Shattered Boundaries Ch. 02

My apologies for the incredibly long delay. College started and I had to put my story on the back burner for quite a while.

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Chapter Two:"PRAYER!? PRAYER!? You ignorant peasants, the end of days has come and gone!!! Hell has claimed the Earth and we are all damned!!!" A European Preacher's response when asked to lead a prayer service.

"Anderson, Wake up," Sergeant Scott quietly called to the sleeping soldier.

The corporal awoke immediately, but did not move until he had assessed the situation around him. The night was largely quiet, with only the occasional cricket being heard off in the distance. A quick glance around him confirmed all was well and he began moving into a kneeling position. Stiff muscles complained at being put into motion. Another glance, this time through various displays from his implants, put him at ease. Internally though he was still wound tight. The sleep had only taken the edge off of his emotions. Guilt still roiled about in the pit of his stomach, some of it directed at how quickly he had begun to recover, but he had lost many friends and teammates in the never ending stream of battles that this new century spat out.

Anderson was the last soldier to be awoken and they all gathered around the freshly turned earth that covered the graves. Their somber mood was reflected by the world around them. The night was pitch black, with the few lonely stars in the sky being obscured by the tree tops. The cold, wet air around them created a dull ache in their bones and the unnerving silence of a country side nearly devoid of life pressed in around them.

They each spoke a few words about their fallen brother, yet none would remember what was said. They all tossed a handful of dirt over each grave, but none would remember the act. As soldiers they all knew loss, but rarely did they ever have a moment to grieve. Those moments, when tears shown on the faces of the some of the hardest men on Earth, were about more than them. About more than even the two fallen warriors that lay at their feet. All the deaths that they had known, all the loss that they had locked away in their hearts bubbled to the surface. They shared their grief amongst each other, for only the people standing there with them could hope to understand. They were brothers in arms... brothers in life... and brothers in death...

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After the burial, the soldiers took a few moments to compose themselves and they got a closer look at the animals. Decay had set in at an incredibly rapid pace, with the carcasses seeming to have spent a week out in the sun rather than a few short hours in the night time.

"Ugly looking bastards aren't they?" White spoke with a grimace.

"That's for sure, bet you the intel guys will want to study them though. What do you think Sarge?" Anderson asked.

Sergeant Scott had been sitting against a tree while his men looked at the creatures. It took him a few seconds to respond. The way his eyes stared unblinkingly with only an occasional twitch told the men that he was accessing one of the cerebral implant's functions. When he finally moved to stand he began speaking.

"Satellite communications are down," he said with a growl, the irritation clear in his voice. "Until we can contact HQ, our orders stand. Take some pictures and mark these coordinates, we might be ordered to circle back for them."

Anderson saluted and followed the sergeant's orders. He took out a small camera and snapped away. It brought a wry smile to his face that with all the abilities of the implant's, they did not have a record function. The JAFC, Joint Armed Forces Committee, had decided that the memory circuits would take up too much space and so the option was thrown out.

"All set Sir," Corporal Anderson called out to the Sergeant.

"Anderson, you have point on fire team Bravo. Keep the road in sight, there's a village a few miles from here that we've been getting reports of activity from," the sergeant told his men.

"What kind of activity are we talking about Sarge?" Private White butted in.

"Satellite imagery showed the roads clear of debris and a large number of vehicles popping up in different places."

"Damn, whoever controls the area must be pretty well organized," White muttered.

The soldiers' interest in the state of the roads and the movement of vehicles stemmed from the fact that most vehicles outside of the North American continent were inoperable. The same EMP blasts that had disabled the power grids of the world's nations had also damaged the electric systems in most vehicles. The only ones still drivable were heavily shielded military transports, or vehicles in remote areas. Coupled with a complete breakdown in fuel refinement and trade, only a powerful group could gather the parts and fuel needed to maintain them.

"Fire team Alpha on me, lets move out," The Sergeant ordered.

