Eve sat once again in a briefing room, the familiar dark room, accompanied by the low whir of a nearby projector. The air smelled faintly of sanitizer. Eve leaned back in her chair, the folding metal frame and fabric creaking beneath her.
"Everything that is said in this room, starting now, is under a Tier Four operational security clearance."
The voice was sharp, clipped. This time, a full colonel stood at the front of the room instead of the usual Lieutenant-Colonel or Major.
The projector flicked on with a soft whump, painting a white screen behind her. With a couple clicks on a matte black laptop, the colonel put up the first slide.
"I will assume that you all have been updated with the Bloom, and have read your limited version of its file."
A collective shiver ran through Eve and her team like a ripple over a taut cord. Vian, who had luckily survived the psychological attack by the Bloom, clenched her fist and teeth. Lieutenant Nia's thumb rubbed around circles in her palms like a nervous ritual. Elisa, sitting to Eve's right, shifted her weight, ever so slightly.
What is it now? Eve wondered, her stomach already beginning its slow descent into dread.
"As you know, the Bloom was an anomaly that appeared in our world some time ago. We assumed it was an exception. That assumption, it turns out, was incorrect."
Eve's pulse slowed, thickening. She rested her chin against her hand and brought it up to her mouth. Holy fuck. Again? There was more than one? Her heartbeat, slow and heavy, pushed upward into her throat like a languid lump of rock. A creeping pressure started behind her ears, synchronized with the soft static whirr of the projector.
The colonel swapped slides.
A single shaky black-and-white photo filled the screen, probably from a thermal recon cam. In it, a humanoid figure stood among the grey blur of trees, glowing bright white. Towering, its chest hovered just above the treetops, and its proportions were off in an uncanny, too-human kind of way- arms much too long, hanging low past what Eve assumed were the knees. From its head sprouted two antlers like branching coral or interwoven roots, casting tangled shadows that didn't seem to match the lighting.
The room was dead silent.
"Fuck..." someone behind Eve breathed, the sound closer to a prayer than a curse.
"Yes, Warrant. Fuck," the colonel said dryly. "This is Anomaly 02, Object Classification: Cloud Shepherd."
She let the weight of the words settle before continuing. "Its current location is unknown. This photo was taken in the Mendeleev Cloud Region- specifically the Area 27 forest."
Click. New slide.
The photo shifted to the corner of the screen, now accompanied by a satellite map of the Mendeleev region. A square of dense, sprawling forest was highlighted in green.
The colonel paced, arms crossed behind her back. "It was discovered during an attempted recon push past Area 27 to gather intel on Asphodelian movement. The squad made brief visual contact with the anomaly, reported in, and have since been called back. All members successfully returned to their base. They've been debriefed, given amnestics treatment, and are undergoing ongoing psychological evaluation."
The colonel's eyes swept the room like a searchlight. "For the time being, the Cloud Shepherd appears to be non-hostile. It doesn't attack unless provoked. Instead, it simply wanders."
She advanced the slide again. Grainy photos showed the being at various angles. Each image was slightly distorted- motion blur, poor contrast, digital interference. Yet each also carried an odd stillness, like the Shepherd wasn't just there, but anchoring everything around it.
"We've attempted communication. It responds only in patterns of clicks and whistles. Analysts at the 92nd BHISL are currently decoding the audio."
The mention of BHISL earned a few glances around the room.
The 92nd Biohazard Intervention and Suppression Legion. On paper, they handled chemical and biohazard threats. In practice, they were the only special operations unit in the Halcyon Federation cleared to use chemical and biological weapons. They'd earned their name through a combination of ruthless effectiveness and discretion.
In practice, aside from the regular special operations behind enemy lines, BHISL planted chemical attacks and frequently deployed other chemical and biological weapons. They were also the special operations group responsible for the safekeeping and transport of the Halcyon Federation's nuclear weapons arsenal.
While BHISL were a controversial group within Halcyon's SOC, outside of it they were but a name- completely off the records, similar to TRACE, and so far, it was undeniable that they were extremely good at their job.
The fact that the Shepherd's audio had been sent to them in particular said everything Eve needed to know.
"They're also our experts in bio-behavioral analysis," the colonel added, confirming her thoughts. "Their findings will be relayed as soon as they're cleared."
Another click.
The next slide showed flora and fauna twisted by proximity to the Shepherd. Mutated deer with compound eyes and additional legs, birds whose beaks and wings stacked like serrated fans. Flowers knotted around themselves in impossible spirals.
"They follow it," the colonel said. "That's the trend. In the path of the Cloud Shepherd, clouds will gather around it, as if it where its flock, hence the name. Rough mountain paths will rearrange themselves in its path, as if trying to appease it in some way. And of course, it causes the flora and fauna around it to mutate. Mutated organisms behave with awareness- some kind of environmental scanning pattern. They remain passive unless interfered with. No known human impact yet… but caution is advised."
