"Lieutenant Avery, can you brief me on what we have so far?" Up asked when he walked back into the room. He'd said the same thing for five months now. Every day that he spent without Taz was foreign and uncomfortable. He felt weirdly exposed and broken, like he wasn't completely whole, like there was a piece of him missing. A piece of him that belonged with Taz.
"We know that the robots from Malvoah have returned to one of their main hideouts, located here." The lieutenant pointed to one of five red X's that were placed on the 3-D model of the area. He pushed a button and the computer model zoomed into the red X, a compound of cement buildings appearing before the Rangers in the humid room. "What we don't know is in which one of these four buildings the robots are keeping the Lieutenant." Specs raised her hand timidly.
"What do you have, Specs?" Up inquired.
"Sir, I believe that if we do a thermal imaging scan of the area, we can find which building Lieutenant Taz is in. The scan will show the humans who are in the compound, which is only Taz, sir." Up nodded.
"Do it, Specs." He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling weary and exhausted. He hadn't had a full night's sleep in five months.
"Yes sir." Food was shoved in front of Up and he began to eat mechanically. He didn't do much of anything these days other than look for ways to find Taz, but every so often, somebody would make him eat a plate of food so he didn't pass out.
"The scans are up and ready, Commander," Specs said. Up jumped to his feet and looked at the model in front of him. In addition to the grey of the cement buildings that made up the model, there was a shining spot of orange in a corner of one of the buildings.
"Specs, that orange spot over there, is that...?" He couldn't bring himself to say it. Suddenly his mouth felt dry.
"Yes sir. That is the one human being in the compound." Specs smiled and beamed at him. "If our intelligence is right, that is Lieutenant Taz."
Suddenly, the reality of finding her came crashing down on Up. He'd found her. He'd found her. His chest tightened and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. He smiled at Specs, the first real smile in five months.
"Thank you, Specs." He looked expectantly at the Admiral.
"Admiral, requesting permission to organize a team and a rescue mission to leave in one hour." The Admiral grinned at his soldier, knowing just how much this meant to him.
"Permission granted." His smile softened. "Bring our girl home, Up. We need her."
After debriefing the team, Up rushed off to his cabin to grab his zapper and his clips that he used to keep it in place on his back. His hands were trembling as he walked. Clenching them in an attempt to stop the shaking, he found himself longing to touch Taz's hair. The blunt cut that he was used to appeared choppy, but was incredibly soft to the touch. He longed to trace the contours of her face, to run his fingertips over her silky cheekbones and smooth skin. While her hands were calloused like his and her body contained almost as many scars, her face was unblemished, a glowing beacon of light. He longed to see her smile again, to hear her laugh again and watch her eyes dance as she did.
His head swam with the thought of seeing her again. Closing his eyes and taking breaths so deep that his chest rose several inches, Commander Up collected himself. He hadn't gotten Taz yet and he needed his head clear so that this mission went well. Opening his eyes only after his mind was at peace, Up walked briskly to the drop pod.
Standing aboard the drop pod, watching as his team did some last minute prepping was an odd experience for Up. His usually calm demeanor before a mission was gone, replaced with fear. His brain had turned to his deepest fears. What if Taz was dead, and that image he saw on the model was her body? What if she was alive, but the robots had tortured her so badly that she had broken? What if-?
"Drop down in thirty seconds," the mechanical voice interrupted his thoughts and Up was grateful for the distraction. When he went to those dark places, it wasn't easy for him to come back. His team surrounded him and waited for the pre-mission speech that he usually gave. He turned to them.
"I don't think I need to remind you what's at stake here. Don't be stupid. Let's get in there, get," his mouth dried up and he had to swallow before saying her name, "Taz and get out of there. Time to get the job done, Rangers." They nodded solemnly and Up turned around to face the exit.
Jumping off of the drop pod, Up and his team invaded the compound in search of their friend.
