The Mission TG - Part 1

The Mission

I've been on dozens of missions behind enemy lines and this was the first one which made me nervous before I even got close.

I checked the guard posts seven times. Two Shieldmaiden-level sentries. Not even the Valkyrie-level ones in the briefing papers. And certainly not the Durga some feared might be waiting. If I'd gotten eyes on one of those then that would be the end of me. But Shieldmaidens were great. Perfectly great.

I kept scanning. Standard watch pattern. They looked a little tired. Going over the same paces hour after hour. They were due for a shift change. Just as the briefing had planned. And that's why I was scared.

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No one remembers how it all began. Some say it was a mad scientist, a box of nanites, and a regular day. I don't care. All I know is the world I live in.

It's a place where there are no more regular days, where identity and appearance can be instantly rewritten. Where the long ago children's games of the boys verses the girls are games no more.

We stand against the Embracing Sisterhood, the name they give themselves. Consuming. Absorbing. All better words to use. They would have the entire world like them without a second thought. Whether they feel that way because of little machines in their heads or something else doesn't matter to me.

In the early days, there were actual wars but the weaponry was all about bending the minds and hearts of advancing forces. Bombings converted whole cities to Sisterhood settlements. We got crushed in every conflict till we learned to fight dirty. But even that ran to a stalemate of soldiers whose minds were so blurred by deleted and altered loyalties and identities that they were left as simple children who would play games when they should've been battling.

It is an era of truce in all but actions. The large-scale conflict has given way to small tactics. The slow change of a man in power. The tampering of a key water supply. And things we can't even comprehend.

And there's where I come in.

----

I scanned the whole area with the flip down binoculars. Nothing amiss. According to the briefing notes, the site used to be an army base. It sat in a small, dusty desert valley, clinging to jutting hills. The foothills had big enough scrub oaks to hide under. The rest of the way was covered in dense juniper and chaparral.

It was dusk with the last light of day caught by the fringes of the hills. The Shieldmaidens continued their patrols.

I crept closer with soft footfalls and clung to a side of a large bush. I breathed slowly into my mask and put away the binoculars. I slid down my goggles. I wasn't used to this new gear. It wicked the sweat away but it still felt like I was dripping inside. I had an air tube with two minutes of air built into the mask. I had every tool I could ask for in the deep pockets. Along with the most advanced nano-optic illusion system in the world. I was told if I was captured to hit the little switch hidden in my right glove. It would destroy the optics and fry all the electronics. Better to lose one man than the best illusion tech out there. Real comforting.

I slid my hand to the other switch. I didn't flip it yet. The illusion tech would make me appear as a Valkyrie guard. But if it worked that well in practice then I could just strut in and out the front door. It was blurry up close and had lag. Walk by someone and they say "Hi" and you respond to them when they're a step past. Only for those people and cameras far enough away to be fooled.

Then, there was the measure of last resort. I didn't even bend a finger in its direction. Nothing to think about until it was absolutely necessary.

I snuck over to a nearby bush. One of the Shieldmaidens stretched her arms out. Definitely tired. The shift change would be soon. I had to move.

I ignored the clammy fear and swept my legs silently across the desert floor. I gave an extra sway to my hips.

The entry point was the most beat-up end of the fence. The flood lights were just a trickle on that edge. I kept eyes on the guards. The shrubs were cleared about thirty yards from the fence. Just bare stone and dirt.

I leaned around the closest-reaching juniper and scanned the front once more. Both guards were far away. I reached into one hip pocket and pulled out a small, modified flare gun. Intended to be quiet but I knew it would still sound like a whip crack going off to anyone around. Fortunately, I knew from a training run that the small valley would cause echoes. The round was set to ignite on impact.

I'd trained this. Still, I couldn't stop myself from imagining the Shieldmaidens would immediately turn my way and start hitting my position. I took a long breath, checked where they were situated, and waited for the right moment.

The shift change began with a radio call. The far guard was looking away and the near guard was looking down. Without thinking, I stepped a pace out from behind the juniper and fired a high shot into the air.

I vanished behind the bush again. Not enough echoes to me. It sounded like I'd just told them where I was. I used the binoculars again, peering through the branches. They'd been spooked but they were looking in all directions, save mine.

Two more seconds and the round landed with a sudden fireball which licked up a tall sage bush.   

The Shieldmaidens scrambled back and forth from their station. Their replacements were just behind the front fence. They were on their radios too. Four guards in one place. More coming to fight the fire, which towered against the darkening sky. No more waiting.

