The blackness slowly begins to recede in two directions. Replacing it is the bright sun, followed immediately by the same orangish sand that has plagued them all for the past 24 hours.
Brawnz stretches his arms out, and begins to look around. His eyes become more and more frantic as he remembers yesterday. The irises move around everywhere, but neither of them can find the one thing they are searching for.
He sighs so powerfully, so distastefully that it wakes the other men up that are stuck with him in this reality.
"Whew! How long was I out?"
No answer. All of their sleeps were cut short because of this tragedy, each only getting around 5 hours worth of shut-eye. And although he and Roy really do not like being woken up at 7 AM, they understand why. Brawnz is not going to let them get any more rest, no matter how much they yearn for it.
"Alright! Today we are going to look around and find her! Failure will not be acceptable! Nolan, hand me the rations!"
Nolan hands him a package of flatbread, which Brawnz eats in only three short, desperate bites. There is also some coffee with this meal, but he chooses to save it for a more dire time.
As soon as he finishes up the last of the crumbs, he flies off, ready to look for the desert sniper once again. The other teammates follow behind, with their energy growing higher and higher with every minute that passes.
And those minutes sure do go by fast. The sun slowly continues to creep up over them, like sand slowly traversing a curved hourglass. It reaches 10 AM with no fanfare. Noon goes by without a single acknowledgment. 2 PM flies through with more stealth than a security drone.
It's now 4:30. The sun is back in their face again as it goes through its daily descent down below the horizon. Everywhere within a 5 mile area has been combed through with more precision than a lazer cutting through metal. But still, after all this trouble, there is still no reward. May has not appeared.
Everyone was thrown off the bullhead at just about the exact same time! There should be no way that they would be split up this far apart!
At this point, Brawnz has finally surrendered. Any more searching would imperil their ability to get back to Oscuro in time, and failing that might be the only punishment more distressing than losing a team member. But that is merely splitting hairs, as tears fall down from his eyes all the same.
Nolan and Roy realize what this all means, and they break down too. If there is one good thing about the infinite desert, it is that, unlike the rest of Vacuo, here, the only things that see you cry are grains of sand.
The sand is all too happy to absorb their tears.
The camp is packed up, everyone grabs their few possessions, and all three of them regretfully turn their back to the disturbed sand grains, instead forcing themselves to tread the long, painful journey back home. There will be no evidence of their plight, no footprints, no trash, not even the tears they shed will last longer than a few days out here. If they are lucky, a lone hair or two may survive for longer. But, barring the miracle of all miracles, that will be all that remains.
The long march to the academy is done in pure silence. No one has the energy to speak, as it takes all of their effort to continue their journey home. After one and a half days of torture, the academy finally distinguishes itself from the sandstorm. There the headmaster of this club waits, ready to give a true, honest congratulations to anyone who makes it back here in one piece.
He notices them almost immediately, and beckons them over with welcoming arms. This seems to give a jolt to the three stragglers, as they quicken their pace.
"BRNZ. Congratulations for surviving this brutal mission. As expected from the highest-graded team in this class."
Only now does the headmaster notice that one is missing.
"Where is Ms. Zedong?"
Brawnz, Roy, and Nolan can only respond with more silence. The headmaster knows what this means.
"I am sorry for bringing up any bad memories. All of you pass with flying colors. You may go back to your dorm now."
The three barely have the strength in them to nod as they file into the dorm.
A door is slammed shut, and the sounds of crying can be heard from several rooms away. But no one dares to do anything about it.
The few remnants of her that survive: her scroll, some snack food, and a private journal, are zipped up in a bag, and put in a corner. They even give it some flair, using her pillow and hammock to create something that looks like a sniper's observing spot. One extraneous barrel, and Vacuan flag later, the impromptu memorial is complete. Even when she is replaced by someone else, there will always be a piece of her in here.
️
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Unnamed Military Barrack, Beijing - 6:00 PM
The soldiers in this barrack are just now returning from a long day of training drills, Maoist indoctrination, and the occasional game of basketball. The meal today is something that is a little bit unique by PLA (People's Liberation Army) standards: Pork with green peppers, eggplant soup, and rice.
