UNSCDF Chapter 35- Lost in Chaos

Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado, USA

Stormy Peaks

March 26, 2001

1300 Local Time

         Zyrok opened his heavy eyelids and watched as blurry figures walked around him. One figure approached him and stood in front of his face.

            “Zyrok’s awake!” Nevarez spoke out loud.

            Zyrok rubbed his eyes to clear his vision and saw his marines crowding around him while he leaned on a tree trunk.

            “Give him some space.” Casey pushed through the marines and knelt next to Zyrok.

            “Come on, let’s go.” Taylor waved.

            “How are you doing boss?” Casey handed Zyrok his water bottle.

            “I’m fine. How long have I been out?” Zyrok looked at his injured hand.

          “A few hours. You lost a lot of blood and we stitched you up.” Casey lifted Zyrok’s right hand and examined the dressing.

            “Thanks.” Zyrok took a sip of water and poured some over his head.

            “You should be fine as long as you don’t apply too much pressure on it.” Casey placed Zyrok’s hand on the ground gently.

            “Ok. Where are we?” Zyrok turned his head.

            “We’re safe boss. We’re a kilometer away from the grass clearing.” Casey pointed left.

            “I wonder where we are…” Zyrok reached to his belt for his datapad and felt an empty slot.

            “Did you lose it?” Casey asked as Zyrok fumbled his belt frantically.

            “I must have lost it when I was climbing the valley.” Zyrok slowly stood up.

            “So we’re lost?” Casey concluded.

            “Not yet…” Zyrok looked at the sky.

            “I don’t see anything.” Casey squinted his eyes.

            “We’ll need to go to higher elevation and find out where we are.” Zyrok pointed up.

            “I’ll get Nevarez to climb a tree.” Casey waved Nevarez over.

            “Sir?” Nevarez asked.

           “Nevarez, climb a tree and tell me if you see any smoke from our crash site. We need a reference point.” Zyrok directed.

            “You got it Captain.” Nevarez placed his gun on the ground and walked to a tall evergreen tree.

            Zyrok watched as Casey gave Nevarez a boost to a thick tree branch and saw Nevarez slowly make his way up.

            “Woah, this is high.” Nevarez called out as he looked down.

            “See anything?” Zyrok yelled.

            Nevarez pulled himself to another branch and scanned the horizon. He turned his head and continued to scan.

            “I think I see smoke.” Nevarez pointed right.

            “Are you sure that was from us? Any more smoke?” Zyrok hollered.

            “Nope.” Nevarez looked around.

            “Alright, thanks. You can come down now.” Zyrok shouted.

            Zyrok took a stick off the ground and began to draw on the dirt. He marked a circle of where they were and a triangle of the smoke location.

            “Any ideas?” Casey studied the dirt drawings.

          “We are here. I remember that the radar station is a few kilometers northwest of the crash site.” Zyrok scratched his head.

            “We’ll depart west of this location in ten. Let the others know.” Zyrok pointed behind him.

            “Ok.” Casey nodded and walked off.

            Zyrok looked at his watch and then picked up his backpack. He took out his USP and checked how many rounds he had left. There were three rounds left and he decided to replace with his last fresh magazine from his belt. Schmidt walked over swinging his arms in a circular motion while Pruett followed behind.

            “How’s the shoulder?” Zyrok asked.    

            “Casey helped me pop it back.” Schmidt touched his shoulder and patted gently.

            “How about you, sir?” How’s your hand?” Pruett asked.

            “I’ll live.” Zyrok laughed.

            “We’re set.” Casey interrupted as he walked over with Taylor and Nevarez.

            “Let’s get going. The faster we get there, the faster we can go home.” Zyrok began to jog.

         The group of marines followed closely behind Zyrok and they navigated through a wet muddy terrain. Zyrok was watching carefully where he was stepping so that he wouldn’t slip and get himself all muddy. After a few minutes of navigating through the mud lands, the marines began to climb upwards on a hill. At the peak, Zyrok saw a radar dish protruding over the tree tops.

            “There!” Zyrok pointed.

            “Sweet.” Taylor replied with excitement.

            “Come on, let’s double time it.” Zyrok waved and ran down the hill.

            Zyrok led his enthusiastic group down the hill and past crowded foliage until they reached a fence. Zyrok looked left and right for a gate and saw nothing so he decided to scale the fence. The marines shouldered their weapons and began to climb beside Zyrok. The radar station was quite small. There was only a small building beside a radar tower that blended in with the trees.

