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One Character (8)
🕑 Added 2025-05-02 17:35:32 +0000 UTCChapter 8 - Outbreak and Opportunity
WAAAAAAAH!
Leo’s piercing cry sliced through the pre-dawn quiet of the lodge. Groans emanated from the makeshift sleeping arrangements in the common area.
Dodo pulled a pillow over his head. “Gods, make it stop…”
Rackell sat bolt upright on the couch; frustration etched lines onto her face even in the dim light. “Wes! Handle your kid!”
Silence. Only the baby’s wails continued, amplified by the small space.
Rackell threw off her blanket with an angry sigh. She stomped towards Wes’s closed door and pushed it open without knocking. Wes lay sprawled on the narrow bed, fast asleep, while Leo cried relentlessly in the portable bassinet beside him.
“Unbelievable. How can anyone sleep through that?”
Rackell stalked over and delivered a sharp kick to the side of Wes’s mattress. “Wake up, Callahan! Your offspring is raising the dead!”
Wes jolted awake, startled and disoriented. “Huh? What?” He blinked blearily at the crying infant. “What do I do?”
“Figure it out!” Rackell snapped before retreating back to the relative quiet of the living room.
Hesitantly, Wes reached over and picked Leo up. Miraculously, the crying stopped almost instantly. The baby snuggled against his bare chest with a contented sigh. Relief washed over Wes. He carefully tried to place Leo back in the bassinet.
WAAAAAAAH!
The crying resumed immediately, louder this time.
“Dammit!”
Wes winced.
He picked Leo up again; silence returned.
With a heavy sigh, Wes resigned himself to the situation. He lay back down carefully, positioning the infant on his chest. Leo quickly fell back asleep. Tiny snores and occasional drool kept Wes awake. He stared at the ceiling, trapped, forced to endure discomfort so his teammates could rest.
…
Morning sunlight brightened the lodge. Nala moved quietly in the small kitchenette; the aroma of synth-coffee and toasted ration bars permeated. She efficiently prepared breakfast for everyone, including a simple, healthy portion for Wes and a bottle of warmed formula for Leo.
Wes shuffled out, looking exhausted, Leo cradled carefully in his arms. He accepted the plate and bottle from Nala with a mumbled, “Thanks.”
He sat down at the small table and began trying to awkwardly feed Leo while simultaneously eating his own food.
Dodo watched them from the sofa and smirked. “Well, look at this cozy domestic scene. Nala, you’re practically playing the wife already.”
Nala’s face flushed crimson; she quickly turned back to the counter, embarrassed.
Rackell propped her feet up on the coffee table, took a large bite of her sandwich, and switched on the wall-mounted viewscreen. The local news channel immediately took over the screen. The tone sounded urgent.
“–repeat, multiple breaches confirmed along the Sector Gamma Scar Zone perimeter. Large groups of Category 1 and 2 Unus have overwhelmed local defenses. Two outposts, Havenwood and Ridge Creek, are confirmed lost. Evacuation orders are in effect for the surrounding areas.”
The reporter stated grimly over footage of smoke rising from distant settlements.
The screen showed chaotic images – fleeing civilians, overwhelmed local militia firing desperately into swarms of skittering creatures.
“Sources within the GRDF speculate about the coordinated nature of these attacks. Leading some analysts to fear the possible involvement of a directing intelligence… perhaps even a dormant Upheaval stirring beneath Sector Gamma.”
The last part was delivered with palpable gravity, though the reporter stressed it remained unconfirmed.
Dodo whistled lowly. “Sector Gamma? We were just there yesterday. Place is getting overrun?”
Maya looked genuinely distressed. “Those poor people… overrun by Unus swarms…”
Rackell’s expression turned serious. “If an Upheaval is involved… this is bad. Very bad. Any Harmonics sent in will be walking into a slaughterhouse.”
“An Upheaval?”
