Whup-whup… whup-whup…
Two helicopters moved through a harsh blizzard and slowly approached what was known as the black zone's outer boundary.
Ahead of the helicopters, an eternally frozen expanse that stretched far.
Xi-4, otherwise known as "Literature Club", sat shoulder-to-shoulder within the cabin of the second helicopter, strapped into metal seats that trembled violently beneath them. The wind outside screamed against the fuselage. And no one spoke. The only sounds were the churning of the engine, the rattling of their respective equipment, and the voices of the pilot and copilot over the internal channel.
"Xi-4, this is Helo-One. Approaching the outer boundary of the black zone in thirty seconds. Visibility near zero. Turbulence increasing," mentioned the pilot of the leading helicopter.
An operative, Xi-4-3, face hidden beneath a cold-weather mask marked with stylized ink patterns that glowed faintly in the natural light coming through the windows, tightened their grip on a thaumaturgically enhanced rifle. Beside the masked rifleman sat a woman, Xi-4-2, with short black hair and a throat tattoo that glowed a soft blue with every breath. Across from her was a broad-shouldered veteran, Xi-4-1, wearing a heavy scholar's vest covered in stitched diagrams, firmly gripping onto a enormous metal tower shield positioned in front of him. Next to him sat Xi-4-4, a quiet older man in heavy robes with mirrored lenses over his eyes, absently turning a small brass device that occasionally ticked. To his left, a younger operative, Xi-4-6, in a hooded winter coat clutched a charm of folded paper and metal wire, whispering unintelligible incantations that spread a gentle warmth through the cabin. Farther down the row, a tall man with braided hair and a small library of runic knives hanging from his belt, Xi-4-5, sat completely motionless.
"Copy, Helo-One," the pilot responded.
The cabin shook. Straps creaked. Breath fogged in the frigid air despite the heated interior.
Xi-4-1 shifted slightly, his tower shield rattling as the helicopter tilted.
Xi-4-2 glanced toward the frosted window. "Visibility is getting worse. I can't even see ten meters out there."
Xi-4-3 checked the charging sigil on their rifle. "Storm's alive."
Xi-4-6 exhaled softly, keeping the charm cupped in both hands. "The air is truly sickening. Something is wrong out here."
Xi-4-5 finally moved, shut eyelids peeling open as he broke free from a strange trance. "We're approaching him."
A brief silence followed. Each operative knew who he referred to.
The pilot broke in through the intercom. "Xi-4, this is Helo-One. We just crossed the threshold. Instruments are losing calibration. Keep yourselves steady."
The cabin swayed violently, almost on cue.
Xi-4 braced as the helicopter bucked along a sudden downward draft, the fuselage vibrating hard enough to rattle teeth. The blizzard outside was a solid wall of white, making the world feel almost small and suffocating.
Xi-4-1 steadied his tower shield against his knee as the cockpit alarms chirped faintly.
Xi-4-3 leaned forward. "Distance?" The copilot was quick to answer. "Eleven klicks to the target's last known location. Thermal is practically useless out here. Thaumic sensors picking up active signatures across the whole zone."
Xi-4-4 muttered something under his breath as the brass device in his palm clicked twice.
The radio crackled. "Helo-One to Helo-Two. We have visual contact. Something is moving below the cloud line. It's large. Fast, too."
Every operative looked toward the window. The white churn outside shifted slightly. Xi-4-3 whispered, "Already? I didn't think we'd attract something so fast."
The pilot cursed under his breath. "Whatever that is, it is matching our speed."
The radio crackled again. "Helo-One to Helo-Two. Continue toward the target. We're diverting to draw whatever it is away. Remember the mission."
"Copy, Helo-One. Stay high. Be careful."
The moment Helo-One veered off, the storm seemed to shudder. Fortunately, whatever was tailing the helicopters, appeared to be successfully drawn away by Helo-One.
The tension eased only slightly as Helo-One drifted off into the white abyss, its silhouette fading behind the wall of snow.
. . .
Approximately ten minutes later.
Xi-4-2 exhaled through her nose. Xi-4-1 adjusted the strap on his shield while glancing toward the cockpit. Xi-4-3 shifted their rifle into a ready posture, the sigils lining the barrel flickering alight. The pilot steadied the helicopter and said, "Approaching target zone. Thirty seconds."
The copilot called out coordinates and altitude. Xi-4-3 leaned toward the window, squinting through the blind whirling snow. "I see something. Ahead, low." A vague shape moved beneath the storm line.
