Rachel’s tail twitched as she heard Tom’s muscles relax.  He rolled his neck with a low moan, taking a deep breath before letting it out in a steady stream.  “Alright, well then, I think we’ve got ourselves a deal.  You’re sure you can convince the others?”

She maintained her relaxed posture, legs crossed while smiling.  “As long as you give me all the details, then it shouldn’t be a problem.  I already plan to discuss a lot with them, but … it might have to wait until the evening.  Fiona and Scarlet are barely keeping themselves awake.  I suspect they’ll pass out by the time we’re done.”

Tom’s lips creased as he leaned back.  “Hmm, how about yourself?  I still can’t believe you’re not affected by that fight; even if you’ve got supernatural abilities, you were thrown through three buildings.  Unless … do you have another ability besides Emotional Detachment to deal with the pain or mitigate the damage?”

More prodding into my abilities … I do need to solve my Lunar Pride issue.  With the entire U.S. intelligence network at his disposal, he’d be well acquainted with The System, or so I’d imagine.  They should have some useful intel that can help me.

Deciding to shoot from the hip, she took the risk.  “I’m more concerned about another issue that I’d like your input on.”

Tom’s brow lifted.  “Oh—that sparks my interest.  I didn’t expect you to ask for help.”

Rachel’s mask split as her ears twitched with her left eye, and the pressure against her tail increased as she pressed it down with agitation.  Dammit … Lunar Pride.  Maybe this is why Risk Assessment has leveled up so quickly; Lunar Pride’s been clashing with my other abilities this entire time … it can even break through Emotional Detachment to some degree, but it seems my stress can filter past it a bit if it gets too high.

“It’s—hard for me to talk about,” she struggled to get the words out.  “This is with Emotional Detachment active—I have a Lunar Hare trait that’s called Lunar Pride.  It’s likely my most detrimental change since becoming a Lunar Hare.  I wanted to discuss it with the others—but this conversation has also put me at an impasse…”  She trailed off, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as the heat in her chest increased.

His surprise turned to concern; he shifted his weight, folding his arms uncomfortably.  “Lunar Pride … a Lunar Hare trait.  So, my statement just now about you needing my help struck at that pride factor?”  He hummed as she nodded.  “Okay … Lunar Pride—what do you call this change that occurred during The Oscillation?  How do you define it?”

Her consternation began to fade a little as the topic shifted a little off herself and more toward defining the ability.  She opened her eyes, rubbing at her burning breast, heart throbbing.  “Well,” she swallowed saliva that had built up, “I’ve come to see it as something like a game system; it was first explained to me like that just after The Oscillation happened.  One of the girls—another student that went to the CDC with me.  She was the first person that tried to help me understand my abilities.

“Julia, one of the animal specialists that the Military recruited to analyze Mythickin in this area, also seemed to think that these abilities functioned like a game.  That’s not to say it is a game—it just operates in the same manner.

“The most in-depth explanation I heard was from Relica; she was obsessed with this new system.  Since her change into a Legendkin, she was experimenting and pushing her abilities to their maximum—it hurts—even to think that I couldn’t beat her.  I want to think that I would have found a way...”

“The pride,” Tom mumbled, studying her struggling demeanor closely.  “That is a problem.”

Rachel licked her lips as her agitation grew, making her tail twitch again.  She nodded, tucking her bottom lip under her teeth.  “I believe I developed Risk Assessment and Emotional Detachment to counter it, but it’s not a perfect solution—still, I can at least talk about it to some degree with it active.  This is—probably my closest held secret—this consternated feeling I have toward myself, and I need a solution.”

She unfolded her legs, clutching at her tight thighs as she looked down at the table.  “You mentioned others having behavioral changes … is there anything you can think of that will help me overcome this?”

He lightly ground his teeth; the silence stretched a full minute as he thought.  Rachel fidgeting as he glared down at the folders in front of him.  “So—this is like a Racial Trait of the Lunar Hare, correct?  Something similar to say—Scarlet drinking blood?  From what I’ve learned, there are different levels to each person’s abilities.  Is a Racial Trait a skill; in other words, can it increase in level?”

