"Always such a pessimist, Z."

I gave the finger to Cliff.  Cliff laughed, a crackling sound from behind the

breathing mask he wore, a full facial concealer that hide him.  I never pried why

he wore it, and he never asked why I disappeared for an hour a night from the

barracks.  An equitable trade.

"Can't help it."  I replied, while setting my rifle onto my back and reaching for

my canteen to wash the taste of ash out of my mouth.  Cliff laughed again, his

boots clicking on the ground, his outfit hanging loose off his scrawny-ass.

"About five minutes out."  Captain Basedvna murmured.  Human, his hair was gray

and his body old, but damn if he wasn't tougher than boot leather, and looked like

it.  We lowered ourselves out of habit and carried forward, towards the

destination, where a low glow could be seen just beyond the swell of a hill.  I

could taste smoke, and it wasn't the sweet taste of Cuban.


Amazing how the little country made it through the worst part of The Event

unscathed.

The glow pulsed and made my head hurt, shaded a trace of lavender and gray - other

colors that my eyes couldn't process.  Like most of my breed of Kangaroo-Moreau, I

had more rods than cones, so colors would gray out where I couldn't process.

It was a bitch color-coordinating my equipment.

"Contact, fifteen hundred feet out, beyond the rise."  Cliff jogged forward to

take up position, while lowering his rifle down and checking range.  Sniper,

scout, he was one of the best.  The fact he was questionable outside of shooting,

and that damn mask, meant he'd never leave C-squad status.

Fine with me, I trusted him.  Serge joined me as we climbed the hill, his

mandibles clicking.  The rest continued up - they knew their duties.   Captain

would work to shut the portal down, or at least, secure it.

"We go through, or just hold?"  I asked.

"Just hold.  We'll call in a Gamma-team to go through."

Alphas might be big threats, Beta would be investigation, Cetta would be scouting,

Delta were motor vehicles, Elta handled paperwork, Foxtrot were training and

equping... Gamma were crazy motherfuckers.

I nodded.  Down below, the portal hummed.

"Captain, can you tell me what this is?"

Cliff looked up from his scope, while Captain pulled his trinocs out and took a

long look down below. Captain muttered under his breath and shook his head, before

scratching at his balding head.

"Never seen 'em before."

I joined in the look, using the god-damned scope (really, who puts a fucking scope

on a SAW?) and looked down at the grouping - three beings, clad with metal helmets

without seams, and standing in suits that moved like the galaxy. My head swam, and

I felt vertigo looking in on them.

THey seemed to be communicating with each other through gestures, one gesturing to

the portal and the others standing before it. I couldn't make heads or tails of

it. My fingertips itched. I wanted to shoot.

"Well, shall we go introduce ourselves?" Cliff asked. I looked up at Serge, who

nodded and stood at the cliff. Captain grunted and rose up too, leaving Cliff to

take scope - just in case.

"Greetings. Help you folks?"

The three turned, looking at us. A motley group we must have been, a kangaroo, a

human, a bug, flanked by a hyena with a battle-axe and a woman holding a chainsaw,

though not yet revved. I'd have shit myself, facing that group.

~Inquiry: What time part?~

The voice was not a voice. Metalic, a tinny hum like a bad radio buzzed between my

ears and the static-crackling sound burst there, making my eyes roll. I had a

headache already, and I was needing another drink off the bottle and drag off the

cigar. I wanted to shoot these fuckers. They felt wrong, and smelled like, like...

they smelled like a solar flare looks. I can't explain it, I'm neither a sensate

nor an astronomer.

"Uh, 0200." Captain murmured. He looked between the three, then up towards the one

with a large dome for a head, who seemed to stand most upright and straight. The

suit he wore showed a gamma burst, a wave of beautiful light. I wondered if I

could fall into his suit and be lost in the stars. "Uh, July 14th, 21..."

~Time frame acceptable. Location Outback, 200 kilometers south of Darwin.

Correct?~

"There ain't been a Darwin in almost a decade. The Hivers got 'em."

~Correct. We have a delivery for you, and your squad.~

"A delivery?" I asked, breaking protocol with a bewildered quirk of my ears. I sat

back on my tail and rested my sore monster feet. "What type of delivery?"

~Condition of delivery, not to be disclosed with recipients as to nature. Nor

shall recipients be informed who sent.~

"Alright. Can I see what it is I am supposed to be picking up, then?" This felt

downright bizarre. "And where is it being sent from?"

~Twenty four years, six months, eighteen days, thirty minutes from now. Perth,

Australia.~

~Further condition.~ The lead spoke, as he gestured to crates that materialized

out of the rip in reality. I looked in on it - seamless plastic with an indent,

shaped like a hand. I wanted to open it up and find out all the goodies, and

evidently there was something for everyone. I looked at Serge, who shrugged at me.

~Press palm to receive equipment. Must use equipment to eliminate nearby target.~

"Target?" Serge asked, twirling the faux mustache he wore. Apparently, he had a

real beauty of one before being changed, and the glued on apparatus was wonky, but

gave him some real personality. Or so I joked.

"Always a catch to this crap, isn't there?" I asked, looking at the big tall guy,

a head higher than I. "The hell do we have to do to get whatever is in the crate?"

~Alpha-Grade threat will be discovered in three minutes from this point.

Elimination is best course. One kilometer from this position.~

I swore, loudly, and touched my hand to my case. It read my palm, and gave a hum,

before unsealing, and slowly opening it...