I shifted into position and started cutting at the fence. No rushing. No stopping to check. Cut cut cut. I cut at the edge so the opening could be easily hidden. It would be a close squeeze, even for me. I held my breath. No lights on me and no guard positions nearby. I made sure I left no traces from my entry.

An access road ahead of me low, old buildings with tiny, high windows. The briefing said that most of the complex was unused, except for the newer structures towards the center. But the briefing had already been wrong about the posted guards, so I made sure to use a fiber optic camera to peer through the windows. I stayed on a long shadow till I was sure it was just from the flood lights. No movement and the building had been stripped.

I took out my tranquilizer gun. There were sure to be people this far inside the base. About an hour unconscious for each shot, if I was lucky. Either way, they would be out long enough for me to finish my job.

I peered around the corner. Most of the activity was away from me and on the fire I'd started. Ahead, a large open area leading to a ditch and the nearest road. Then, what used to be one of the barracks. Easier to cut through since it was probably not in use either.

I swayed forward and crouched into the ditch. Some of the guards were coming back this way. Far away from me but they might catch my movement. I stayed down for a long moment. They were heading back. I ran the rest of the way to the road and over to the barracks.

The door was just a few paces away. I stopped. Voices from inside the building. Couldn't be sure enough to use the fiber optic. I avoided the windows and tried to keep out of sight.

I weighed the options. Creep through the building and avoid, hopefully, few inhabitants. Creep between the buildings with the nano-optics on. Find a different route. I didn't need to ponder further. The choice was clear. Bad line of sight on me and distance from any hostiles.

I flipped the switch. My ears buzzed a bit, like usual. No other side effects. I glanced down and undid the bun holding my long hair up so it would match the long style of the Valkyrie I was impersonating.

I took a breath and walked forward between the two buildings. I couldn't hear anything towards the front of the base, just the movements and sounds from the barracks. I wasn't too close to any of the doors. I kept the same, practiced sway of my hips and soft sweep of my legs.

Laughter. It had to be a large group. In my head, I imagined a whole battalion of Valkyries just beyond the wall. But I kept my focus ahead, eyes pinned to the end of the barracks building.

I kept my ears focused on every possible sound. From whether I could hear another pair of boots brushing against the dusty ground to the shifts of floorboards and the creaks of metal. There were plenty of noises at the edges of my perception but they all crashed together like distant static.

Edge of the barracks. I leaned forward…then heaved myself back.

One of them. Three meters away. Resting against the side of the building with her arms folded over her chest. Low light by now but I could tell that she wasn't dressed as any ranked member of the Embracing Sisterhood. Just a regular sister. Perhaps not even armed. I held several breaths before letting them ease out through my nostrils.

I waited for new sounds. I expected the sister noticed me and would mistake me for one of her kin. I prepped my tranquillizer gun. A nano-based injection which would work no matter if it caught flesh or clothing. Still, I wanted try options. I could walk past her with my head turned away. Based on all we knew, a regular sister would probably ignore a patrolling Valkyrie. I pulled my mask down to expose my mouth, just in case I needed to speak.

I'd been offered a conversion weapon for one mission. I declined. As satisfying as it might be for part of me to see an ES helping me out, believing we were on the same side, the rest of me was sickened by the idea. Enough of that kind of manipulation to last lifetimes. I put the tranquillizer away and stepped out into exposed territory.

One pace. Two. Three. Four…

"Hey there." I could hear the sister's words clearly in my right ear. They weren't tersely spoken. They weren't yelled as an accusation. They weren't even that loud. They were words of pleasant greeting lacking the certainty of a question.

I moved quickly because I knew there would be a delay in the image. I halted my pace and turned halfway to regard the sister. The glance of a prideful superior.

I could've left it at that but I'd had enough vocal preparation to feel confident enough to say, "Inside, sister. There's been an incident at the gate."

I patterned my tone after a number of recordings we had from eavesdropping. I gave a slight twang to my voice which was still common in the area. I also took the exact wording from a Valkyrie's recorded conversation

The sister watched me. I tensed. I still had the gun but I didn't want to start hiding bodies and watching the clock yet if I could avoid it. It couldn't be the image delay. I'd practiced syncing my voice with the image to the point that I often left my mouth open for an extra, awkward moment in normal conversations.

Still, the sister looked. I turned away from her and prepared to take my next step.

"What happened?" She asked her question softly. Turned away, I could answer her without concern to my lip matching.

"Please hurry inside and be safe, my sister. I will take care of everything." Another copied set of phrases. Valkyries, bastions of calm and protection.