Rachel turned her head, staring at the wall.  “To be honest … nevermind, give me a second to think.”  I can’t say I’m scared to ask … if Lunar Pride can increase in Levels, Grades, and Ranks, then … it’d feed off the counters I develop for that skill too.  It would be a never-ending spiral.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, and rolled her neck around, trying to ease the tension she felt.  Letting her head fall back, she opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling, fingers playing with her hair atop her lap.

What’s the level, grade, and rank of Lunar Pride … one, Novice, rank nine.  Shit.  At least I haven’t put any points into it, but will I get a Proficiency Skill when it reaches max?  Of course you’d be silent; you never give me answers to things I don’t already possess.  What type of skill is Lunar Pride … a Lunar Hare Racial Trait … great.

“You look like you’re sucking on lemons … is it bad?”  Tom asked with a grave tone.

Should I tell him about what information I have on The System?  I do need his help, and if I can provide him with information, then he’ll owe me for that.  I think it might be beneficial in the long run.

Bending forward, she rested her head on the table, looking down at her bunched hair in her lap; it slid down, stopping just above the floor.  “I’ll share the information I’ve gained with you … I need solutions.”

He grunted a soft laugh.  “I get you; go ahead.”

“Skills, Traits, Abilities, whatever they are, they have three different categories,” she mumbled.  “They have Level, Grade, and Rank, but they each are connected in a way.  Increasing the level will unlock higher grades, and as you use that ability, it will increase the rank, which will then increase your grade if you’ve opened the appropriate grade level.  It’s a cycle.

“So—if your level is four in a skill, and you use that skill often, then it will reach Novice Grade, Rank-Ten, and cap until you level that skill up to five, unlocking the next Grade and resetting your rank back to zero.  You have the Level System that requires points to put into and the Proficiency System that requires effort or use to increase.”

Tom nodded slowly.  “I see—it’s a bit more complicated than I was led to believe; it draws the question, how many grades there are and how high you can level something up.  Do you know how to obtain points to increase levels?”

Rachel lifted her head, shaking it.  “I don’t know that yet … my Lunar Pride is Level one, Grade Novice, and Rank- Nine.  Once a Grade reaches max Rank, then it seems to gain a Proficiency Skill; that’s how I obtained Emotional Detachment.”

What are Racial Traits … the skills passively learned upon unlocking a Tree.  Does increasing the Level and Grade lower its effects or increase it?  No answer … wonderful…

“You’ve given me more information in thirty seconds than thousands of people that are working on this issue,” Tom muttered heavily.  “So, there are negative traits that can be leveled up … for what purpose, though?  Why would you want to level them up?”

She sat up, repositioning her hair across her front.  “It won’t give me an answer; it might just be because I’m not asking the right question, though.  The knowledge we gain from this system is minimal and really depends on the question asked and the person’s desire.  So—there’s nothing you know that could help me?”

“Not at the moment,” Tom said, frown deepening.  “However, I’ll keep my ears open, and if I do hear something, then I’ll let you know.”

Shoot and miss…  “There’s at least that,” Rachel chuckled tiredly.  I just have to hope they’ll learn something that will help me in the long run; it does provide good faith with Tom too … I’ve really made my bed with him, but it’s a calculated risk with the potential for high reward.

The sharp emotions bleeding through Emotional Detachment began to fade, and her cool composure returned.  “Alright, now that that’s out of the way, I’d like to know what you have planned for us.  I’ve already accepted your offer, but I’m finding it hard to believe the U.S. Military needs the help of four girls.”

“Still cautious,” Tom sighed.  “You don’t have to reveal much about yourself to me; consolidating information is important, but I’m glad you told me about Lunar Pride—even if it was a potential risk.  I’m hesitant to even dig deeper on the subject; I might be compromised at some point in the future—there’s a lot we don’t know in this changing world.”

