rip … boi, get up off my grill! Think y’all can catch me? I got them air-Nike kicks, ballin’ till I drop, flossin’ ‘till I’m finished. Spoken for da thrill, burnin’ insects along the way, then I pop mah collar top-top tier snipin’ err’day! Dab on ‘em!”
“What did you teach Fiona while I was sleeping, Maria?”
“Huh?” Maria asked, looking up at the sky as Fiona darted about, slaughtering dozens of insects; their charred or frozen bodies fell around them. “All I can see is that ball of fire … is she chasing something? Wait, is she rapping?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty funny, to be honest.”
Maria grinned. “Man, wish I could hear her; she has a really nice voice.”
“You’re serious,” Taliesin mumbled. “She’s just … singing and killing them all?”
Rachel’s eyes narrowed slightly as her head dropped, looking at the jungle. There we go … finally, on the move, are we? Now, what will you do with Fiona spitting fire up top?
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