The two teams took to either side of the cracked road and began the trek to their target. They moved silently through desolate fields. Weeds and hardy plants had begun to overtake their weaker, bioengineered cousins. In the distance the remains of farmhouses could be seen as they crumbled away before the onslaught of time. All around the soldiers were signs of nature dissolving and reintegrating the orderly, yet sickly version of itself that mankind had created.

The chilly early morning air hung thick with fog as the squad moved through it. Their fiber optics inlaid body armor did its best mimic the swirling vapors around it making them appear as wandering specters of the dead. Only as they approached their target did the sun finally begin to melt away their white shrouds.

Once the outskirts of the village were in sight, Sergeant Scott issued new orders to the second fire team. "Anderson, we're coming up on the objective. I need your team to break south and set up an over watch position. There is a particular hill on the south side of town that should give you an unobstructed view over most of the area. Tell me what we're dealing with once you get up there."

"Yes Sir," came the Corporal's quick reply.

Anderson and his team moved to obey their new orders and circled around the small town. They continually glanced towards it hoping to catch sight of the enemy. Various bits of unidentifiable debris littered the roads. The buildings had a forlorn look to them with their crumbling facades and shattered windows. The wind blew threw the openings and created a strange keening noise as if the town cried out in grief over its departed denizens.

Eventually they finished circling around and came to the more rugged terrain on the other side of the ruins. Although there were many hills and valleys undulating across the landscape, the one they sought was easy to pick out. There were broken plasteel barriers and twisted expanses of metal, whose purpose was no longer discernable. The side of the hill nearest to them was pockmarked by explosions from some long forgotten battle. The pits they formed colored black and only the occasional weed daring to poke its head from the scarred earth. Anderson suspected the other side would luck much the same.

"Bravo 1-5 to Dagger-1 Actual, position is in sight and we are moving to secure. Break. We are reading bingo hostiles on all sensors, Over," Anderson transmitted to Sergeant Scott.

"Dagger-1 copies all, you are clear to proceed," came back the Sergeant's gruff voice.

Gesturing to his team, Anderson moved them up. They walked carefully so as not to trip any unexploded ordinance that might have been left on the hill. Private White was the first to reach the top and he let out a soft exclamation at what was on the other side. As each soldier reached him their eyes widened slightly at the sight below them. Nearly as far as the eye could see were the burnt out husks of armored vehicles. Foxholes and weapons emplacements littered the open areas between them. The worst part of the scene, however, was how the land and everything on it was burned black. Not a single splash of any other color existed to disrupt the morbid landscape laid out before them.

"There must have been one hell of a battle here," Private White spoke in amazement.

"Looks like someone used one of those Earth Scorcher bombs," Anderson responded.

The Earth Scorcher weapon system had been an experimental missile being developed by some of the European powers before the war. The Asian Superpowers and America had abandoned the project due to its unpredictable nature. The Europeans had continued on it as an answer to the larger nuclear arsenals of China, India, and the United States. The Earth Scorcher essentially did what its named suggested, it created an intense burst of heat that would burn through most objects, including several feet of dirt. The size and power of the explosion could never be certain though, due to the weapon's reliance on environmental factors. In theory, an Earth Scorcher could destroy an area the size Rhode Island and that is what made it so popular amongst smaller powers. Typically though, damage a midsize missile could do was about the size of a small city, as the field in front of the soldiers bore testament.

"Right, well that's enough staring at the scenery, we need to set up our positions and cover Alpha Team," Anderson ordered his men.

Three of the soldiers set up defensive positions lower on the hill to protect their comrades, while White unpacked his XT-13 Sniper Rifle. Anderson got out the gear to act as White's spotter and they began a methodic search for the enemy presence in the town.

