RAT Hunt, Part 1

I had in the end decided upon tracking down R.A.T #2-it was close, I knew it was still active, and wouldn't involve a scavenger hunt into the ass end of nowhere. All positives in my book. The only downside I could think of was that, beyond a couple of heavy APCs, which I was NOT going to attempt to drive while wearing a suit, I wouldn't really have a way of getting there except on foot. That presented a number of dangers all on its own. One: though power armor it was, S.P.A.R.T.A.N. suits are not quick by any definition of the word: It is a "giant pile of metal" as the Sarge put it. Heavily armored, slow, and unwieldy-nimble it is not. One can sprint in it, but it is extremely tiring and depending on what variant of it you have can also tax the power systems. The MK II I use was designed to be a fairly power thrifty model-and the powerplant can either use power cells or a a fusion unit that could use pretty much anything as fuel-so long as it wasn't too solid-and recharge the cells at the same time. Real easy to maintain too. So long as I didn't push too hard, I should be able to make the journey with out having to burn up any fuel-or turn something into it.

So anyways, gear wise I packed a Thunderbolt and a Power Blade-the Power Blade is a sword with an energy field around it-don't know how it works, but it's fairly nimble. Kinda small too-blade's bout as long as a machete's-thick too-good for fighting in the confines of a ship's corridors- and sturdy enough you can use it as a crowbar if you have to. Positive's of having equipment made for dumb, power armored idiots like us. Then you have the Thunderbolt Assault Carbine-high caliber rifle, fires a gyrojet round; high explosive mini-rocket-and if you get hit by it, kiss your ribcage and most of your vital organs goodbye.

I approached the entrance of the bunker with not a small amount of apprehension-while my teleport beacon had been calibrated and would make the return journey that much easier, it also took few seconds to 'warm up'.

And given the current circumstances, a few seconds could mean the difference between staying alive or a gruesome death. I punched button on the console, and the heavy blast door slid open, the sunlight nearly blinding me as my helmet visor darkened to compensate. I racked a round into the chamber of carbine, and then stepped out from the relative safety of my home into the forest in front of me, the door sliding down with a hiss.

'This is it,' I thought as I began my journey, 'No squadmates to back me up, no additional help incoming. No one to send in if I fail...'

It was not a good way to start off a mission.

xxxx

The R.A.T.'s trail began on what seemed to be a fairly well maintained dirt roadway. Little to no brush was seen on the sides of the roads for around fifteen to twenty feet-meant nothing could hide close by in the bushes-also meant I had more time to shoot what the hell was coming my way. So far, the tracker had picked up little in the way of life signs-a few large contacts that more likely than not local wildlife, and tended to take off after the initial encounter. Guessing they were a might bit skittish. Better than it turning out to be some kind of native super-predator with a taste for human flesh. The skirmish from the night before came to mind...

No. Don't go down that road-the last thing you need to be is even more on edge than you actually are. To take my mind off of it, I checked the signal strength-too far off to get any real feedback-but at least I was heading in the right direction if the readings were anything to go by. The wind began to pick up, whipping up dirt and loose leaves in a gentle dance, and carried a faint fragrance that I could smell even with the filters in my helmet-flowers maybe? Between the clear blue sky, gentle breeze, and the chirping of birds mixed in with the rustling of the leaves in the trees, one could be convinced that there was no danger to found here...I found my self being lost in thoughts of home as the breeze whipped up around me. I almost wished that I could simply stay here and enjoy the weather. The gentle thump of my armored boots against the ground providing a steady beat to the music of nature. It brought back memories, however distant, of home. A sharp crack echoed around me, and I immediately snapped to attention cursing that had let my guard down. Weapons at the ready I scanned the environment. Nothing on the scanner, nothing in sight. Waiting several tense moments...I shifted, and stumbled slightly as I seemed to standing on rough, broken ground. Looking down, I realized that I had shattered a large branch that had escaped my notice. "Getting jumpy there bud." I muttered, shacking my head, "Find the R.A.T. now, jump at shadows later..."

