7 Klicks from Theta Base:
The sound of the Mastodon's engines kept everyone onboard awake, the occasional jolt or sudden descend kept the researchers on their toes while the scent of something floral and ozone slowly became noticeably stronger.
"2 Klicks from destination, Ma'am."
Said the driver, momentarily turning to the passengers behind him. Anders responded, eyes lifting from her datapad.
"Good... anything on IR scans?"
The driver shook his head, his hand tapping a button before the sound of a ping occured.
"Hmm... no ma'am... not even animal signatures."
Anders slid a glance to Agent Finch, whom already straightened her back.
"Seems like a pattern.. there is always a lack of animal presence when 'They' are nearby... driver, restart IR radar."
The driver fell silent before pressing and holding a button.
"Yes ma'am."
Milo took a breath, looking outside the bulletproof windows and into the dark forest surrounding them despite the sun's early morning rays barely cutting through the canopy.
"I-it's always creepy... i-it's a safety instinct for animals.. when the animals flee, only the predators remain."
The odst's didn't spare a glance to Milo's words, but the way they tensed spoke louder than words.
"Thanks for the words of encouragement Milo."
Anders said dryly, her brow raised. Milo's cheeks reddened followed by a soft mutter, shrinking into his seat before adjusting his glasses.
"S-sorry."
Anders and Finch rolled their eyes just as the Mastodon groaned from tackling an uneven patch of ground, bringing the light moment to an end.
Silence befell the cabin once again as the ozone-floral scent intensified, Finch as a result narrowed her eyes, the odst's seemed to have smelled it too, their shoulders tensing more.
"Relax, you're fine."
Finch said, glancing to each of the odst's before continuing.
"You're ODST's, Helljumpers, you've gone through Hell in the literal sense.. check your mags and safeties."
She said as the Mastodon shook again, the elite troopers nodded, each one relaxing visibly to check their mags and safeties.
"Ma'am IR radar has been restarted, and once again nothings coming up, but i am getting the weird readings. It's the same readings recon 4 recorded."
Jerome turned.
"Which means we're getting close, keep an eye out, keep your battle buddies close."
The odst's nodded as the Mastodon began to slow down. Anders took a breath and put her datapad away, picking up a camera in the process.
"This is gonna be informative."
Milo looked up to Anders, humming in response, holding his satchel of supplies close to his chest.
"Hmm. I-i agree, I'm quite e-excited."
He said, but the way his leg bounced told another story.
After some minutes the Mastodon came to a halt, the wheels screeching and hissing softly. The driver turned to his passengers one final time.
"We're here ladies. You can barely see the structure from here. Maybe 30 meters."
Jerome rose to his feet first and opened the door with a quick hiss.
"Let's move out, keep an eye on the trees."
The odst's nodded and followed Jerome out. Anders and Finch did so after, but Milo remained, his eyes glancing side to side double checking his gear and grabbing some water bottles.
Outside the forest was... way too quiet, the floral scent had only intensified, like a perfume.
"There it is.. let's get closer, I want as much information as possible, Milo, think you can grab photo and video for me?.... milo?"
Anders turned around, seeing him nowhere, and for a moment her shoulders tensed, Finch's eyes narrowed, her hand grabbing onto her holstered pistol.
"W-wait f-for me!"
Called Milo, his head poking out from the Mastodon door. Anders and the others sighed, watching Milo hop out and approach.
"I-im sorry.. i-i was grabbing extra w-water."
Anders took a breath as Milo handed her a bottle of water.
"Thanks."
His gaze lowered, cheeks brightening.
-----------
The ODSTs took point while the Spartan took center point, hand on his helmet, visor subtly glowing.
Finch sped her pace, matching Jerome's.
"Well Spartan? Any movement?"
Jerome said nothing for a moment before lowering his hand back to the rifle.
"No ma'am, no movement, no IR scans either."
Finch hummed in response, eyes scanning the forest around her before landing on her son behind her.
Milo was walking beside Anders, one hand on a video camera and the other adjusting his glasses that stubbornly kept sliding down. Anders hummed once more, softer, before her gaze returned to the forest ahead.
Everything maintained it's quietness, the only sound being the heavy footsteps of the ODSTs, Spartan and their equipment.
No wind, no rustling of bushes or as mentioned, the presence of animals. The group continued on despite the unsettling quiet, eventually arriving at the perimeter of the strange structure. Then the ODSTs and spartan stopped.
Milo and Anders sped their pace before slowing once more beside Agent Finch, getting a clear view of the structure.
"W-woah... th-thats..."
Milo fell silent, for no words could justify how alien the structure was.
It was two Ovaloid shapes, seamlessly put together, no welding marks to indicate or... anything... it's pearlescence giving the impression it was grown, not made.
An unsettling chill descended everyone's spin, all eyes on the structure before them.
"O-oh video, i forgot to turn it on."
He whispered lifting the camera toward the opalescent/ pearlescent structure, it's colors shifting subtly with the sun's rays. It's surface shimmering with shifting light, but every so often the reflection moved in a way science couldn't explain.
