CONTENT WARNING PLEASE READ

Author's Note and Chapter Warning: This chapter strays into a very sensitive and volatile topic: Transphobia. This chapter does not represent the feelings of the author within this school of thought or other avenues of thinking on the topic. There will be a chapter recap at the very bottom for those who wish to continue following the story but are sensitive to this particular content. That being said: READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. The story also does not touch on the subject until after Beyond and Light find each other by accident and hear a commotion near the lodge. It is possible to read this chapter without the aforementioned content, should the reader choose to stop there. It's there for relationship/alliance building, but if the reader is uncomfortable with this subject, please skip.

Day 2 - 01:38

Camera feeds lit the darkened room, keyboard tapping filled the silence between the L and Near. Narrowing his hazel eyes slightly the blonde grumbled and lifted a radio. "Caspian. Camera 102 is malfunctioning, you are the closest Detail."

The radio crackled before a stoic voice responded. "On it."

L opened a separate screen on his laptop while queuing his headset. "Beyond. Motion Sensor locations Two through Forty-eight are stabilized and tracking movement and seismic activity, please verify sensors: One, Forty-nine and Fifty."

The radio crackled as Caspian's voice came over. "I can check Motion One. It's located directly under Camera 102."

"What a pal." Beyond responded jokingly.

Mr. Wallace sighed heavily while overhearing the radio chatter. He lifted his gray eyes from his cup of tea as the front door creaked open. "Ah. Good evening boys, all is well?"

Mello rolled his sapphire eyes and headed upstairs with the now empty duffel bag as Matt happily waved at the elder man in the wheelchair. "Yes, sir. Just about all of our equipment is set, just waiting on the return of the last three guards. Mello and I have the microphones placed as well as infrared scanners around the immediate campsite."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Caspian readjusted the motion sensor to be properly upright onto its strapped position on a nearing tree. "L, confirmation on Motion One. Please run a signal test." The blonde dully waved his hand in front of the sensor as it lit the immediate area in reaction to motion.

L's voice came over the earpiece. "Sensor is active and transmitting motion frequencies."

The former diver nodded in confirmation as he strapped his climbing harness to himself, eyeing the camera halfway up the grand pine tree with an annoyed stare. Climbing up the tree with little resistance the blonde groaned as his earpiece picked up a signal, sounding like an incoming message. "What now?" The earpiece crackled static before sending a high pitched feedback into the blonde's ear, causing him to hiss through his teeth and tear the earpiece out.

-x-

Near watched the recording feed from Caspian's GoPro camera. Narrowing his eyes slightly at the images on the staticky feed. "The hell was that?"

Raising his eyebrows in interest, L rolled his chair over to Near's station. "What was what?" A charcoal stare peeked around the side of the terminal to watch as well.

"It looked like an animal of some sort."

Mello dropped the empty bag next to the station, startling both previously distracted men into jumping slightly. "Probably a deer. Matt and I saw a bunch of them taking off towards the south. Kids are loud, probably moving to a quieter area."

Near scratched his chin and released a loud sighing breath from his nose before speaking. "But, it's quiet now. Why not move when the sun is out?"

-x-

Caspian adjusted the settings on the camera before hearing some rocks on the mountain range behind him shift and roll down to the base. Turning his high powered flashlight in the direction of the sound, he hummed in suspicion and lifted his hand held radio, balancing himself on the tree with his two feet and weight held into the climbing harness.

"Earpiece is picking up a rogue frequency. Is Sensor One picking up any motion?"

The radio cracked as a broken message was picked up. "Radio— interrupted— motion— deer."

Glaring at the faulty equipment before attempting to search for the sound once again. His light landed and three large deer leaping and bounding in the direction away from the mountains. "Fucking deer." The blonde grumbled before beginning the journey back down the thick trunk. "Hopefully the piece of shit works now."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Sighing at the lack of radio signal, Beyond pulled the earpiece out of his ear and tucked behind a tree when a branch snapped in front of him. The immediate area around him silenced from its usual woodland night chatter. Quickly drawing his hunting knife and blocking an incoming nightstick he let out a nervous laugh at the sight of Light. "You scared the shit out of me."