Wes muttered the name. He remembered the Academy lectures, the terrifying archive footage. Ancient, biomechanical horrors from another world, beings of immense power capable of leveling cities, commanding lesser Unus, and warping reality itself. The ultimate threat, supposedly dormant since the Great Planetary Devastation centuries ago.
His hand clenched involuntarily around Leo’s small body.
Leo let out a sharp cry of pain.
Wes immediately loosened his grip, realizing he’d squeezed too hard. “Sorry, sorry,” he murmured, trying to hush the baby. Damn it, he thought bitterly. This kid is a constant burden.
BEEP-BEEP.
A notification chimed on Rackell’s wrist device. She activated the holographic projector; data scrolled across the air.
“New mission postings,” she announced, scanning quickly.
“Emergency contracts related to the Sector Gamma outbreak. Damn… mostly A-Rank and B-Rank requests. Defensive sweeps, high-risk extractions… the rewards are staggering.” She sighed in frustration. “Way above our pay grade.”
Their guild status, Provisional Harvesters, meant they were essentially entry-level grunts, permitted only low-risk D-Rank and occasional C-Rank missions. Their individual Harmonic ranks reflected this: Rackell, Dodo, Maya, and Nala were all solid C-Ranks, capable but far from elite. Wes, with his single, specialized Character, lagged behind at D-Rank.
Nala nodded sadly. “Even if we were allowed, we wouldn’t be equipped for that kind of fight. Especially now.” She glanced pointedly at Wes and Leo. “With Wes effectively out of commission, our combat strength is reduced.”
“Hey! I can still fight!” Wes protested immediately. Aroth pulsed faintly at his wrist.
“With a baby?” Rackell scoffed. “Are you planning to use him as a shield? Strap him to your back while you snipe?” She reached over and smacked him hard on the back of the head. “Get real, Callahan!”
BEEP-BEEP.
Another notification, this one marked urgent and direct, flashed on Rackell’s display. Her eyes widened as she read it.
“This… this is from Commander Valerius himself, Guild Operations Overseer…”
She scanned the message.
“Emergency summons! All available Provisional Harvester guilds in the Aethelgard region are ordered to mobilize immediately!”
“Ordered? For what?” Dodo leaned forward eagerly.
Rackell grinned, practically vibrating with excitement. “To assist the Crimson Star Guild with civilian evacuation efforts in the affected zones of Sector Gamma! Hazard pay authorized, exceptional bonuses guaranteed upon successful completion!”
“Crimson Star?” Dodo smashed his fist into his palm. “Alright! Working alongside the best!”
Maya was already heading towards her gear pouch. “Finally, some real action, even if it’s just evac.”
Wes felt a cold dread seep into his stomach. Crimson Star. Elizabeth Pellesh’s guild. “Wait… we have to work under them? Under her?”
“It’s an amazing opportunity, Wes!” Rackell countered, already pulling on her combat boots. “A chance to see top-tier Harmonics in action! To learn from Elizabeth herself! She’s my idol!”
“But she looked down on us! On me!” Wes protested vehemently. “I’m not working for her!”
“Then don’t,” Rackell retorted dismissively while checking the charge on her Resonance Gauntlet. “Stay here and play daddy. We weren’t expecting you to be much help anyway.”
Dodo and Maya voiced their agreement, already focused on prepping their equipment. The allure of action, high rewards, and proximity to the famous Crimson Star guild completely overshadowed Wes’s objections.
Within minutes, they were ready. Gear secured, goodbyes brief and functional. They filed out of the lodge, leaving Wes standing alone in the suddenly quiet room, Leo asleep once more in his arms.
The door clicked shut. An eerie silence descended.
“Elizabeth…”
Wes muttered the name; hatred burned like bile in his throat. That woman. She always managed to take everything from him, to eclipse him, to humiliate him.
He looked down at the sleeping infant. A strange, unwelcome thought surfaced.
‘Well,’ he admitted grudgingly to himself, ‘At least she can’t take this away.’ He held Leo a little tighter.