Rachel hummed darkly.  “Compromised?  Relica, I assume.”

“There’s a lot in your report to Captain Jerry that caught my interest, but Relica was a key point.  I’ve been briefed on a lot of incidents regarding people with powers, but Relica’s are very disconcerting.  When I read that report on my flight over, it reinforced my decision to come personally.”

“She is a major threat,” Rachel nodded, vision dropping to the table.

Tom’s features hardened as he studied her.  “Obviously, you didn’t provide all the details, which is fine—I’m actually glad you didn’t.  The fear of ability users has caused many factions to divide Washington; there’s a reason I wanted this meeting to be private.”

“So,” Rachel stifled an involuntary yawn, fatigue hitting her mind.  “How much of this meeting will return to Washington?  It sounds like that’s a concern of yours.  Do you actually think the White House is compromised?”

“Nothing so conspiratorial,” Tom grunted with grim amusement.  “No, but the possibility nags at the back of my mind.  It’s no secret that many politicians are motivated by counter ethical standards to the U.S. staple of liberty.  There’s been a movement internally to try and find authoritarian means to limit those changed in the same way they want to restrict and ban guns.

“In fact, they’re flipping many of their opinions on firearms; ironic, the moment someone else holds power outside their control, they advocate for something they supposedly hate.  Getting past the hypocrisy, they’re scared.

“It’s no longer fear the big muscle guy or their laughably ignorant stance on weapons; did the prohibition or banning drugs ever stop anything?  Regulations, sure, but banning, no.  I’m getting off-topic … Now you have teenagers that can throw fireballs and babies that can spit acid or that chase after mice and eat them.  It’s a scary new world, and there’s talk of segregation already … stupid, but understandable stances.”

Rachel nodded.  “I can see that, but it would only bring about a division; just like the African American segregation, it would break at some point.  It’s better to learn how to live together than breaking up into factions or tribes.”

“That’s the problem,” Tom sighed.  “It started with the Culture War, and now this has tipped the whole boat; tribes are forming everywhere in Washington.  Right now there’s a ban on weapon sales during Martial Law, but people are scrambling to seek personal protection, which means they’ll find a way.”

She frowned, head tilting to the side.  “It’s a complicated issue that would require a lot of critical thinking; it’s not easily solved.  Yes, people need to feel safe, but at the same time, not ruled by fear.  You can take away a gun, but you can’t take away someone’s ability to cast a spell that causes frostbite by shooting out an ice bolt from someone’s palm.”

“Therein lies the problem,” he rubbed his forehead, blinking a few times.  “Weapons allow the weak to stand up to the strong.  That’s why the Second Amendment was created in the U.S.  The Founders were the little-guys taking on the big-guys, and they wanted every citizen to have the ability to do the same; it’s a check, a balance for tyrannical power.

“However, the power scale just changed.  If someone with powers decides to be a terrorist, for whatever reason, then how do you catch or stop it?  A man that can cause explosions without any ingredients walks on a plane and blows it up … how could we prevent that?”

“I see your point,” Rachel mumbled.  “As your report mentioned, we did meet some teenagers that were playing hero.  We scared them into not going to South Beach and trying to rescue people; one mistake can cost lives.  Hell, we even acted like them.  You have vigilantes like Carter that’s amassing support against Mythickin in general with a focus on Scarlet.  There are a million issues to solve, and things are escalating too fast for the government to keep up.”

She looked up at him with narrowed eyes.  “That’s something that’s bugging me … you’re sidelining all of that—more specifically, you’re pulling away from all that to meet me.  I can understand it on a few levels; Relica for one as a major national security risk, but that first file you showed Ruth has me worried.  

“I assume it’s one of the main reasons you’re recruiting Scarlet, Fiona, Maria, and me.  Everything we’ve discussed right now, the millions of issues branching from The Oscillation, we can’t really help with.  However, Ruth said this file makes all of our current issues look like a picnic … that’s terrifying.”