While they concentrated on their tasks, one of the soldiers lower down the hill began hearing a rhythmic thumping noise. At first it was a continuous series of light thuds but then more thuds began sounding out of sync with the first set. He sent up an alert to his squad mates as the noises grew nearer and they began searching for its source. After a while they all recognized the sounds.... Someone was running. The now arrhythmic sounds suggested more than one person.

Anderson was the first to find the runners with his more powerful spotting equipment. On the side of the hill that they had come from was the edge of a small forest. The foliage was too thick to see the people, but Anderson was tracking them through infrared settings. There was one smaller figure apparently being chased by two larger figures. Warning two of the other soldiers to keep an eye on their sectors in case this was a distraction, he began sending targeting data to White's implants. If the three figures continued on their current path, they would become visible in just a few moments.

His prediction proved true as they burst through the foliage. The first person to become visible sent a deep shock through the soldiers.... It was a woman...and young at that.

After the cataclysm of the war, the ratio of women to men had dropped sharply. The exact reasons were still in debate but women had become an extremely rare sight as they were jealously guarded by any group that could find them. Even in North America, interactions between men and women were carefully monitored to protect them. Kidnapping and raping of women had become a crime punishable by death in many states and provinces. As the bearers of humanity's future they were to be defended at all costs.

The soldiers' surprise was quickly suppressed, though, as they caught sight of her pursuers. Covered in mismatched pieces of French body armor and carrying older model assault rifles, these were obviously members of the raider group that they were searching for. Anderson became conflicted, he wanted to protect the young woman but he couldn't give his fire team's position away so soon.

The decision was quickly made for him, though, when White caught sight of the young woman. He had been attempting to adjust the zoom on his scope so he could see the targets that were much closer than the town he had been searching through. As they figures came into focus, he had locked on to the first figure, not having seen that she was a woman or that she was being chased, as the others had.

When he caught sight of her face, something happened to him. He let out one shuddering breath before his mind seemed to go completely blank. Into that void came the image of the young woman... Soft blond locks that flowed out behind her... sun-kissed skin tinged with a healthy glow.... Ruby red lips parted ever so slightly...... and striking blue eyes widened in fear... Fear... The word resounded in his mind and he caught hold of it. A voice seemed to speak to him, telling him that he could not allow such a small, delicate creature to experience such a cold and dark emotion.

And so he acted to do just that. Snapping his sights towards the two figures chasing her, he took in the trajectory data that Anderson had forgotten he was sending. White never even noticed that the two men were raiders, they were his enemies because they chased the girl and that was all he needed to know. He pulled the trigger once and the first raider's feet flew out from under him as he dropped dead. White's rifle pushed back on him as the recoil struck and it ejected the spent shell. Before the shell fell to the ground next to him, he had already let loose a second shot. The remaining raider's head exploded, the expression of surprise and confusion that was spreading over it never having been completed.

Anderson whipped his head around to look at his friend. Shocked that he had acted without orders, he could only stare at him. Remembering the young woman he glanced back down the hill to see what effect the sudden deaths of her pursuers had on her. Another round of shock coursed through him at seeing her. She had not slowed her pace at all, and continued running up the side of the hill. But what had really surprised him, was the wide smile that she now had and the happiness that practically danced in her eyes.

White had begun to recover his wits and was equally amazed over his audacity at shooting without an order as Anderson was. He did not even register the young woman closing in until she was nearly on top of them. In daze, he forgot how visible he could be on the hill top and began standing. As he reached his full height, a weight suddenly slammed into him and nearly sent him tumbling down the hillside. Reflexively his arms closed around the object as something warm and soft was seemingly trying to burrow its way into him. Looking down, he was finally able to focus his eyes, although his mind was doing its best to reject what he was seeing. The beautiful blonde had reached them and was hugging him as if he might float away.

Anderson knelt beside them, as confused and surprised as the second dead raider had nearly become. Not sure what was going on, or what to do about it, he began to speak.

"Miss, are you alright," he questioned the young woman.