I continued walking. I made sure my footfalls were light so she wouldn't hear anything amiss either. I felt so exposed. I could feel her eyes at my back. I wanted to turn. Then, I heard her footsteps.

Good, I thought at first. But the footsteps were approaching me.

In a rather small voice, she said, "Forgive me but…you're alone. Where is your Valkyrie Sister?"

Just the question I didn't want to hear. Guards always in twos, aside from the Durga. This went beyond what we had recordings of. I had to say, "I am meeting up with her. Forgive me, sister, but I must hurry." I gave a quick turn back towards the unranked sister. She was closer than I would've liked. I projected a dour expression. Sensors on me read the expression and translated it into a Valkyrie expression soon after.

The sister was still watching. I could pull my tranquillizer but she might scream in the time it would take to knock her out. The illusion was my only option.

She clutched her hands in front of her. Then she looked down. She bowed a little and said, "Of course. I'm sorry. All my love to you and your Sister, beloved protector." Finally, her footsteps receded. I started walking again with the same pace and didn't look back till I heard a door slowly open and close with the soft scuffs of boots through the threshold. Quick glance back. She was gone.

I hurried again and ignored the damp feeling of hidden sweat. The way ahead would be no easier. Still more barracks but these didn't appear as active. I moved like I believed I was a watchful guardian looking for another Valkyrie.

Past the last row of barracks, I switched the illusion off. There was a cluster of trees ahead, a services building beyond them, and a dwindling, yellowed park. What used to be the mess halls and some extra housing would not be far off. The old parade grounds were right next to the infiltration area but I'd go beyond that to one of the chapels and double back because it would provide me more cover than the open grounds.

I checked my positioning one last time, hurried under the cover of the trees, and threaded my way through the edge of the park. Every time I thought I saw a figure moving in the dim light, I slowed my pace and reassumed the movements of a Valkyrie.  

Despite everything, this was disturbingly easy. I clenched my jaw and soon sighted the chapel. Like everything around it, the lights were on. Sounds. I switched the disguise back on. A light vehicle motoring down a nearby road. Four girls heading in the direction I'd just come. Valkyrie steps….shit!

They were turning towards me. I could run for it and try to lose them in one of the buildings but suspicions would be roused. I kept to the Valkyrie steps.

The vehicle, a small jeep, was headed right for the road I was about to cross. I decided to stop right before it. Every part of my fluttering heart wanted to turn back and run or dash across the road and find cover in the swelling darkness.

I didn't have more than a long breath before the jeep was at my position. It slowed to a halt right next to me. Two Shieldmaidens in the front and two unranked girls in the front.

"Greetings, blessed Sister", said the Shieldmaiden nearest to me. "Do you need help?"

None of my excuses I used before were likely to work on Shieldmaidens. I was also uncomfortable with how close they were to me. I feigned a quick cough and sniffle as I covered my mouth. This would hopefully cover my mouth-matching. I replied, "Greetings, dear sister. I was just out for a cleansing walk."

The Shieldmaiden further from me leaned forward and asked, "You're ill, fair Sister?'

Using my free hand, I held it in a "stop" motion. I had to remind myself not to wave it because of possible blurring. I told her, "Not ill but ill of feeling. It passes with the vibrant evening air." I added a slight, extra cough to keep my hand up.

I knew this wasn't going as well as with the other girl. The unranked girls seemed placated but the Shieldmaidens were curious and full of questions. The nearer one asked, "Could you not take one of the remedies in the infirmary. Sister Mari has so many wonderful medicines."

I gave them a nod. Of course, I knew about the infirmary. We had a clear understanding of everything there. And we especially knew that if ever a non-Sister was found wounded, the common practice was for treatment but that the kindness of the medicine would erase what they were before forever, leaving a healed Sister. I certainly didn't want to get anywhere near there.

Softly clearing my throat, I took a breath, as much for theatrics as for myself, and said, "I know Mari well. She is a kind sister. She has helped much but still, I crave the evening air. For many reasons…"

Fill the lie with another lie. I made sure the illusion translated the image of blushing to what showed. My eyes darted away and then down. The nearest Shieldmaiden picked up on this, probably thinking she was clever. She smirked a bit and noted, "Oh. I see. I notice you are headed for the North East Housing. Do you live there, blessed Sister, or do you know someone there?"

I hesitated, just the amount necessary, and cleared my throat again. I took my hand away. I put on a mature expression of calm and folded my hands. I regarded my words and timed my speaking for each delay, "I know at least one blessed sister there." Then I adjusted my position and tried to catch as much shadow on my face as I could.