Tom looked down at one of the files that were spread across the table in front of him, tapping the blank surface.  “I’ll start with your first question.  When it comes to the information about yourself … I won’t be sharing much with the president; that’s not his main concern.  I’ll just tell him that you accepted the proposal.”

He paused, taking a drink of his vitamin water.  “You don’t need to tell me much more about yourself, either.  Lunar Pride answers several of my questions already, as well as the leveling system that you kept out of the initial report, and yes, a primary factor for this meeting is this new intel we’ve received that has everyone at the top of DOD jumpy.”

Rachel took a few sips of her own water as he paused, looking for the right words.  “We need someone with combat experience that can get results—someone able to get the job done and intel back at any price.”

Rachel’s tail stiffened as she set her bottle down.  “Sounds dirty, but you have plenty of men for that.”

“It might be,” Tom shrugged, holding eye contact, “and yes, I do have very skilled men that could take part.  However, it’s the mystery behind it all, that is what makes this situation so dangerous, and why I need a wild card; I don’t know how long we can hold onto this information before releasing it to the public, which is why we need actionable intel as soon as possible.”

His hand slid across the table to a file half shown by the folders atop it; pulling it out, he tossed it across the table to her.  “You’ll need to sign that NDA first.”

She opened the file and quickly read down the page.  “A Non-Disclosure Agreement.  So—I can’t speak to anyone about this—not even people here at the FBI.  The only person I’m allowed to discuss this with is Maria, Fiona, and Scarlet; if they’ve signed the same NDA themselves.  Breaking this agreement will mark us with Conspiracy to Commit Treason … that’s death.”

She looked up at him, still relaxed with Emotional Detachment.  “You expect this information to be made public knowledge given time, though?”

Tom’s tired expression turned to steel.  “Yes, however, you’re never to disclose your involvement in this matter.  It’s a complete black book operation; even if we disclose details about the mission, there will be no record of your involvement.”

Looking back down at the NDA, Rachel traced a circle with her middle finger.  The record doesn’t even state what we’re to keep secret; it merely says the information disclosed during my meeting with Tom, and related intel to the event are top-secret.

If what he’s saying is to be taken literally, then the only people that know about this situation is the president, Tom, DOD top brass, and Ruth probably has a general understanding of what we’re being asked to do.  Whatever this is, it’s under the highest levels of security; this is far more serious than a simple one and done event.  The mystery behind it all is what makes this dangerous…

“Can you tell me how dangerous this will be?”  Rachel asked, looking into Tom’s blue eyes.

“I can’t until you sign the NDA.”

His tightening muscles told her everything she needed to know.  He expects this to be highly dangerous, which is why he’s come to us after reading through our engagement.  We may just be the most suitable candidates; we have the rap sheet that requires high levels of authority to sweep under the rug and the power and history to make tough calls.  I don’t know if we could make those kinds of tough calls in every situation, though.  In any case, there’s a limit to what we can do in the short-term.

“To be clear, we’re very fatigued right now.  You said that you needed actionable intel as soon as possible, but we need to recover.  Realistically, Maria could restore us to our physical health, but our group is only functional during the night, and I’m reliant upon the moon.  That also means that Maria would be expending her strength.”

Tom took a deep breath, slumping back in his chair.  “Yes, I understand there are compounding issues.  Once you sign the appropriate documentation, I can tell you the details.”  He tapped the first file a few times.

Rachel closed her eyes and sighed before opening them back up to glare at the large mysterious cream-colored folder.  “I suppose I don’t have much of a choice.”

She held out her hand, and Tom produced a pen from inside his jacket.  Taking the pen, she twisted it open and signed the NDA.  She closed the folder and slid the pen back over to him.

He shook his head.  “Keep the pen for the others to use.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Rachel’s tone was even, “but I don’t trust that it’s not bugged.  I’m sure I can find a pen elsewhere.”

Tom smirked, pushing it back.  “Fair enough, and no, it’s not bugged, but I understand.”  He slid over another file.  “Just one more to sign, and then you’ll have the clearance needed.”