Anders' eyes narrowed followed by a deep breath.
"Nothing ventured."
She began, taking a step, Milo followed, bringing a hand to the satchel to hold it close.
"N-nothing gained."
The two scientists approached the structure. Finch followed too, but not before she gestured to the ODSTs and spartan behind her.
"Secure the perimeter, but keep in eyeshot of one another."
"Yes ma'am."
The squad captain said before he and his men split up, Jerome however stayed close to the agent and scientists, his head turning to scan the structure.
Finch stayed close to Milo, eyes keeping close to the structure, but occasionally she stole glances at Milo.
"Any ideas what we should look for Milo?"
Milo flinched, not in fear, only being put in the spot.
"U-um... a d-door would be preferable."
Anders grinned, pulling out a camera too.
"Wishful thinking Milo."
Anders responded, as the two scientists began walking around the structure.
Minutes passed by and the sun continued to rise higher, illuminating the area barely... not enough to make a difference.
The 4 remained close, the two scientists taking pictures and documenting every little detail of the structure and the environment around it.
Until Jerome stopped infront of the scientists before lowering to a knee.
"Hold up.. tracks."
Milo looked down, falling to a knees as Jerome reached to his helmet, turning on his helmet flashlight.
"W-woah.. A-Anders, look, th-the tracks are different to the one's y-you and M-mother- i-i mean Finch encountered outside Theta base's perimeter."
Finch grinned, casting a side-eye as Anders walked behind Jerome, taking several pictures.
"They're circular, but.. they're inconsistent, they aren't boot prints. Wide, shallow circles, scalloped edges, as if something broad and pliable had pressed down and lifted away. Looks like some are barely indented; others deeper."
She paused before pointing to them.
"Look, they're different sizes. The depressions are different too."
Milo turned to Anders, brows furrowed.
"I mean, th-that could be explained b-by the fact that, their are s-several confirmed beings."
Anders nodded.
"Or, their gait shifted, meaning..."
She paused, letting the implication hang. The spartan paused, as did Finch.
"Flood..."
Finch began, letting Milo finish..
"Th-the similarities d-dont end d-do they..."
"No, they don't... but I think we found the location of the door you were wanting to find."
Finch said, turning her gaze with a slow lift up toward the structure before her.
Milo and Anders turned to Finch then back to one another. Milo spoke first.
"S-Spartan, u-use your IR camera, s-see i-if there's a temperature difference.."
Milo and Anders rose and backed up just as Jerome's visor shifted colors, not long after he spoke.
"Confirmed temperature difference, it's a door."
Finch's eyes sharpened, hand on her holster.
"Oi! ODSTs, over here!"
She said quickly, the 6 ODSTs running over.
"S-spartan, u-using your flashlight, trace t-the door's edge."
The spartan did as asked, and Milo/ Anders began scanning the invisible 'edge' until....
"Indent... it goes around here."
Anders gently reached forward to point closely to it.
"S-spartan confirm?"
"Confirmed."
Milo took a shaky breath and looked at the photos and videos he took, looking at them intently.
"I-it looks ovaloid, a oval shape d-depression.."
Silence befell the group for but a moment, all eyes on the now noticeable door.
For a few moments no one said a word, only looking, watching.
"H-how do we open it? A-any ideas?"
No one answered, except Anders.
"We touch it."
Milo nearly whiplashed himself by turning to Anders, his expression morphing to shocked horror.
"T-t-touch it?! Th-thats crazy. W-we don't e-even know wh-what material this is o-or if it's toxic to humans!"
Anders' gaze softened, but she took a step forward nonetheless. Milo, now very obviously concerned took a step forward in an attempt to stop her.
"Eep!"
His foot got caught, a sudden shift in the uneven ground below as he tripped into the door. The oval door rippled, giving slightly, like memory foam but warm.
Milo's eyes widen as the door shifted, glowing a subtle silver pearlescent hue. Milo scrambled back, eyes wide while holding the satchel and camera to his chest.
The spartan and ODSTs aimed at the door as it trembled softly. A faint tremor ran outward, the material flexing in slow, concentric ripples. The oval depression began to purse, layers of pearlescent tissue drawing tight, then easing open in a deliberate, muscular rhythm.
The motion wasn't mechanical. It was alive contracting and relaxing. With each pulse, the opening widened, drawing back in smooth, spiraling folds until a dark, interior was revealed.
A warm breath of air slipped past them, carrying a scent too faint to name but heavy enough to make the ODSTs tense in unison.
Milo, still frozen in his half-crouch, glanced up at Anders, cheeks flushed.
"I-I... didn't mean to"
he stammered, clutching his satchel like a lifeline as the ODSTs took point, rifles aimed into the dark corridor, flashlights illuminating only parts of the corridor while the expected floral scent was... absent...
Finch's eyes narrowed, unholstering her sidearm completely and turned on her own flashlight. Jeroms lifted his assault rifle down the corridor.
"I'm taking point, follow me."
Jerome said, taking the first step into the unknown..