The brunette returned the nervous laughter, keeping their weapons crossed. "Me!? I scared you? I about pissed my pants." The duo chuckled and struggled to separated the nightstick and hunting knife. "What's with this bloody knife? How sharp is the damned thing?"

Chuckling while also struggling to pry the weapons apart without getting cut. "The same could be said about your swing strength. You may have actually knocked my head off. What'd they have you doing?"

Finally getting the weapons separated, Light pointed up as a small drone flew overhead. "Covering blind spots. Completely responsive to all external input. Loud sounds, light sources, even movement. I spent the better portion of two years programming them."

Beyond nodded as the small drone hovered next to them in a circular motion taking still framed photos of them. "That's fucking dope."

"Durable, too. They can take a 145 kmph hit and keep pursuing. I've also installed low frequency speakers in some blind spots, so if there's ever cause to investigate an area we can just program the frequency and the nearest drone will respond."

Widening his scarlet eyes, Beyond let out a small nervous chuckle. "So. What you're saying is, it can take a 90 mph smash to the face and keep coming. Have you ever read the novel 1984?"

The brunette smirked smugly. "They have a remote override from the main terminal. You can take complete control of them or cease a pursuit. Although, they'll automatically end pursuit if it gets too far from its dock."

"What's their range?"

"5,280 yards… or…" Light looked up and calculated in the air, seemingly drawing symbols with his fingers. "Three miles in English measurement." He flashed a triumphant grin.

"Jesus, dude." Beyond chuckled and jerked his head towards the lodge. "Well, if you're finished we can walk back together. Probably better to stay together, kind of unnerving out here alone."

Light nodded in agreement as they started for the lodge. "Especially after reading the Sheriff's debriefing. How does four people just up and disappear and then a cave system collapse. You can't tell me they aren't up in the mountains rotting away, where else would the last security team have gone? To never be recovered?"

"Nah. That doesn't faze me. What's weird about that situation is, why did they find evidence of C4? What concerns me isn't the missing team, or the fact that the cave system collapsed… What gets me is the how."

Both men looked in the direction of Caspian walking up to them. The blonde opened his mouth to speak before the sound of women arguing came into earshot. They all dropped their shoulders and walked in the direction of the disturbance, a small drone floating ahead of them in the air.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"No! Absolutely not! I cannot be in a cabin with that!"

"Sarah! Shut up! Stop yelling! There's really no need for this." Another voice called from the porch of the counselor's cabin.

Nadie shifted a nervous widened glance around outside. "Look, we can all talk about it inside. We aren't supposed to be outside at night. It's a super strict rule."

Another woman with mahogany skin stood next to a sobbing girl, her head held high in defiance shaking a finger at the pale, red headed counselor. "It doesn't matter! Why do you care what she's been through?"

The small drone reached the girls and circled around them slowly snapping still framed pictures. "Shit! See? I told you! This Security Detail is way scarier than the older ones." Sarah called out in accusation. "What's really going on here!? First they hire a bunch of military thugs, tell us we can't go outside at night and then bunk me with a fucking tranny!?"

A deep and angry voice called out from behind them, Beyond stared daggers towards the red head. "Enough!"

Light rounded around the raven with Caspian at his side as they approached the cabin. The brunette smiled as he spoke smoothly. "Ladies, please go back inside, we'll handle this."

Nadie shifted her gaze between the three night shift guards before nodding and leading the other girls back in. "They got this. It's okay, let's do as they say."

Beyond took a couple purposeful steps towards the three remaining women. "What's going on? One at a time. Let's start with you, uhh." His gaze landed on the presumed most affected party.

The brunette woman looked up through her hair and tear stained cheeks, as she opened her mouth to speak Sarah interrupted her. "It's a goddamned guy! Go ahead! Check! I bet you'll find a dick!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation, Beyond sighed out in exasperation. "I am in no way going to put my hands on anyone to check their genitalia, that's sexual assault no matter how you flip that. If she says she's a woman, she's a woman. She looks like one, sounds like one; she's a woman. What's your name miss?"