She either did not hear him or ignored him. Anderson thought it could be either one as she had her eyes closed and seemed oblivious to anything beyond Private White. As he thought this, he glanced up to his friend and gave him a questioning look. The expression that White responded with made it clear that he was just as lost.

"Dagger-1 Actual to Bravo 1-5, what the hell is going on over there!"

The interruption through the radio made both soldiers jump a bit and Anderson fumbled for his transmitter.

"Uhm... This is Bravo 1-5.... We came across two hostiles.... And we now have a.... civilian... here with us..." Anderson haltingly responded to Sergeant Scott.

There was a pause before the Sergeant responded, "Bravo 1-5 switch over to the secure channel."

Anderson tuned his transmitter and spoke, "...Sir?"

"Tell me exactly what the hell happened corporal."

"Well... we were setting up our positions on the hill when we heard at least two people running toward us from the forest. When they broke cover we saw it was a girl being chased by two militiamen that I believe were members of the raider group we are searching for. White... shot them both before anyone was really sure what was going on..."

The pause and cold undercurrent in the Sergeants next words spoke volumes.

"Gather your fire team and regroup with us at the fallback position... I'd like to have a word with Private White."

The now nervous Corporal Anderson took a moment to compose himself before he began issuing orders in a clear commanding tone.

"All units gather up, our orders have changed and we are moving out."

A simultaneous, "Roger," came from the soldiers below. Anderson looked over at the unmoving couple and gestured to White that he needed to pack up his rifle. Slowly nodding, White laid a hand on the young woman's shoulder to try to get her attention.

"Miss, we need to get moving... more of those men might be on their way soon."

The young blonde looked up at him and pouted, but she let go of him. They all quickly gathered their equipment and formed up, stealing glances at the girl all the while. After hiding the bodies of the two raiders, Anderson led the team through the woods. It would take longer to move through the forest, but the young woman was obviously no soldier, and they did not have any spares of their fiber optics inlaid body armor so they needed all the cover they could get.

The young woman followed closely behind White, giving them all the impression of a puppy that had just found its owner. They would all soon come to realize how apt that impression really was.

At the moment though, Anderson found it strange that she walked even more quietly then some of his fellow soldiers. Occasionally, yet inevitably, the snapping of a twig or the crunch of a leaf would ring out from under their feet, yet the girl seemed to always know where to step so that she wouldn't make any sounds. It did not seem quite right that she should be able to do that. With that thought he began to remember the last night's events. The attacks by the strange animals and the appearance of the other woman. He had some doubts over whether the later event was not just a dream, but regardless, some very strange things were happening.

After an hour of silent marching they reached the rendezvous point and the other fire team disengaged their armor's camouflage. It seemed to the arriving soldiers that their comrades were chunks of the landscape that had melted off, then coalesced into their friends. Anderson and White walked up to the sergeant, with the young woman in tow. Their mood was somewhat somber as they both expected to be reprimanded. Even if the shots had not been heard by the enemy, the two dead men would be missed sooner or later. The Sergeant looked them up and down, perfectly mimicking a father displeased with the antics of his children. The only flaw in his demeanor was a slight twitch of irritation because of the young woman. She was practically dancing with joy and for the life of them, none of the soldiers could figure out why she was acting so strangely.

The sergeant decided to give the two soldiers a momentary reprieve while he tried to figure out the young lady. He calmed himself and gathered his patience, he suspected she might not be completely there. Who knew what kind of trauma she may have suffered out here and what effect it would have had on her mind.

"Young lady," he spoke softly," what's your name?"

She tilted her head and bounced on one foot as she thought. When she began to speak, Sergeant Scott was immediately drawn to her innocent, wide eyed expression.

"I don't have one."

Even the soldiers that had been diligently watching for enemy activity stared at her. Her voice was soft and had an almost musical quality. Hearing her speak gave the toughened soldiers a sensation that they would never openly admit to, but could only be described as warm and fuzzy.