Japari Park. When the almost magical substance "Sandstar" started spewing out of a volcanic island off the coast of Japan, the whole world went crazy. The substance turned animals or remains of animals into almost-human versions of themselves, called Friends. Everything we knew about science was called into question. Researchers went to work to figure out the mysteries of Sandstar. Then, since humanity never changes, they turned it into a wildlife theme park in addition to a research center. It was the most popular vacation spot in the world. So yeah, I've heard of the place. I just never thought I'd be running a rescue mission there.
The Chinook helicopter hummed and shuddered around me. The three other members of my team were seated beside and across from me. Each was checking and re-checking our weapons and equipment. It was the same routine we had gone through in countless missions in the past. This time however, our enemy was very very different. When Sandstar contacted inorganic matter it interacted in a slightly different way. No one is sure why, but unlike Friends, contact with inorganic matter created aggressive organisms called Ceruleans. These creatures hunted down and attacked any form of life in their path. The first instances of Ceruleans were dealt with shortly after their emergence and the park reopened without much incident. However, when the Sandstar volcano erupted for a second time many many more Ceruleans appeared. The park was evacuated after the Ceruleans proved too formidable for conventional measures to contain. The Japanese had claimed the Japari archipelago soon after it had first formed, so they had jurisdiction in the area. The JSDF had managed to evacuate most of the island and they were currently fortifying and defending the beaches from any wandering Ceruleans. However, some of the park's staff including a park guide and several researchers had become stranded deep within the Cerulean infested zone. Among the researchers was an American scientist named Jason Lazar. Lazar was studying the effects of Sandstar on the remains of extinct animals. Apparently his research was of interest to the government, so the United States had stepped in and sent a team to escort the staff back to the safe zone. That's where we came in.
"Approaching the LZ," the pilot's voice crackled in my headset. "Prepare for drop in five mikes."
Captain Jackson, our commander, was seated across from me. He let the bolt on his weapon slide forward and lock into place, loading a round. He looked up at us and grinned. "Remember, these things can regenerate unless you hit the stone. If you have a clear shot on the stone, take it. Otherwise, aim for the eye and hope it punches through."
I hefted the weapon in my hands. It was heavier than the one I normally used. Command had outfitted us with a larger caliber rifle in order to give us a better chance at damaging the stone within the Ceruleans.
"As you know, we'll be dropping about 7 klicks from the Lodge where the civilians are holding up." Jackson continued. "You've got one hour to meet up at rally point Hound after we drop. Don't engage unless you need too. And boys, if you encounter a purple or black Cerulean, run like hell. Understood?"
"Hooah." We replied. We stood and lined up, facing the rear of the helicopter. Soon, the hatch would open, the light above us would turn green and we would step out into the wide blue sky. I felt the familiar knot in my stomach settle into place. No matter how many times I jumped, I still got nervous before that first step.
Captain Jackson glanced back at me over his shoulder with a smirk. "You good, Knight? You look a little green."
"Fine, sir." I managed a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "Just a little hungry."
I saw Jackson's shoulders shake slightly as he chuckled. The metal floor beneath my feet shuddered as the hatch opened and cool air rushed in. Far below us, I could see a green forest that stretched in all directions. Along the horizon I could see a the thin line of blue that was the ocean. I took a deep breath to steady myself. I nearly choked on that breath when the helicopter lurched sickeningly to the right. The thick webbing across the ceiling that the four of us gripped was the only thing that kept us on our feet.
"What the hell was that?" Jackson growled into the radio. It buzzed as the pilots switched into our channel.
"A giant Ceru-shit! Level us out!" The pilot's voice cracked as he shouted to his co-pilot. "There's a giant black one of those things. It's flinging pieces of itself at us. Hold on back there, it's gonna get bumpy."
My grip somehow tightened even more on the webbing as the craft lurched again, this time in the other direction. I caught a glimpse of what the pilot was talking about. An enormous black mass was standing among the trees. It was supported by four oddly bent legs that looked too slender to support its mass. Its single unblinking eye was fixated on us. One of its legs twisted almost entirely around, fast enough to blur. A chunk of its gelatinous mass came hurtling through the air toward us.
"Shit." It was all I was able to say before the missile struck the underside of the helicopter. The next few moments became a series of images, flailing limbs, tangled cords and screaming. One of us was definitely screaming, and I remember hoping it wasn't me. And then I was outside. The smoking remains of the helicopter was tumbling away from me and I was falling. My static line chute was pulled as I got further away from the helicopter, but I was upside down. I saw a brief glimpse of the green forest below before I was engulfed by cable and fabric.