The images were blurry and rushed, taken from jittery bodycams. That somehow made them worse: half-seen shapes always seemed more monstrous than clear ones. Some pictures didn't even make sense, as though something in the camera's lens had refused to capture what it saw, the nightmares straight out of a fever dream.
Another click. Another slide.
"Your objective," the colonel said, "is to locate the Cloud Shepherd and track its movements. You'll be using trackers, launched from grenade launchers since we have confirmation that the Shepherd has a physical substance that is very much like a big-horned goat. They are loaded with painkillers and ideally undetectable. Once on the Shepherd, they will insert a tracking and observation chip, then fall off. If they fail due to interference, you are to exfil immediately. Helis will remain airborne and are on call for the entire duration."
She gestured toward the back of the room. There, the BHISL teams sat, and next to them were more TRACE squads.
"You are not to approach or touch any biomatter altered by the Shepherd nor the Shepherd itself. Do not engage unless specifically cleared. I don't care how curious your engineers are."
Then, her tone dropped half a register.
"In the case of a hostile escalation, you have permission to engage and neutralize. We prefer data. But control takes priority. The Asphodelians must not reach it. Understood?"
A collective "YES, MA'AM," rang out, clean and sharp.
She continued without pause. "Anyone not part of this task force- Asphodelian MTF, unauthorized base squads, civs[1]- is to be detained or neutralized as per ROE[2]. Local MOB is aware and will suspend operations in the region. No friendlies expected."
A new slide- blank white.
"BHISL squads one through three and TRACE squads one through four will comprise our primary operational body[3]. Four through six of BHISL and five and six of TRACE form our QRF. Ground command falls to Warrant Officer Falin of BHISL Squad One. Check with your handlers for squad-specific details. Seaward Wolves Team One will temporarily fill the slot for TRACE Team Two."
A few murmurs rippled through the room at that, but none rose above a whisper. Eve glanced at Elisa. The woman remained still, her gaze locked onto the projector. Her hair was tied back in an elegant ponytail and tucked beneath a cap as usual. Her usual surgical mask had been swapped for a matte black cloth one. Eve could tell that her eyes were an amethyst violet. Eve assumed that meant Isa was currently in control.
The colonel gestured toward one last group tucked away behind the BHISL teams.
"Operational Support Group, 106th Air Wing. Heli transport and air support." She then turned back to address the collective group.
"Your squad leads will carry operational command comms. Gear is already loaded under CE1 in the armory."
She clicked the laptop shut.
"That's all. Questions?"
Silence.
"Good. Operation begins at 1100. Get into your gear. Move."
- - -
In the locker room, metallic clinks echoed as gear was unlatched and locked into place. Eve pulled her kit down from the assigned rack and began strapping in, sliding into her combat suit.
"Ms. Nymera. You're with us again?" Seo's voice rang out as he passed.
"Oh. Yes, Tech Corporal," Isa replied, zipping open her duffel. "While I'm technically squad two's acting squad lead, I'm under Sergeant Glen's operational authority, so we'll be working closely."
Her words were even. Measured. Isa was cold as usual. Eve felt slightly disappointed though she didn't know what to expect, since if Elise came out, that would immediately make Elisa subject to suspicion.
Eve finished securing her plate carrier, then turned toward Vian, who looked distracted and on edge.
"Vian. What is it?"
"Nothing, Sergeant."
Eve didn't buy it, especially with Vian's brief beef with Isa, but she nodded anyway. "As long as it doesn't cause issues later."
She checked the chamber of her FLR312- clean. She checked it twice more out of habit. The FLR was the special operations standard rifle, a powerful short-stroke gbbr[4] with a 14.5 inch long barrel. The standard assortment of flashlight and multi laser hooked to a management pad was there as usual, and it sported a red-dot sight with a flip up magnifier.
Eve secured her rifle and moved on to her helmet. This one was new and slightly heavier. The twin gas filters attached to an irretractable mask with chemical filtration systems confirmed what she suspected- they either expected BHISL to use gas or expected gas from the Shepherd. The design was almost identical to the masks used by the Legion.
She slid it on, and it sealed with a soft hiss. She held her hand on the filters and gave it a test breath to test for the airtight seal. It was good. Contrary to other conventional masks and helmets depicted in popular media, the model was surprisingly comfortable.
Pistol, check. This operation, Eve carried the same Five-Seven she'd trained with since deployment as always. Light, armor-piercing to some degree, and consistent.
Around her, her squad and the Seaward Wolves finished gearing up. Their suits, light grey-green, fitted for the cloud forest region, shuffled quietly with movement.
Eve slung her rifle over her shoulder and adjusted the sling.
As much as Eve herself felt traumatized by the Bloom, she tried to not let it show as she stood, ready to head out to the helipad. "Alright," she said, her voice modulated through her helmet. "Let's move."
[1] Civilian
[2] Rules of Engagement
[3] Team
[4] Gas Blow Back Rifle