            “Casey and Schmidt, establish a perimeter while the rest of us head inside.” Zyrok waved his hand at the fence.

            “Copy boss.” Casey nodded and walked off with Schmidt.

            Zyrok took his remaining marines in front of the building door and formed a single file.

            “Three tangos inside.” Nevarez peeked through a window.

            “Breach and clear on me.” Zyrok stuck up his hand.

         Taylor took out his Lock 17 and stood in front of the door. Nevarez readied his M16 and stood behind Zyrok. Pruett turned and watched Nevarez’s back holding his pistol firmly.

            “Three…two…one!” Zyrok waved his hand downward.

            Taylor approached the door and kicked it down. Zyrok held his ground as Nevarez moved past him and entered the room. Gunshots followed after Nevarez was inside with Taylor running inside to clear.

            “Clear!” Nevarez shouted.

            Zyrok and Pruett headed inside and saw three zombie corpses peppered with bullets.

            “Get this thing working.” Zyrok pointed at a microphone on a dusty desk.

            “Yes sir.” Pruett put his pistol on the desk and began to operate the computer.

            “Taylor, guard the entrance.” Zyrok ordered.

Taylor replied with a nod and walked out the door. Zyrok watched as Pruett turned on the microphone to hear fizzes and static.

“What’s wrong?” Zyrok approached Pruett.

“It’s not receiving any frequencies.” Pruett hit the microphone with his hand.

“Hmm. Is it possible to use our helmet communications and use the radar dish to amplify ourselves?” Zyrok took off his helmet.

“It’s possible. I’m going to need time.” Pruett took Zyrok’s helmet and grabbed a couple of wires from nearby computers.

            “Captain, we’ve got a situation.” Casey ran inside the building with Schmidt.

            “What’s up?” Zyrok turned and looked at him.

            “I think the horde found us. I saw them moving past the bushes outside the fence.” Casey reported.

        “Hold the line then. We are getting very close to contacting for help.” Zyrok looked at Pruett connecting cables to his helmet.

            “Yes sir.” Casey replied and ran out with Schmidt.

            “Nevarez and Taylor, go assist them.” Zyrok called out.

          Nevarez walked out in a brisk manner and then jogged with Taylor to catch up with Casey and Schmidt.

            “How’s that radio going Pruett?” Zyrok asked impatiently.

            “Just about…there. Done.” Pruett turned to the computer and pressed a button.

            Zyrok walked over to the desk and looked at the dirty monitor. He smiled and then sat down in front of the microphone.

            “This is Captain Zyrok of Echo Squad. Does any UNSC personnel read, over?” Zyrok broadcasted on the microphone.

            Pruett shook his head as he heard no response from the receiver.

          “This is Echo Squad from the UNSC. If there is anyone out there, please respond.” Zyrok spoke with frustration.           

            “It should work.” Pruett walked beside Zyrok and looked at the microphone.

            Pruett looked at the wires connecting the microphone and followed it under the table.

            “No wonder. The wires got chewed. I’ll reconnect in a few seconds.” Pruett tied the severed wires together.

        “Thank goodness. I was starting to doubt if the microphone was working.” Zyrok breathed with relief.

            “Done, try again.” Pruett walked back to the computer.

       “This is Captain Zyrok of the UNSC. Are there any UNSC personnel out there?” Zyrok broadcasted.

            “This is Delta 327, go ahead for Captain Zyrok.” a man replied back on the receiver.

            “Delta 327, we are currently under fire and request extraction. How copy?” Zyrok asked.

            “Captain, what’s your location over?” the man asked.

            “We’ve crash landed somewhere in the Roosevelt National Forest and are currently at an old radar station.” Zyrok answered.

        “Copy that. I’m currently flying an unarmed Pelican over Boulder, Colorado carrying supplies. Adjusting my heading to get you guys out.” the man replied.

            “Copy, thanks.” Zyrok replied.

            “ETA twenty five minutes. Pop smoke when I tell you.” the man replied.

            “Twenty five minutes?” Zyrok asked.

            “Sir, my Pelican is carrying a heavy load.” the man replied.

            “Understood, do your best. Zyrok out.” Zyrok ended the communication.

            “Sir?” Pruett looked at Zyrok frozen in thought.

         “Pruett, get ready to fight for your life in the next twenty five minutes.” Zyrok snapped back to reality.

            “Understood.” Pruett took his pistol off the desk and cocked it.

         “We’ve got a whole lot of fight coming our way…” Zyrok walked out the building as he heard multiple gunshots echoing within the forest.