One Shieldmaiden looked to the other. Hard to tell if they were exchanging smirks but the girls in back sure seemed more curious about them than me. Suppressed giggles. A good sign. I had their guards down. The nearer one looked back to me and remarked, "I see. Well, then we shouldn't hold you…we would give you a lift to the North East Housing but there is nowhere left to sit."

The unranked girls stammered to offer up their seats, something often done for elder sisters. I declined politely and noted, "I enjoy the walk."

Probably not the best response but I couldn't let them get too close. The nearer one was regarding me a bit as she said, "I know Valkyries have their ways but I don't often see one by themselves, especially at night…so I must say…" She held her words a long moment.

I feared she was leading to an accusation. I didn't know if I could deal with this situation without some sort of hostile action. But, after the long moment, she smiled warmly and said, "…That 'someone' must be special. Still, a Valkyrie must always remember to set a good example for her Sisters."

Admonishing, even lightly. I didn't know a Shieldmaiden would be so bold. It seemed even an elder sister without her partner could be questioned. I would remember that. For the moment, I had to be clever. I offered, adding wistful warmth to my words, "I would never wish to leave my closest sister's side. Which is why I am so eager to swiftly take my steps back to her."

The Shieldmaiden's demeanor changed to one of ease. She had a slight blush and the younger ones were whispering a bit. The one at the wheel of the vehicle looked off with even more of a blush. With a kind bow of her head, the nearer one told me, "Then you best not keep her waiting. Blessed safety and love to you, elder protector. And many joys to you…very soon."

I fidgeted a bit and she nudged the driver to head off. They all sent back waves as they went. I held my hand up and walked across the street as soon as they had passed.  

Once they were out of sight, I could breathe normally again. I feared they may have been testing me with some of their questions. Our intel on the details of the base were not exact. If they had asked me which room or further details I would've been in a compromising spot.

I dashed off through the narrow, dark places as fast as possible. I didn't stop until I made it to the chapel. I hid under the narrow streams of light through the windows. I felt the lower sections of the wall for vibrations. Might be a few people moving inside but not a large group.

We knew members of the Embracing Sisterhood followed a belief system but knew little about its practices and dogma. We knew conversion was considered their duty. They couldn't pass a man on the street and leave him a man. Sure, they were more insidious and quiet about it now but if you caught sight of one of them then your only fate was to join them. No claims to the contrary. No clever trickery could sway a Sister from her so-called duty. The idea of not adding someone to their Sisterhood was incomprehensible. I could only imagine what kind of activities took place inside the chapel.

The side of the chapel cloaked in thicker oaks was where I camped out. The windows were far above me. It was not my primary objective but I could probably get a few images from the optic of the interior.

I raised the long tube until it was stretched high above me. I raised it as far as I could and maneuvered the device to peer inside.

The image was, as before, grainy and fish-eyed. I bent it a few ways with my aching fingers. I had the presence of mind to make sure my illusion was still on and pressed the lens as close to the window as possible. A few symbols. I made sure to set the feed to record. The pews were still there. All sorts of stuff hung on the walls. More symbols. Nothing dark or creepy. Some candles. On the whole, it didn't seem that different than any chapel. A few figures moving about. I craned down a bit and noticed there was a platform near the window.

The maps didn't mention a second level to the chapel but it easily could've been added at some point by the ES. I got a sudden, tingly feeling in my head. I should've paid attention to that sensation, because not more than a few seconds later, a shadow passed through the window and I heard a high, tense female voice yell, "HEY! Who's there?"

Just the words I didn't want to hear. I darted to the ground and crouched under the oak as far as I could. I reeled in the optic with a snap and paid attention to the front door. I'd have to make a move to the side of the chapel but I didn't want to give my opponent any glimpse of me to confirm they'd actually seen anything in the window. I could still be passed off as a scary branch which leaned too close in a breeze.

But I couldn't tell where the Sister inside was looking. I could try stunning her but I didn't know if she was the only one inside the chapel. Furthermore, I knew one of them could be a lookout while I was taking down the other one. For the moment, I kept under the darkest part of the oak. I could emerge later as a watchful Valkyrie and act like I was responding to a possible intruder. The problem would be how to transition and how to keep the Sister as far away as possible.

The chapel doors creaked open. I drew my tranquillizer and tried to keep myself as cloaked as possible. The low-lying branches were good for cover but I could hear every slight sound of my body brushing up against them.

Footsteps out the door. The Sister scanned in my direction with a flashlight. I covered up as much as possible. She was getting closer…I had to think of something clever. Then, an idea occurred to me. It was chancy and would test the quality of the illusion but I had to give it a try.