Opening the folder, she scanned down the page; it seemed like a simple clearance acceptance form referencing back to a host of legal documents regarding the Department of Defense.  “Explain this one to me.”

“It’s just the standard DOD Security Clearance issued by DISCO or the Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office; you’re basically under contract.”

Rachel’s brow furrowed.  “Wait, does that mean we get paid?”

He chuckled, folding his arms.  “Well, you could say that your freedom is your reward, but expenses will be covered for the job we’ll be contracting you for.”

“For a black list mission, there’s more red tape than I thought there’d be,” she muttered.  Signing the document, she set the pen down beside the two closed files.  “I assume the others will need to sign the papers issued behind mine before I talk to them?”

Tom stretched.  “How it is.”

“Alright then,” Rachel sat back, hands folded in her lap.  “I took the bait; what’s the top-secret agenda?”

She kept her posture lax; Tom’s demeanor sagged as his muscles loosened, and he slumped back in his chair with a long sigh.  “Finally,” he chuckled, closing his eyes.

The silence continued as he breathed softly, obviously deeply relieved.  I suppose I haven’t really considered it, but him being here with all this preparation … how much was he banking on this discussion being a success?

Her ears twitched as she heard Scarlet moan.  “Aw, Rachel’s talking with some Army guy … wait, he has four stars on his shoulder.”

“That’s pretty—high in the Military, right?”  Fiona yawned, shifting atop something fluffy.

“Yeah, like—super high.  I think he’s pretty stressed, but it looks like Rachel said something that’s making him relax.”

“How long do you think they’ll talk?”

Rachel looked toward their voices and held up her thumb with a soft smile and slight nod.

“Who knows … she turned her head to look at me—I think she’s telling me we can get some sleep.”

“Really?”  Fiona hoisted herself up with a short huff.  “That’s wild … you can see her, and she can hear you.”

“I’m kind of becoming used to it,” Scarlet giggled.  “Maria’s awake—it looks like she’s pretty drained still, though; she’s leaning up against the glass resting.  I hate the freaking sun—it’s so bright … It’s like I’m going blind looking at it.”

“It’s—okay to go to sleep, though?”  Fiona stifled another yawn.

“Yeah, I think so,” Scarlet mirrored her.  “Let’s sleep … my mind is dead.”

“Ditto—well, goodnight,” she groaned, snuggling into what Rachel assumed was a pillow.

“Do you want a napkin or tissue or something to cover you?”

“Mmh—that’d be nice,” Fiona mumbled sleepily.

Scarlet giggled softly as she got up; Rachel assumed she got a tissue and placed it over Fiona’s likely nude body before snuggling into her own blanket beside her.  “Night…”

Rachel’s attention shifted back to Tom; he was still in his silent stupor, and his body almost seemed like it was on the verge of sleep.  She decided to break the peaceful atmosphere.  “It sounds like you’re close to passing out?”

“Oh,” he started, blinking rapidly.  “I apologize … I guess you could say that.”  He groaned, rubbing his left shoulder.  “It just hit me all at once.  You mentioned red tape … that’s all I’ve been dealing with the last forty-two hours—even before The Oscillation.  I’d had quick power naps between calls and reports, but for the most part, it’s been non-stop.”

He rubbed his bald head with a sad smile.  “It’s not like you haven’t had your fair share of rough times—right, so, onto the intel.  To begin, I don’t expect you to be ready to start this until you’ve slept and a few other things are prepared.

“It’s about,” he pulled back his sleeve to reveal a golden watch, “0715—so, I’d say sundown is around 2000.  No—that’s not enough time.  To get a jet ready and the proper gear—plus convincing the others … it can wait at most a day and a half.”

“Day and a half for what?”  Rachel rubbed her neck, shifting her hair to the opposite shoulder.  “You’re making plans for an event I have no details on—I can’t explain it to the others if I don’t know anything.”

