Dimensional Travels: World at War-Chapter 67: First Light

The next morning, Eric woke up to soft snores. He smiled as he stroked Jessica’s hair, and kissed Mia’s head. He extricated himself gently and stretched. He groaned as he felt his back pop, heading into the kitchen. He looked at his watch.

Four hours until departure time.

After cooking breakfast, Jessica padded into the room. She rubbed her eyes while hugging Eric.

"Good morning."

Eric chuckled while watching her sit down. "So I’m Eric and she is mom?" He teased while setting a plate in front of her. She groaned in response, looking down at her plate. "Shut up."

A whisper. "Dad."

Eric sat next to her, taking her hand. He stroked her hand with his thumb. "I’ll always come back to you."

She didn’t answer, simply nodding as they ate.

After Mia was up, Eric got ready. He checked his gear, sighing as he slumped against the wall.

"It gets harder every time."

Dreha nodded as he pictured his own former comrades and past lovers. "It will never get easier, child." He said solemnly. "Those bound by duty walk towards the horizon until fate deems they perish, or tranquility meets the end."

Eric looked up at Dreha, sighing. "Thanks?"

He walked out of the room, kissing the heads of both Mia and Jessica. "I’ll be back." He said, walking out the front door. He didn’t turn back.

Once in the vehicle, Eric sat in silence. He took his phone out, staring at the picture of Jessica and Mia. He smiled as he ran his thumb over the picture. He opened his phone intending to check his notes, when he noticed notifications popping up rapidly. His phone buzzing as he saw one word in every notification.

"Everest."

He opened his browser, his eyebrows creasing as he noticed something else. Full bars.

Something was crossing over.

And then he saw it. The picture of where Mount Everest should be. Light bent as if the very world had ceased to exist in the area. The land was just...

Gone.

"What was that fool thinking?" Dreha said with a chuckle. But he wasn’t looking at Eric’s phone. He was looking into the distance.

Eric paused, his hand reaching for the keys stopping mid air. "Who?"

Dreha smirked. He held his hand to his chin while looking at Eric.

"Mithrael."

"Isn’t that the god behind the empire?" Eric sighed. "Whatever. I have a job to do."

As Eric turned on the road leading to Vegas, he began tapping on the wheel impatiently. He was stuck behind yet another convoy.

"Every. Fucking. Time." He groaned. He looked at his watch, realizing he had less than one hour. "Alpha convoy on road three, pull right. This is Master Sergeant Dryer."

"Copy." Vehicles moved to the side, and Eric passed them up. He pushed the pedal down, hoping to make up for lost time.

He didn’t, and was slightly late to the link up point.

"Well, Well, Well... what do we have here? A late master sergeant." Ricky said as Eric parked and met up with the platoon. "Hey Delphy, what was Sarn’t’s old punishment for being late?"

Delphy chuckled and leaned against the wall, his plate carrier rattling. "Oh, he used to make us do hill sprints for every second of the minutes we were late. And there just so happens to be a nice hill over there." He pointed at Everest looming in the background.

Roaring laughter echoed in the room, one of the other soldiers bending over a desk as he breathed for air. "Yeah, yeah. Fuck off." Eric answered with a chuckle.

"So check it out." Smiles dropped as IOTV’s and plate carriers were adjusted. He clapped his hands, and everyone stood at parade rest.

"We go in, rescue the targets, and get out." He pulled out a map of the facility. "They have four entrances with rotating patrols. Shift overlap is our window."

He continued briefing for a few minutes before looking at a soldier. " Polick, Hand comms out."

Polick chuckled as he followed orders. "Nothing escapes you, eh Sarn’t?"

Eric shook his head as he looked around the room. "What gear did you bring?"

Delphy chuckled and nodded to Ricky. The latter picked up the couch to show a variety of weapons. Eric sighed. "How did you bring a .249 on vacation?"

Ricky shrugged. "I can’t leave my baby behind Sarn’t. She’s too pretty to be left in a cage."

