Chapter 1
The Unknown
There is a man who has wandered these forests since the beginning of, well, everything. Season after season the white ribbon leaves of the gargantuan trees turn black, falling to the glittering green dirt. Yet he remains. Some days his screams echo through the land, asking why his life has brought him here, why this is the path he’s ended upon, but there’s been no one here to answer his question. In fact, there isn’t a person here who hasn’t tried to kill him. That is, until today.
The wind rustled through the trees creating a symphony much like crumbling plastic bags. The bird’s wing beat kept time like the land’s drum, while the running water from the golden streams echoed along the wiry branches. This harmony was an age-old song disrupted by only one creature. The humans.
“YOU IDIOT!” A tiny Englishman cried as he dangled upside down by his own parachute cords. “You had one job. ONE JOB!”
Above him, another man of a much, sturdier build, was strapped to the black rubbery tree trunk, rolling his eyes at his companion’s complaints.
“You’re the navigator! How was I supposed to know you set the wrong coordinates!?” He retorted.
“Lewis Cardinal is never wrong!” The little man shouted back as his dirty blond bangs flopped in front of his eyes.
“Oh, third person now? Well then, might as well call Beck Throne a moron for following you on a mission like this!” He threw back sarcastically.
I had never seen two humans who were so different. Lewis with his, slacks, and white sweater, seemed more like an intellectual to me. Beck, on the other hand, was much darker. His ebony hair was cut short on the sides, yet remained fluffy on top. His coffee-brown jacket stood out like a sore thumb next to his abyss-colored T-Shirt and pants which, in a strange way, matched his calm demeanor. A stark contrast to Lewis’s blunt rage and frustration.
With a huff, the two continued wriggling about, helplessly trying to break free of their bonds. That is, until the crunching footsteps came closer.
“Halt,” a deep voice ordered as he held his arm out.
Lewis and Beck turned to see a man dressed in a sleek navy-blue suit. His posture and dead-eyed confidence screamed military, but the specialized weapon on his wrist confirmed his occupation. This weapon was a simple copper tube, with wires running into the jacket of the suit. From its center, a neon green light beamed forward, marking its target. Lewis’s forehead.
“But….but….” Lewis attempted.
“The guards are already here,” Beck finished as the air fled from his lungs.
Their bodies froze and they watched as the man pull a black snowflake-shaped device off his belt.
“We have intruders,” he informed robotically. “I repeat, non-guard humanoids have breached the safety zone. Requesting back up.”
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