“Right,” Tom mumbled.  He opened an energy drink and chugged what seemed half the contents.  Smacking his lips, he rubbed the top of the first file, breathing through his teeth; finally, he picked it up and slid it to her.  “Follow along while I explain; this is going to get pretty insane.”

Rachel settled herself in for a story as she opened the file; her eyes narrowed while she read through the documents and studied the pictures.

“Do you understand Military time?”

“Just do normal A.M. and P.M.”  Rachel responded, flipping through the pages.

“Right, well—on Wednesday, at approximately ten-twenty-four P.M., an hour and eleven minutes after The Oscillation, we were made aware of another strange phenomenon.  These are pictures taken at High Rolls, New Mexico, population five-hundred fifty-eight.

“As you can see, the entire settlement was surrounded by the same type of unidentified substance as The Oscillation, only in a domed sphere that cut it off from the surrounding area.  A few residents managed to run outside of the barrier as this event set up; they stated that it was forming the moment The Oscillation started and solidified after an hour … somewhat solidified, that is.”

Rachel’s lips sunk as she read further down the report.  “Residents that managed to get outside the barrier before ten-thirteen couldn’t get back in; if they touched the barrier, then they’d instantly teleport to the opposite side of the town.  Everything inside became completely indistinct as the rippling colors solidified.”

Tom nodded.  “It lasted exactly twenty-three minutes before the dome cracked and shattered into dust; there was no known or unknown energy or material found from the dome shattering.  It’s as if the material vanished into thin air...”

Her emotional side squirmed as she read the next part of the report.  “This is real?”  She muttered.

“Every horrifying detail,” Tom said, scratching the back of his hand.

“Fifty-three residents left the dome by the time it solidified, leaving five-hundred and five people inside; using the statistical value of changed individuals during The Oscillation, at least three to four of them were likely affected by The Oscillation in some fashion.  What was found inside were...”

He licked his lips, nose twisting in disgust, “Four-hundred and thirty-three people … two-hundred and eighty female and one-hundred and fifty-three male; it looks as if they were forced into some form of satanic death ritual.”

Rachel coldly examined each brutal picture, as Tom explained.

“From what forensics determined; they were skinned alive, and it was done in a manner to make sure they’d live.  Their skin was stretched across an unknown form of ritualistic carved black colored wood with a harness of strange green leather and extremely durable unknown plants that comprised the device; there were foreign symbols of unknown origin written across them; the azure-colored paint used is from some form of strange plant that hasn’t been documented.

“There are pits that were filled with the blood and organs of the citizens; it seems to be mixed with several other unknown liquids that are being analyzed.  The cleaned bones and dug blood pits were placed in some form of design that no one’s been able to make sense of; it appears to be methodically placed, though.  We took detailed aerial and close pictures of the design before trying to put back together each victim to determine causes of death and identity.  We still have teams reassembling the remains.

“From what remains have been pieced together, it appears the victims were eaten alive after skinned, and by the teeth marks on the bones, it appears the culprits had serrated fangs.  After they died, it’s speculated that the remaining blood and innards were dumped into the holes.  From the tracks, it’s clear that whatever did this had five-fingered, six clawed feet and two tails that dragged along the dirt; they could be anywhere from six to nine feet tall, and were powerful enough to rip apart a fire truck.”

He swallowed, clearing his throat before continuing.  “Most of the structures were left standing, and it seemed like the people were gathered together over several hours.  There are signs of struggle; guns seem to have been fired, but there aren’t any other corpses other than human … except for one male Rhino-type Beastkin that was skinned and placed in the center of the ritual.  His horns seemed to have been cut clean off in a single stroke; there are no serrated markings on the bones, and there are no signs of it in the town.  It could have been a trophy.”

Rachel’s brow furrowed.  “Wait, didn’t you say the event lasted exactly twenty-three minutes?  How did it take several hours to gather them if the event only lasted twenty-three minutes?”

Tom acknowledged her question with a nod.  “That’s another one of the mysteries of this event; it’s clear that all of this was done within two days by the still-functioning clocks inside houses.  While outside, only twenty-three minutes had passed, inside, two days, and none of the horrors could be heard or seen from the outside.