I snuck to the farthest end of the oak, checked that I didn't have anything stuck on me (which might block the illusion optics), and made my way out from around the tree. The light immediately flicked to me as I asked, "Fellow Sister?"

I worked on the situation in my mind. We knew that Sisters, even high level ones, tended to play games in a child-like manner with those close to them. There were plenty of rumors as to why but all interrogations could yield were that it was tied to their beliefs. The games and wars of children… I had to put all that aside. I had to exist in the role.

I looked around curiously and then asked, "Where is she?"

The Sister in front of me just held a small flashlight. She wore clothes different from the guards and even unranked sisters I'd seen before. Shieldmaiden clothing wasn't vastly different from the old army garb which used to be worn on a base like this. It was designed to fit close and not poof up while still showing the sense and flow of a gown with warm yellow-and-brown banded tones. Valkyrie clothes appeared more like something a mythic Amazon would wear with pants-like leggings and a lean torso section in ethereal blue colors. The commanders didn't get why they didn't just use regular military uniforms and adopted this look. Some of it looked like puffy pantaloons and some of it wrinkled and creased. The unranked girls wore a variety of outfits, some clothes like an average girl might wear and others wore very plain clothing.

The Sister before me wore a simple gown, soft white like cream and as sleek and glossy as satin with blue-threaded spirals branching from adjoining spirals. The iconography appeared vaguely familiar but I didn't have time to stare, I had a story to tell.

I asked the Sister softly, "Where is my sister? She was just here…"

The Sister didn't take a step towards me. She trained her flashlight across my body. We really had no idea what a focused light might do to the optics involved in the illusion but it was about to get tested in the field. I tried not to brace myself but held my body relaxed and glanced around.

Once her flashlight had passed over me a few times, the Sister asked, "Who are you looking for?"

I wove my tale with the softest and most practiced words in just the right tone.

"My Valkyrie sister. My beloved other. We were heading back from a patrol and my dear kin wanted to play. Hide and seek. Such a silly game. But I felt at ease. So I joined her. We ran…we chased. We laughed. Then I heard these strange noises from far off. And I was over here when there was this rustling by the blessed sanctuary. I'm sure I saw something dark. I raised my guard and sought my sister. But she was gone and I don't know where she went. I hope…oh…dearly I hope nothing has befallen her. Please please…" There were so many holes in my story but I could fill them in if she asked.

I even worked up the sense of tears and a strangled quality to my voice. So much practice and so much preparation. It was more than I ever hoped I would have to say to anyone on a mission. So many words. So many places to slip up but I felt confident because she had her light moving around and not trained on my face.

Still, a huge risk. I wasn't even sure if I'd used the proper term of "sanctuary". At least I had a fallback, just in case, resting in one of my hidden pockets.

The Sister looked at me for a careful moment. She searched me. Too deep a search? Was she looking at the seams in my disguise? I would have to change tactics if her expression suddenly shifted.

After a long moment, her expression did change…but to one of calm concern. She gave a small bow of her head and her shoulders settled. Her light hung at her side as she answered, "Oh my….blessed sister. I hope the same hope as you. I came out because I noticed something small and black scraping against one of the windows. Like a very slender bat. I can't be sure what it was…" She pointed her light up to the window I had been searching as she added, "But it seems to be gone now." She gave a little sigh and looked to me.

She was sure to ask many questions or ask me to come inside the chapel. So many possibilities. But she didn't. She clapped her hands softly and made another little bow as she said, "May all blessings of love be upon your dear kin. May you find her swiftly. And may you know the warm, constant embrace of your sister very soon." She gave a serene, vaguely creepy smile. Part of me wanted to fly away at her words but my rationale told me this was just the sort of thing she'd tell any of the other Sisters.

I smiled to her intentionally and scanned the area before I took a particular interest in the direction of my route. She watched after me with that particular countenance I always noticed on the most devoted of the ES. I tried to not let it get to me as I made my way towards my location. I projected the demeanor of hope that my sister was just around the corner.

I kept up the act until I was clear of the chapel. I found the darkest corner to camp in and watched to see if the Sister from the chapel would follow me. I just heard a far-off creak of an old door. She had to have gone inside.

I grit my teeth. Nothing about that encounter felt right. It went according to plan but, again, that's what was unnerving me. My excuses, my presentation. It was no better than any operative who tried to breach a base and so many were caught with less cause than I was giving them. I had to wonder if they were letting me through. But I allowed the thought enter my mind for only a moment. If that was true, then I would never leave this base.