Around an hour later, according to the Chronometer in my helmet, I stood before what looked to be a sea of sunflowers as far as the eye could see. I could smell their sweet scent event through the filter of my helmet. And wouldn't you know it, a signal, a series of warbled pings, one long, three short sounded. That would be the R.A.T. Okay then, let's go get it. I approached the edge, following what seemed to be a cleared path-wide enough for three men to walk abreast-or a pair of spartan armored troopers if they squeezed in real tight. Well, at least I would have some room to maneuver, course that would go the same for anything that decided it wanted to pick a fight. I had to keep myself from impulsively racking a fresh round into my thunderbolt, if just to keep from needlessly ejecting a cartridge.

xxx

The gentle sound of water pattering on the ground as a series of slightly wilted carnations found a gentle shower from a watering can poured over them. A figure, dressed in plaid pants and vest with a white shirt underneath. A white parasol rested against their shoulder, opened and providing shade against the sun. A feminine voice hummed an odd melody, possibly from a time long forgotten.

"Smallsies...Noisises…" A strange, ethereal voice spoke, a shout and a whisper at the same time, composed of many pitches, "Smallsies, yellow thing...makes messes...disturbs goodsie earth..."

At this, the individual perked up. Something had disturbed the flowers. A fairy perhaps that decided to start picking them perhaps? They usually could be shooed off or talked down...and if they decided to persist? Well, they could always reform later. Following the voices of the flowers, she came across a small bed of sunflowers which they had been bent and spread with churned earth scattered between them-while the earth was fairly minor compared to other disturbances that the various yokai would cause it was still annoying. But, while the trail went in, it didn't go out. So the culprit hadn't left yet. Perhaps she would give them a little bit of a lecture on why not to disturb nature, lest you awaken its wrath. Moving so she did not further disturb them, the woman slipped between the flowers. Thankfully, it didn't go far. Spotting what looked like a long, rectangular, slightly slanted box, with a series of wheels. Bending down, she picked the large object up, examining it. It a few odd features-perhaps something from the outside?

"Manfool enters goodsie earth, bringsies deathless, lifeless metal...looksies to brings death to all..." The voices hissed, clearly displeased and fearful.

A human entering the garden? It wasn't unheard of for someone from the village to visit the garden, yet for the flowers to react in this manner was a bit concerning. She looked at the strange object she had found. Perhaps whoever had lost it had come looking for it. Normally she wouldn't have cared, but for the flowers, as nonsensical as they tended be, to react like this. It did not bode well...perhaps she would go and meet this human.

If they weren't a threat, they would be allowed to leave with a stern lecture, if not...well it had been a while she had added fertilizer to the Garden.

xxx

This garden was surprisingly peaceful. Much like the forest I had been in, the wind stirred up the flowers, but no birds chirping, no insects buzzing. For some reason this made me uneasy, like I had stepped into some great creatures lair and was risking its fury with every step I took. The complete lack of sensor contacts aside from the R.A.T.'s radio beacon, while normally a good thing, didn't help matters at all.

I kept a slow, methodical pace, trying to keep an eye my surroundings; while it sounded ridiculous, I was almost convinced that their was an ambush waiting in the in forest of sunflowers. Perhaps some kind of alien energy weapon akin to an anti-tank laser, concealed in a wall of flowers waiting for some hapless victim. For some reason the mental image I got was of a little green man in a Hawaiian shirt hiding behing a big laser gun in the flowers with exaggerated crosshairs trained on a hapless cartoon soldier.

While amusing, it was also simultaneously terrifying. Shaking my head with a sigh, I had to keep level head. Getting jumpy led to people dying. Just get the damn drone so you can get the hell out of here. The beacon's signal was steadily getting stronger, a nice bit of positivity to lighten the mood. Meant I could get this part of the mission over with. Whatever good mood that I might have had vanished as my sensor pinged. So much for easy retrieval.

As the contact neared, the strength of the signal intensified. Realization dawned on me at that moment;

The contact had my R.A.T.

…This mission just got a lot more complicated.

xxxx

She heard them before she saw them-heavy footsteps. The were either trying to sound intimidating, or didn't realize what kind of danger they had wondered into, or they were overconfident thinking that nothing could harm them.

Hmm...while not necessarily looking for a fight, she was not above rectifying such a notion.