This is one of the most popular meals for the army, certainly better than the rations that they have to deal with on the field. One of the regiments, the 103rd Infantry Division, sits at its own table. But the most senior person of this group is missing. The others have already sat down, talking amongst themselves about the hot topic of the week: The Death of Mao.
毛泽东去世令人难过，他是一个非常能干的领导人。(It is sad that Mao has died, he was a very capable leader.)
是的，他是。全中国都会想念他。(Yes, he was. All of China will miss him.)
我希望政府能够在过渡时期幸存下来。(I hope the government will survive the transition.)
我希望我很快得到提升！(I hope I get a promotion soon!)
Laughing takes over the table for a bit.
为什么我们的领导人还没到呢？ 这猪肉真好吃。(Why has our leader not come yet? This pork is really tasty.)
也许他被他的上司带去讨论一些事情。(Maybe he was taken by his superior to discuss something.)
Just then, a door opens. It is none other than the 103rd Infantry Division leader, holding in his arms what looks like a small girl, standing no more than 5 feet tall. But what catches the eye of everyone in the barrack is her look. It is not even close to the PLA uniform, or even traditional Chinese clothing.
As several chopsticks clink from being dropped inside bowls, everyone is glued to the scene. He talks with some of the staff, and after a quick conversation, he leaves the cafeteria entirely, with her in tow.
Conversation begins to resume, but before anyone of the 103rd can speak, one of the guards from earlier walks up to one of the members.
您是与领导者共处的人，对吗？(You are the one that lives with the leader, yes?)
是的先生。(Yes sir.)
她现在是你们俩的责任。请给他吃午饭。(She is in the care of you two for right now. Get his lunch for him please.)
An empty bowl is set down right next to his own.
不要让他等待太久。(Do not keep him waiting too long.)
The infantryman quickly finishes off his meal, fills up the empty bowl, and rushes into the living quarters.
As soon as he is gone, the other soldiers start up again.
您认为这是他个人的 "秘书" 之一吗？(Do you think it is one of his personal "secretaries"?)
还能是什么呢？他拿起一个非常有趣的一个，这是肯定的。(What else could it be? He picked a really interesting one, that's for sure.)
More laughter comes from the table as they finish up their meal.
Meanwhile, back in the living quarters, the soldier is rushing back to his area, with the pork and noodles barely staying contained within the bowl.
Footsteps are heard quite easily as he approaches the room, seeing the officer first, sitting in a chair.
先生，这是您的饭。女孩好吗？(Here is your meal, sir. How is the girl?)
谢谢你。那个女孩还好，她在床上休息。(Thank you. The girl is okay, she is resting on the bed.)
He looks over and sees the girl laying on the bed, clearly breathing, but with no movement whatsoever.
我希望她很快醒来。这顿饭令人满意吗？(I hope she wakes soon. Is the meal satisfactory?)
The commander finishes taking a bite of the pork with his chopsticks and sets them down.
它是。做得好。(It is. Great work.)
您会在餐桌旁重新加入我们吗？(Will you be rejoining us at the table?)
He considers for a moment. There is more military drills coming up after this, so nothing is likely to happen to her while he and the rest are gone. God forbid a rape occur, especially to someone under his protection. If that comes to pass, he is almost certain to be kicked out of the PLA, and forced to return to a life of farming.
我会在那里的时候了。愿毛主席保护这个女孩免受来世的伤害。(I will be there right away. May this girl be protected by Mao from the afterlife.)
愿毛主席保护这个女孩免受来世的伤害。(May this girl be protected by Mao from the afterlife.)
They both rejoin their comrades at the table. Thoughts of her are pushed to the back of everyone's mind for right now, as the second piece of military drills approach… This one is a march dedicated to Mao.
Oh joy, I so want to tell you all about… *zzzzzzzz*
Now readable thanks to formatting. It was really interesting looking up how the PLA worked back then.