“It seems like they first destroyed anything that was producing high volumes of sound, which gives the impression they might be sensitive to specific ranges of frequency; however, none of that seemed to help the residents.

“We also have no clue how to explain the strange circumstances of how they were gathered except through some form of manipulative means.”

He looked up at her as she studied a massive crystal structure.  “Ah, I should backtrack a little … residents that managed to escape said that a sizable immaterial diamond-shaped crystal appeared out of thin air in the center of town; it was tinted a dark brown with a faint red glow surrounding it.

“Inside it looked like there was a cave; as you can see, there are pictures that two of the residents managed to take before escaping the dome; crowds began to run away after thirty minutes, when the crystal started to pulse, causing residents to feel uncomfortable around the immediate area and forced them back.

“Through the tracks we were able to determine that there were only about seven or eight creatures that appear to start at the crystal.  There are also signs that they may have taken the remaining seventy-two residents with them, and a great many possessions seem to be missing as well, mostly technology.  There are no clues as to how we might mount a rescue or if they have any means to return.  The crystal is gone, and so are any answers we might obtain.”

Tom looked up at her gravely.  “What are your thoughts on the first incident?”

“First incident … these pictures … they’re disgusting,” she muttered.  “If I wasn’t using Emotional Detachment, then I might even throw-up.  I kicked Conner in half … punched men so hard they exploded against my fist—but this … this is just disturbing.

“Carefully skinning hundreds of people alive before eating them … while they’re still alive, and using their remains in some dark ritual; they must have had some means of stopping people from taking their own lives.  I think the likelihood of them having mind-controlling abilities is high but on this massive of a scale … that’s terrifying.

“All of this looks like it’s … I don’t even think they’d show this in any kind of horror film.  The methods they must have used; it’s sick, and to do all of this in just two days … to capture, and then perform all of this with only seven or eight individuals—I can’t wrap my head around it.”

“You’re thinking more tactically rather than emotionally … yes, from a practical standpoint, it doesn’t make much sense.  They’d have to be extremely efficient; there’s precision, purpose, and method to this that makes my skin crawl.  They couldn’t have slept, they couldn’t make a single mistake, and for several creatures of this size to eat hundreds of humans.  There are signs of struggle, but only initially … it doesn’t add up using conventional logic.”

Rachel nodded, studying the different pictures of the ritual and pictures of the creature’s tracks.  “Were there any pictures taken of them?”

“No, all power was cut when the town became inaccessible, it seems; so, all live cameras without backup power were cut.  Some cars were left on, but none had active cameras that recorded, and we found no cell phone left in the entire town.  Almost everything electronic-based was taken; including the dead equipment.”

She glared at the picture of the savaged fire truck; large five-fingered claw marks were raked across the side of a ripped off chunk.  I might be able to destroy a fire truck like that if my Lunar Pool was full and it would be easy in moonlight … depending on the phase of the moon, but the speed that they accomplished this.  Would I be a match against something like this?  What about the method they used to get compliance from the citizens; would it affect me?  I don’t know…

Her blood began to run hot again.  Lunar Pride says bring it on, but Risk Assessment tells me to stay away.  Could these be the creatures that started The Oscillation?  Could it have been a byproduct of whatever they did to get here?  Why attack a small town in the middle of nowhere, though?  Why do this disgusting and painfully precise ritual?  Could it be linked to The System?  Relica was talking about achievement-based abilities; maybe this could be related?

“You haven’t already considered aliens?”  Rachel asked unironically as she spread out a few of the pictures.

Tom took in a deep breath, rubbing his temple as he looked at them.  “We haven’t ruled anything out, and no, no aliens in area fifty-one; it’s just a cutting edge engineering technology site.”

“They’re gone from this site, though; which means…”  Rachel paused as she flipped through the stack of papers.  “There’s another site.”  She stopped on a satellite image of a similar dome.