Rounding the corner on a path to where the flowers had directed her, and with eyes widening she stopped short as she took into the figure in front of her-a massive, hulking form-dull green, with a rounded helmet that had a yellow stripe across where the eyes were located and some kind of inscription along left side, with oversized shoulders. She suspected that this individual would tower over her had she been in close; that armor was befitting of an Oni. A short, sturdy looking blade was held in one hand, while what looked like some kind of bulky outsider weapon in the other. The individual in question seemed just as surprised as she was to see her. They seemed to hesitate for a moment as if they were trying to figure out the best of course action. Perhaps they were simply thinking she was an ordinary human and were simply just pondering on what to do with her

If the former was the case, then she may decide just give them their device with no incident other than the planned lecture, if it was the latter. She smiled at the thought-perhaps she'd get to have a little fun after all.

XXX

Great, well. It could be worse-green hair, gold eyes, red-plaid vest and pants with a white undershirt and a parasol. Her eyes seemed to pierce through me in someways, and tucked under one arm was the R.A.T. So a civilian found it and was probably trying to make off with it. Still, mission complete, now just to get it back. I took a step forward, just as she smiled. Something about that smile was unsettling, but she hadn't showed intent and wasn't armed so shooting her was out of the question. Plan B then.

"Hold!" I figured I'd use the standard procedures. "Put the machine down, and proceed back the way you came." I said in a calm, loud authoritarian voice keeping my carbine lowered but ready to be drawn up at a moments notice. She inclined her head, and extended the R.A.T.

I looked around, checking for signs of an ambush-nothing on scanners, no movement...alright. I sheathed my sword while keeping my carbine at the ready, and took the machine from her. I mag-locked the R.A.T. to a plate on my back, and made to leave when something grabbed my arm.

My weapon arm...

I looked back, and saw the woman had somehow closed the distance while I was busy with the drone. "Let go." I said, attempting to jerk my arm free. She moved slightly with the motion, but other than that didn't budge. The feedback from the sensors in the suit's arm-oh hell...I had to keep from panicking, she was strong enough to keep me from moving, and more likely than not would've easily torn me limb from limb. A brief inclination of the head with a raised eyebrow, as if though she found what I was doing amusing-almost like a puppy who'd done something naughty and she couldn't bring her self to punish it. A single word: "Come." And began to pull. I wasn't keen on following her, but I wasn't confident in my ability to get my sword out with any kind of haste. 'Just play nice and I might be able to go home in one piece.' I thought.

A short while later, we stood in front of a wall of yet more sunflowers, and yet this bunch looked different from the others-the dirt had churned up in a few spots and the flowers themselves seemed to lean in a few placed.

"Tell me," The woman spoke for the first time, her voice was soft and gentle, but seemed to have a strange edge to it, "What do you see." I thought on that a moment, considering my answer, and then replied "Just a few flowers, though it looks like something was rooting around in there." She nodded, twirling her parasol. "Yes, and so long as it is left undisturbed, nature will continue to grow and produce a kind of beauty that cannot be replicated by humans." Her expression suddenly hardened, "But if suddenly disturbed, say by a machine from the outside? Then that beauty is disturbed." I struggled to keep from laughing-something with that kind of strength worried about a few flowers? I was grateful in that moment for my helmet due to the wide grin that broke across my face. "Alright lady, so I'm guessing my gizmo wandered into here and caused some trouble." She inclined her head and raised an eyebrow. "And you find this amusing?" Then I realized she must've been able to figure out that I had been trying not to laugh, and judging on the rather flat tone she used, she didn't find this funny in the slightest. I suppressed the chill that ran down my spine. "I suppose if you really want to look at it that way, I suppose-yes, it is kind of funny."

"Then perhaps you would find it funny if I used your arm to fix them." Shit, I relaxed my free arm-I might be able to get a blow in before she could react. "Relax, it was joke. But still, take care what you disturb with those machines outsider, there those who would be considerably less...forgiving than I am at the moment." With that she, let go of my arm, and what the hell did she mean by 'outsider'? Guess this must be one of those backwaters you read about. I looked at her, and began to back away keeping her in my sight until I was out of hers.

"One more thing outsider," She called, her voice playful, "It's good thing you didn't do any more damage, you might have awakened Nature's Wrath if that machine inflicted more than that."

I didn't let my guard down for sometime even after I was far away from that sunflower patch.

A/N: This was a pretty tough chapter to write do to having little experience writing someone like Yuuka. Sorry it took so long.