Xi-4-1 rose half an inch in his seat, grip tightening. "Is it him?" The pilot lowered their speed, eyes fixed on the many instruments in the cockpit. "Unknown. Contact in fifteen seconds."
The blizzard thinned for only a moment, and in that narrow window, they all saw it: a lone figure walking north through the storm, long hair whipping in the wind.
Xi-4-2's throat tightened. "That has to be MV-1119." The copilot switched channels. "Helo-Two to Command. We have visual."
The figure paused, lifted his head, and looked toward the sky. Straight at them.
***
He heard the helicopter's churning blades before he saw them. An absurd machine, flying through the intense, unwavering storm. He hadn't heard or seen anything like it.
He lifted his head and narrowed his eyes, staring directly at the approaching machine. Snow whipped across his coat and up his hair, yet he did not blink.
His voice did not rise higher than the wind, a soft murmur. "Magnificent."
He resumed walking, snow crunching underfoot, as a distant roar grew louder as the flying machine began circling overhead, slowly dipping lower.
A strange machine, somehow defying the harsh winds. He intently studied it as it circled, only to suddenly shut his eyelids and focus.
CHRRR-CHRRR-CHRRR.
The machine dipped lower, fighting the wind. Its shape became clearer through the white veil. Twin rotors. Thick hull. Wide wings. Heat spilling faintly from its underbelly. Its metal trembled against the storm's might, but somehow persisted, stubbornly.
He lifted his chin slightly, silver irises catching the light as his eyelids peeled open. "Humans," he murmured. "I see."
Nearly on cue, the helicopter's loading ramp lowered, and six silhouettes dropped from the aircraft, landing roughly twenty meters away. Their boots struck the snow, their landing muted by the roaring wind. He paused mid-stride and studied them, head tilted slightly.
They spread out in a cautious formation, forming a half-circle with their weapons low but evidently ready. If it weren't for one of them actively fighting the enveloping cold with unintelligible incantations, it wouldn't have been long before they would've frozen to death.
One of them stepped forward, Xi-4-1.
He was strong, stronger than the others.
He studied the man in front, a man built like a fortress of flesh and steel. The tower shield in his hold hummed faintly, runes carved along its surface pulsing, steadily.
The wind shifted.
"We mean no harm," Xi-4-1 finally spoke.
No harm, he says.
"Yet you bring weapons," he finally replied, "ready to fight."
The entirety of the squad grew tenser. Some were a little surprised.
He watched them tense, watched their shoulders rise and stiffen. Their breaths short-lived.
Xi-4-1 planted his shield into the dense snow, letting it rest against his boot as both hands remained visible. "Standard protocol," he said. "This place is highly dangerous. We cannot risk coming unarmed."
He tilted his head slightly in vague acknowledgement. "Very well. If you are not here to bring me harm, what is your intention?"
"We are here to extract you," he said. "We received orders to locate you and bring you out of the black zone alive."
The others in the half-circle remained tense and ready.
He stepped forward once, letting the snow part around his toes and feet. "Extract me?" he repeated under his breath.
Xi-4-1 nodded once. "Correct. Our orders are to locate you and escort you to safety. You will be provided shelter, medical care, and transport. Again, we have no intention of harming you."
He studied their formation for a long, silent moment.
And all of them watched him in return.
I cannot guarantee that I can kill all of them without being heavily injured.
"Very well," he answered. "You may extract me."
His gaze returned to Xi-4-1 as the man lifted his shield and stepped closer. "Thank you for cooperating," Xi-4-1 said. "We will escort you to Helo-Two. Once aboard, we will transport you to a secure location outside the black zone."
Xi-4-3 spoke unintelligibly into an earpiece, presumably informing Helo-Two of the successful cooperation.
Xi-4-6 fished out an extra set of clothes from his bag and approached, promptly extending them to him. "Here you go. You must be cold," Xi-4-6 murmured, glancing down at the evident lack of any relevant protection from the cold, briefly.
"Thank you," he replied, promptly taking ahold of the clothes to put them on, while the helicopter circling above them finally dipped lower and moved to land.
His fingers brushed against the warm fabric. A unfamiliar softness that surprised him.
The helicopter descended through the screaming wind and settled on its landing struts, snow spiraling outward in a violent ring from the downwash.
Xi-4-1 gestured with one arm, keeping the other close to the strap of his shield. "This way," he called over the wind. The others closed formation around him, promptly moving towards the helicopter as its loading ramp lowered.
He quietly stepped after.