“Yes,” Tom moaned, rolling his neck.  “Once we discovered this incident, we had our satellites scour the globe for similar imagery.  Mutumbo, Angola … we’re sending a team out there to figure out what happened, but that’s still under investigation.  Turn to the next page.”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed as she looked at a picture of another crystal.  This crystal was oval-shaped and was shaded dark green and brown with a dim sage glow surrounding it.  It appeared like there was a dense jungle inside.  “My first thought is that it’s a teleport crystal, but is it two way or one?”

“My thoughts too,” Tom muttered, “as crazy as that sounds.  This is in Billings, Montana … we’re talking about a population of over a hundred thousand people.  We cannot let what happened in New Mexico happen here.  We haven’t had an incident like this since Nine-Eleven.

“It might just be a gate to the Mutumbo site, but it could also be a gate to a different dimension or world across the stars, like Stargate … it could be a million things.  However, what has been observed is that it’s a threat.  We’ve already sent a Green Beret team in five hours ago, but they haven’t reported back.”

“So,” Rachel whispered, “people can go through it?”

“At least this one, we can.  However, only five people can enter; the team was able to leave and reenter at will, and there were no hostile targets on the other side by the crystal.  It’s shaped and colored different than the first, which is something to note, and it has acted differently than the previous one.

“Like I said, I can wait a day and a half for you to recover, but I need you four to see what we’re dealing with if the worst case happens and the Green Berets are killed; we don’t even know if you’d be able to get in if they were dead.  Just having you near in case anything were to go wrong would be optimal, though.  Your abilities give you a solid edge over normal humans, and might be what we need since The Oscillation caused your changes … there’s just a lot of factors that we need answers to.”

Rachel stared at the image in silence as Tom finished.  This is way further than left-field; I shouldn’t be surprised this could happen … I’m a freaking human-hare.  This is a hell of a lot more dangerous than I envisioned, though.  We have no support; the moment we go in, we’re probably going to be on our own, and we don’t know if it will vanish on us like the first, but the evidence from the New Mexico incident shows it’s at least possible.

What if they had to do that ritual to get back?  No, I don’t think that was its purpose.  Tom’s right, we need answers … to think this is being kept hidden from the public.  If these crystals can just appear out of nowhere and separate an area from any outside help while a hostile force attacks them … this is a massive issue.  Extra-dimensional creatures, aliens, what the hell kind of world is this now?

“Tom … what if this is some kind of declaration of war?  You’re not sending us in to forge a treaty, right?”

His lips pursed at her question.  “I don’t know, Rachel; all I need you to do is get us actionable intelligence.  You don’t need to decide on treaties, but if you need to fight to get out, then do it.  We need to know what’s on the other side, and if it’s the same for every crystal; there’s been at least two confirmed incidents involving these crystals.  We need to know who, what, where, when, and why … we have questions when we need answers.”

This is a lot bigger than I imagined...

“I’ll have to talk to the others about this … about a lot of things that this opens up.  Thank you for giving me the time to sort through it.  Will you be here when we wake up?”

Tom nodded.  “Yes, I’ll be making arrangements, and I still have a lot of other duties I need to address, but I’ll need some sleep soon, as well.  I’m going to talk to the president and have him postpone your psych evaluation until this mission is through.  You’ll need to go through it—all the Mythickin and Legendkin will, at the very least.”

She sighed.  “I understand, but if I can make a suggestion; I’d really prefer dealing with Richard and Julia, the two doctors we met at the hospital.”

“I’ll see what I can do, but that part is mostly outside my jurisdiction; I can get it delayed, but the FBI is mostly handling that.”

She rose to her feet, quickly organizing the files and compiling them into a single folder.  “Thanks, Tom; I’ll get in touch with you after I’ve talked to the others.”

She waited for his nod before walking out, leaving the drinks and pen on the table.  How did an ordinary college girl with sister-in-law issues get wrapped up with a top-secret military mission?  Yet, Lunar Pride is sparking like I’ve hit the jackpot...

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