For his own sanity, Eric decided to walk back to the vehicles. "Load up. Ten humvees out front. We leave in fifteen."

Eric stood outside the hotel as he smoked a cigarette. Hotel security eyed him warily, their own M4’s slung in front of them as they scanned for threats. Eric chuckled as they tried not to look at him. "Yeah, definitely not doing that when I retire." He thought as he finished his cigarette.

As the operators cycled into the trucks, civilians began to circle around the convoy. Videos and pictures were taken, and one young man walked up to Eric. "Master Sergeant, my name is Hector. I work with NBD. Can I ask you a few questions?"

Eric shook his head. "Sir, all questions should be directed to the 6-8 PAO liason." He handed Hector a card. "This is the contact card for our battalion. If you wish to know more, give them a call."

Ignoring Hector, Eric started his truck. "Go."

The journey out to Lockheed Martin was uneventful. Engines hummed as each mile passed.

Weapons stayed ready while turrets scanned. By the second day, it started to bother Eric.

No warzone was ever this quiet.

He looked around when they stopped. "Ricky, do you feel it too?"

Ricky nodded, putting a zyn in. "It’s too clean, Sarn’t. If they think we’re coming, these routes shouldn’t be this quiet."

"All elements, proceed cautiously from here on out." Eric said, going around to each operator. "This could be a trap."

One the fourth day, the element crested a hill to the east of the compound. Eric and Ricky crawled to the peak. They hid behind the ridge-line, looking down towards the facility. The compound sat six hundred feet below. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Eric exhaled slowly "They’ve built barricades."

Ricky nodded, eyes scanning."Llathrels guarding the North."

Eric stroked his chin as patrol routes formed in his head.

Ricky shrugged. "We’ve dealt with worse."

"Sniper set."

"You watch, I count." Eric said as he looked at his watch. "Roger." Ricky answered, his M-4 already out. The rest of the operators set up a perimeter.

"Two counts. Each sweep is forty seconds. Standby for further confirmation." Another count. "Confirmed. Alpha, forward. One at a time."

After the last soldier had made his way over the wall, he grabbed the ladder, collapsing it. Eric stashed it in a trash can as the rest of the operators changed their gear to match that of the guards. Unconscious and bound empire guards were stowed in a bathroom.

"Blow it."

The screech of AT-4’s finding their target echoed in the still atmosphere. Bright flashes illuminated impact points, and the light flickered. There was a final explosion, and the entire courtyard went dark.

"Commander, We still do not know the cause of the explosions." A soldier reported as he approached Jerel’s desk. "The otherworlders are claiming this does not happen in their world."

Jerel thought for a moment before turning to his advisor. "Tell companies Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie to man the walls and ballista. Patrols will double on the perimeter. Send men to the ’generators’, and arm the Llrathels. The otherworlders may have come for their men. Let’s give them a warm welcome."

Eric and the team walked through the compound towards the jail.

"Halt. What are your orders?" An officer said as he approached the men.

"Sir, we are to assist in securing the prisoners."

The officer studied them. He saw their ranked and growled. "Fucking privates! Come with me. You inbreeding cows need to remember your way around the compound next time! Even if it is dark!"

When they arrived at the jail cell, Eric took off his outfit. "Thanks asshole." He said before sucker punching the nobles. "Bind him."

He then turned to the soldiers sitting in their cells. "Delta company, right?" Of the thirty two missing, only twenty four were present.

"Roger Master Sergeant. I’m Sergeant Brisco." Eric’s eyes narrow as he looked at the man. "Where were you guys when we sounded for retreat?" The soldier sputtered. "Uh, out by the treeline." Gunshots rang out, killing the man.

"If you’re going to pretend to be from earth, at least figure out if the unit in question retreated or not. The soldiers missing were from Alpha, not Delta, and your English was terrible." He said, looking at the corpse.

After rounding up the real soldiers from the battalion, Eric sighed. "Twenty three out of thirty two." He said gently.

"Alright. Load the charges. Step away from the walls."

Once they were on the other side of the compound, hell broke loose.