Xi-4-1 led him up the ramp and into the cramped cabin, with the loading ramp beginning to slowly rise just as he was directed to one of the many seats in the cabin.
Boots scraped against metal, straps clinking.
Xi-4-2 sat down beside him and reached for him first with a gloved hand, palm lit by a faint blue glyph as she ran it quickly in front of his chest and throat, eyes narrowing. "Heartbeat, respiration, body temperature all normal," she said. "Strange."
Xi-4-2 withdrew her hand, the faint blue light fading from her palm. "Very strange," she repeated, "considering you've been in this weather for so long, without any protection." Xi-4-1 looked across his face, watching the silver eyes watch each motion in the cramped cabin.
Xi-4-5, sitting across from him, leaned forward as the helicopter lifted off. "Shit. You really do look like a porcelain doll up close," he said.
Xi-4-2 shot him a brief glare. "Professional, please," she muttered. Xi-4-1 ignored the exchange, eyes still on MV-1119. "If at any point you feel unwell, tell us," he said. "This place does not treat people kindly."
On an alternative channel, the pilot radioed command. "Command. This is Helo-Two. We are leaving the central band of the black zone. He are in possession of the asset."
Xi-4-5 leaned back with a huff and half closed his eyes as the helicopter climbed, the sound of the rotors changing while the white hell outside thinned into a lighter veil. The cabin shuddered once, then settled into a steady vibration.
What a peculiar machine.
He sat still in the oversized coat, silver eyes half lidded, gaze roving over every bolt and cable inside the cabin, as if he was mapping the machine in his head. Xi-4-2 kept sneaking looks at him.
Xi-4-3 finished checking the safety on their rifle, glancing outside the window.
Xi-4-1 tapped his earpiece. "Helo-One, this is Xi-4-1 on Helo-Two. Status?" A bout of static was first to answer, followed by a low hiss that crawled under the usual hum of the channel.
Then a voice. "Helo-One, holding pattern, three klicks west of your vector. Still diverting unknown contact. Turbulence is getting worse out here. You focus on the package."
Xi-4-1 glanced toward the cockpit. "Copy," he said into his mic. "Maintain separation and keep it busy. We have MV-1119."
Xi-4-4 flicked the little brass device in his hand with a thumb. It ticked once, then again.
MV-1119?
"Is that what you call me?" he spoke up, focusing his gaze on Xi-4-1.
Xi-4-1 turned his head toward him, studying the silver eyes that studied him in turn. "Yes. MV-1119 is your designation," he answered.
He tilted his head to the side and asked, "What does it mean?"
Xi-4-1 clicked his tongue. "Not the slightest clue. We have little to no information on you."
Xi-4-5 played with one of his knives. "A lot of trouble for one guy," he muttered. "No offense."
Xi-4-2 elbowed his knee. "Shut it."
Xi-4-6 shifted closer on his harness. "Do you remember anything?" he asked. "From before you woke up?" The cabin hummed.
For a moment, only the churning of the rotors answered.
His silver eyes turned from Xi-4-6 to the floor, following a bolt head along the decking as if it was more interesting than the question itself.
It's best if I feign ignorance.
"Nope. Nothing at all. I simply awoke with no idea where I am," he answered indifferently.
The wind suddenly became much, much harsher, slamming into the hull of the helicopter as the cabin jolted sideways hard enough to make harnesses bite into the operatives shoulders. Xi-4-1 shouted, "Hold on!" as the helicopter lurched, one wing dipping for a second.
A crate rattled free and Xi-4-3 caught it with one hand, the glyphs on their glove flickering as they steadied it. Xi-4-6 clamped both hands around his charm.
The internal channel crackled with static. For a moment, they all heard it: Helo-One's pilot cutting in. "Whatever is chasing us is accelerating, it is right on top of us, I repeat, it is right on top of—" The transmission tore apart into a scream of unintelligible noise.
Red warning lights blinked to life along the ceiling. The cockpit door rattled as the pilot swore under his breath and dragged the helicopter into a rough climb.
How bumpy.
He sat unnaturally calm, silver eyes lifting toward the roof, as fortunately, the pilots managed to steady the helicopter.
On cue, Command cut in, loudly. "Helo-Two, this is Command. Telemetry from Helo-One has gone dark. We have lost visual and thaumic feed. Assume Helo-One is down. You are to continue on current vector and leave the black zone immediately. Do not investigate."
A few of the operatives bit their teeth together, followed by Xi-4-1 soon responding, "Copy, Command. Continuing on current vector."
***