I don't know what I hit first, but it hurt. Pain like lightning spread out from my right side. More impacts throughout my body, slapping and ripping through the fabric of my chute. The canopy, I thought. It was gradually slowing me down. Then through a rip in the chute I saw a thick trunk rush up to meet me. Then felt nothing but the bliss of unconsciousness.
My first thought upon returning to the waking world was my head hurt. A lot. Then the memories of the crash came rushing back. I jolted upright and pulled the tattered remains of the parachute off me. Moving so quickly was a mistake. I hunched over to vomit the contents of my stomach onto the dirt. Something wet trickled down my right ear. I reached up to find a small gash across my scalp. It was then I noticed my helmet was gone. A quick glance around located it, a huge crack having split it in two. If I had hit hard enough to do that to my bulletproof helmet, I was honestly surprised I had woken up at all. I had a concussion for sure though. I grimaced and tried to salvage my radio equipment from the ruined helmet but had no such luck. It had been smashed on the impact and was completely inoperable. I took a deep breath and glanced up at the sky. The thick tree boughs obscured much of it, but from the light level I could tell I had been out for several hours. It would be dark soon and I had no idea where I had landed.
"Well shit." I said aloud to the trees. They didn't respond. Nearby I was able to locate my rifle. Its sling must have come undone near the end of my fall so it hadn't landed far away. The weapon had a few new scratches in the finish, but otherwise seemed undamaged. A smiled played on my lips. I was still concussed and lost in a forest deep within hostile territory but at least I had my gun. Small victories, I guess.
I looked up at the sky again, searching for a sign of the Sandstar volcano. The enormous crystals that rest on its summit would give me a landmark to try to figure out where I had landed. From there I could determine the direction of the Lodge where the civilians were. I still had a job to do. As far as I knew, I was the only one still around to finish that job. A cold spear of ice spiked through my chest as the thought crossed my mind. I forced those feelings down so I could bury them. If that was the case, there would be time for mourning later.
A twig snapped behind me.
I spun, rifle coming up to rest against my left cheek as I gazed down the sight. The crosshair settled on..a girl. That threw me a little and I blinked in confusion. The girl was high school aged if I had to take a guess. She wore a white buttoned up shirt with a small blue bow tied around her neck, a black skirt and what looked like brown arm warmers. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders. In her left hand she held a wooden staff that was nearly as tall as she was. It was topped by what looked like a large paw, complete with pads and claws. In her left hand she had the stick she had snapped. She let the two pieces fall to the ground and glared at me. It dawned on me she had broken the stick in order to get my attention and I wondered just how long she had been there.
"Who...are you?" I asked. My Japanese wasn't the greatest. I could understood the language much better than I could speak it, but I was pretty sure I could handle simple statements.
"Brown Bear." She replied. "What are you doing here, Human?" It was then I realized that what I had thought was a part of her hairstyle was not actually hair. Two round furry ears sat on top of her head, twitching slightly to follow the forest sounds around us. She was a Friend. I'd never actually seen one in person. Her glare intensified. "I asked you a question."
"I could ask you the same thing." I told her. We had been briefed that all the Friends had been moved to other parts of the island during the evacuation. I lowered my rifle and rested it on the pouches across my chest. "I'm Staff Sergeant Knight. I'm on my way to the Lodge to move some people out to safety." I said my rank in English, unsure of the equivalent terms or even if the Friend understood what a rank was. "Which way is the lodge?"
Brown Bear raised an eyebrow at me. "Tch. You don't even know where it is." She picked up her staff and rested it on one shoulder. "I'm going to take you to the beach. Then you can leave." She walked over to me and I saw she only came up to my shoulder level. She started to push me in one direction.
"What are you doing?" I stepped back from her. "I need to get to the Lodge. I have a job to do."
She frowned at me. "No." She pointed at my head, where the blood had dried. "You'll get hurt again. Come with me." I turned away from her and started off into the trees. "Hey!" I heard her yell behind me. In a moment she had caught up to me and was walking beside me.
"If the beach is that way," I pointed behind us in the direction she had tried to lead me. "Then the lodge is in this direction." I pointed in front of me. "Thanks for the tip." She glared at me.
"It too dangerous, you should leave." She told me. The fact that what looked like a young girl had just told me it was too dangerous for me caused a small smile to cross my lips. Bear's brow furrowed. "What's so funny?"
I opened my mouth to reply and that was when we heard the screaming.