The darker skinned woman hugged the shoulders of the sobbing woman. "It's okay baby, see, he's not taking anyone's side. He's here to help."

In between sobs the brunette shuddered out. "Natilly."

Beyond nodded his head and stepped towards the distraught girl. "Natilly, that's a beautiful name. What can I do to help you in this?"

Hiccuping from stress, Natilly stuttered out. "I just want to go back into the cabin and go back to bed. I didn't do anything wrong."

Beyond placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "No, ma'am you did not. Would you like to make a report?"

Sarah scoffed loudly before bellowing out once again. "Are you seriously taking its side!?"

Beyond shifted a deadly stare towards the outraged counselor. "In my experience, insurgents take many forms, and I have put them all down indiscriminately."

The dark skinned woman snickered at Sarah. "Girl, if you don't shut your damn mouth he might do it for you."

"Shut the fuck up, Amara." Sarah crossed her arms as she was being maneuvered by the remaining night shift guards back into the cabin. "This is bullshit."

Light rolled his amber eyes as he gave her a minor shove towards the door. "We take all threats of security very seriously, and likely have all of the physical evidence we need." He pointed up above the counselor cabins to show a microphone hanging, loosely disguised with a branch.

"You're recording us!?"

"Monitoring all sources of potential security threats." Caspian corrected coldly.

Light turned to the remaining girls as Sarah shouted profanities at Caspian. "Ladies, if you'll please accompany us to the lodge. We need to make a report and file it in case of future incidents so they may be properly documented for local authorities, if needed."

The group started across the open lot towards the lodge as four other drones floated overhead towards the mountains. Light watched them with a critical stare as the others continued ahead without him. "That's odd. I didn't hear anything loud enough to trigger four of them."

Natilly rubbed her shoulders and shivered before startling slightly as a sweater was set on her shoulders by Amara. "See? It'll all work out. They seem nice enough." Her chocolate eyes drifted towards the backside of Beyond. "Although, a little intimidating… Did he threaten to kill Sarah? What a hardass." Both girls shared a quiet laugh.

-x-

Two cups of chamomile tea were set in front of the girls who perched themselves on the couch. Beyond sat himself across from them in an armchair while leaning forward holding a clipboard. "Please, recount as much detail as possible of the incident and list any possible witnesses."

Natilly took the clipboard and lifted the warm cup with a sincere smile. "Thank you for not treating me differently."

Beyond sat back and watched Light fret with a couple sleeping bags for the girls. "Why would I? If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's very likely to be a duck, why would I have any reason to question it?"

Amara chuckled quietly and stood to help Light untangle the mess he'd accidentally created with the sleeping bag strings. Both of them shared a small smile towards each other before working together. Natilly continued a little crestfallen. "It's not been an easy transition."

"I bet not. My sister is still waiting on the surgery. She said the steroid suppressants make her have to pee all the time."

Flashing a surprised glance up to the security guard before letting a small smile slip through her expressions. "Sister? On steroid suppressants. She's lucky to have such a supportive brother."

"I don't know about that, she's my sister and I love her, no matter what decisions she makes. I'll always have her six." His crimson stare landed on Natilly. "Yours too, I'm here to help. If someone is causing issues for you girls, let me know."

48 Days Remaining

10 Counselors Surviving

100 Campers On Site

Authors Recap:

As stated at the beginning of the chapter, this strayed into some sensitive territory. So, the recap for the readers who needed to skip:

-Surveillance equipment has been fully installed around the campsites, lodge and surrounding woods.

-Caspian feels a source of unease with the mountains

-Deer seem to be migrating towards the south (mountains are positioned north of camp)

-Light is a mad genius, has a small fleet of drones for blind spots

-Light and Beyond expressed unease with the previous security group that went missing

-Beyond is definitely okay with hitting a girl if not worse

-Beyond does not take kindly to bigots