Sweat came down Henry's chin as he packed his gear into his bag. He could hardly believe they were sending him out on a mission such as this. Being send on a mission through some mysterious portal? That was just some insane stuff.
"Colonel!"
Henry turned to see his subordinate, Daniel Thornton, run up to him. He looked nervous as he did so. Henry merely smiled at him.
"Lieutenant Thornton? Everything prepared?" asked Henry.
"Yes, sir. All our things have been accounted for," said Daniel.
"Excellent. Now we can go into the...," said Henry.
"Attention all travelers, you are to head to the portal area immediately. I repeat: you are to...," said a voice on the PA System.
"Looks like we just made it in time. Come on, Thornton. We have a world to explore," said Henry.
"Yes, sir," answered Daniel.
The two got their bags and headed towards the portal room. There, they found the rest of their unit waiting for them. Including himself and Daniel, the team consisted of four men and two women.
"Hey, Hank. Glad you could make it," said Jack.
"Same to you, Captain Xander," said Henry.
"Is he always this...?" asked Anna.
"Professional? Yep. I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out he doesn't have a life outside of work," said Vivian.
"I heard that, Major!" exclaimed Henry.
"No need to be so loud, sir," said Winston.
Henry merely smiled at that. All of them had served together during the American Mexican Border War, so they all knew each other pretty well.
"Attention all members, the portal is now opening," said a voice on the PA System.
The portal door did open, revealing a blinding light that caused the troops to nearly get blinded. They still went forward into the blinding light and through the portal.
-----
The group exited the portal on the other side. Greeting them was a dense valley surrounded by mountains and forests. The group was astounded by what surrounded them, taking in everything that they saw.
"Wow," said Anna.
"This is amazing!" exclaimed Vivian.
"Interesting. This almost looks like what Earth might've been like without human interference," said Daniel.
"Alright. Let's make camp just a short distance from the portal. Remember your training," ordered Henry.
"Yes, sir!" exclaimed his troops.
They each got out their tents and planted them in the dirt. Each were planting about six feet away from the others. The girls took up the area across from the boys.
"Excellent work, everyone. Let's not forget more travelers will be coming through that portal tomorrow. So, we need to figure out some stuff now before they get here," said Henry.
"Assuming they'll bring tents of their own, shelter won't be an issue. It's the food and water that'll be the problem," said Winston.
"Think anything here is even edible?" asked Vivian.
"Has to be. Otherwise, coming here is just a waste of time," said Jack.
"He's got a point, surprisingly," said Daniel.
"Hey!" exclaimed Jack.
"In any case, we need to find out if anything's edible or drinkable. I'd rather have that done sooner rather than later," said Henry.
"Yes, sir!"