Leads

"Joseph!"

"Huh! What?"

"Your turn to pull security."

"Shit." He could hear the patter of rain on his bivy cover.

"Come on!" the voice angrily whispered. Michael unzipped his sleeping bag and bivy cover, and sat up.

"I'm up, I'm up." He was on his second field training exercise (FTX) as a cadet for ROTC, during the spring of his first year enrolled at the university. It was the early hours of the morning, the rain was pouring on his company's patrol base, and it was cold.

Fuck

In the middle of the woods in the middle of nowhere, the young man was not having a good time. He put on his Gortex jacket and grabbed his dummy rifle.

"Let's go, man!" The other cadet angrily whispered.

"Why the fuck does it have to be raining?"

"That's God pissing on us for being idiots and joining the Army."

"Hooah."

The lieutenant could feel the coolness of dirty water drizzling on his face. The hallway's fire sprinkler system was on, soaking the group as they passed through. There was not a single spot in the hallway that was dry, and pools of water permeated throughout. Evidently, the sprinklers have been running for quite some time.

"Of course it's pissing on us." the corporal moaned.

"At least we're getting a shower, huh?" The lieutenant slapped the corporal's back.

"Is it gonna stop raining soon?" Veemon asked. The lieutenant looked down at him.

"Hopefully we'll be out of it soon, son." 2LT Joseph turned his head towards Renamon. She was absolutely drenched, her fur slick and visually dripping in many places. "Are you alright, Renamon?" She looked back at him and smiled.

"Yes, I am alright, Michael. Thank you for asking."

"How much farther?" CPL Ku asked the technician.

"The room is at the end of the hallway." The group continued on. As they walked, they could see a large window on the side of the hallway ahead. As they got closer, they could see through the window at the room within. There were many cages inside.

"Michael, those are Digimon in there!" Renamon exclaimed.

"What?" The lieutenant looked more intently, and could make out some creatures inside the cages.

"Yeah, we should let them out!" Veemon exuded a lot more vigor than before.

"Ku, stay here and watch him." The lieutenant pointed at their prisoner. "You two, on me." He gestured at Renamon and Veemon. "I'll take a look inside, once its clear, follow me inside."

"Okay." They both nodded.

"Alright, lets go." The lieutenant moved up the hallway and spotted an enemy soldier through the window. The soldier was holding a shotgun, watching the Digimon in the cages. He was clearly guarding them to prevent their escape. 2LT Joseph moved quickly to the door and gestured for Renamon to follow. The door was a bulkhead style like the ones from the interrogation rooms. The pair spun the lock wheel. Once unlocked, the lieutenant readied himself at the opening of the door, shouldering his rifle.

"Okay." 2LT Joseph nodded. Renamon opened the door. As it opened, the lieutenant could see the soldier inside waiting in the doorway, holding the shotgun at his side with one hand, evidently expecting friendly company. He was greeted with two rounds to the torso from the lieutenant's rifle. The lieutenant moved in quickly, stepping over the dead soldier and looking at the caged creatures.

"Michael!" Renamon yelled. The lieutenant turned around to be met with a nightstick to the face, knocking him to the ground. The perpetrator was another soldier that the lieutenant did not see through the window. The soldier stepped forward and brought the baton up, preparing for another strike.

"Power Paw!" Renamon lunged forward, her fists glowing with a blue aura. She struck the soldier square in the chest, sending him flying. He hit the wall with an audible smack and slid down, the area where he hit showing cracks. He was incapacitated, probably dead. The lieutenant stared blankly, bringing his hand to his bruised cheek.

"Ow." he said quietly.

"Michael, are you okay?" She helped him up.

"I think so." he said, still phased as he stood up. She hugged him tightly. After a moment, he started to notice the cold dampness of his soaked uniform being pressed into him. Coming to his senses, he hugged her back. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine."

"Everything good in there?" CPL Ku yelled from the hallway. The lieutenant looked back, seeing the window was a two-way mirror.

These guys couldn't see us out there. he pondered.

"Yes, it is all good now. You can come in!" Renamon yelled back, breaking from the hug. Veemon walked in, followed by the technician, then CPL Ku.

"Renamon, Veemon, go check these guys out." The lieutenant pointed towards the caged Digimon. "See if you recognize them or anything."

"Alright." Renamon said. She headed towards the cages with Veemon in tow.

"Ku, I want you to check this system here," he pointed to a control panel, "and see if you can find how to open the cages up and let these guys out."

"Yes, sir." Ku slung his rifle and started inspecting the control panel.

"You, stay right where you are, fuckface." 2LT Joseph pointed at the technician. "I don't want any trouble from you." The lieutenant took over watching their prisoner.

"Damn, this place is a wreck." the man whispered.

"Keep your eyes peeled, there could be soldiers hiding in the rubble ready to put you six feet under." another man said. The squad of soldiers moved quietly into the main room of the facility. The roof was collapsed, rubble everywhere, a crater in the center of the room. The squad split into teams, each moving in opposite directions along the edge of the large room.

"Damn." PFC Leonardo whispered, shocked the room was in such disarray.

What the hell happened here?