It was nearly 12:00hrs. Alana was putting on her armour and checking her kit in her container. She was shaking now. This was happening. She felt like she is going to throw up or cry maybe both.

The briefing had passed in a blur. A Major named Hawk had given it. They were flying out to clear a zone that was due to be swept. A grave type. As this was her first live training mission it was a low-threat zone. Harrington was to do the work I was to watch and learn.

Her hands are shaking as she tried to clip the belt on. This is already going wrong. She just wanted to go home! Tears were in her eyes.

A knock surprised her at the small side door. She quickly rubs the tears away.

“Can I come in?” A voice asks from outside. Alana remembers it belongs to another officer named Walker.

“Sure.” She calls back. The door opens and Walker comes in. She closes the door behind her. The older woman has maybe a decade on her and smiles at her.

“How are you doing?” She asks. Alana almost breaks down. Almost.

“Not good.” She tells Walker as she starts shaking again. Walker puts her hands on her arms as she looks up into her eyes.

“Alana. It’s alright to be afraid. But it’s time to step up now you understand?” Walker said softly and firmly.

“Yes. But…”

“I know. If it was possible, I would go in your place so would Major Hawk but we cannot. You are one of the few who can.” Walker told her truthfully.

“Another peep talk?” Alans asked.

“Another? Who gave you the first?” Walker asked.

“Harrington this morning at breakfast.”

“Oh, God! You poor woman. How bad was it?” Walker asked barely containing her laughter.

“Bad!” Alana replied as both women started laughing. It took a minute to compose themselves.

“As you have discovered he is really bad at them.” Walker said with Alana nodding. “But when you are in the zone be his shadow watch him and learn. It will keep you alive in the long run.

Understand this I know you have looked him up. Yes, he is not rated as one of the top ten by that stupid zone watcher list. But the truth is he may be the best Operative in the whole of Zone Command.”

“Wait better than Griffon or Goldsmith?” Alana asked shocked.

“Yes. Who do you think we send in if they are in trouble?” Walker asks the now totally confused Alana. “Anyway, don’t go mentioning that. Operative Harrington likes his privacy and he gets angrier when it is disturbed.”

“Angier?”

“Yes, he is a very angry man, but don’t worry he will get you through today.”

Walker helps Alana with the rest of her kit and gives her the once over.

“Ready?”

“No.” Alana answers.

“Alright. When you step out that door fake it. Fake it until you believe it. That’s all the advice I can give you.”

## ## ## ## ##

I am loaded and ready to go. There will be no briefing in the command tent as the situation on the ground has not changed from the briefing this morning. I am waiting on Hills. Walker had gone in earlier to make sure she was ready.

This was a standard sweep of a Grave type zone. We will not be closing the breach today just eliminating any threats inside. It was a small zone with a threat count of 2 to 4 on average. Should take no longer than three hours if all goes well.

As this was the first of Hill’s training missions she was to watch and learn. Not to get involved unless the situation demanded. Hawk was with me and Gregson. Alana had not been assigned a handler yet so Walker was sent in.

Sergeant Grey was out getting her support team ready in case we ran into trouble. The rest of the base was humming with the normal activity that comes with an operation into a zone.

Walker and Hills emerge from the transport container. Hills is armed in the now-standard armour suit with a reinforced riot shield. Her weapon of choice was a spiked mace. Not my choice but one, I can respect.

“Are you ready?” Hawk asked as she joined us with Walker.

“Yes.” She was not hesitant but there was a slight tremor in her voice. That was to be expected. It is never easy especially when it’s your first mission.

“Ready?” Hawk asked me.

“Yes.” I was.

“Ok. Standard protocol rules here. Get in clear the zone and check the breach. Blue flare on completion.”

“Understood.”

“When you’re ready.” With that, he turns and heads to the command tent.

“Good luck.” Walker tells Hills and she follows Hawk.

“Let’s go.” I say to Hills. I turn and head to the zone boundary.

It only takes a few minutes to get there. We stand side by side with Gregson a short distance away. Hills is unsure of what I am doing.

“Take a moment,” I tell her. “You know what is going to happen in there. So just take a moment and breath. It never gets easier so take the moment before you start.”

I don’t know why I say this but it’s the truth. I take the moment to look at the fog knowing what is going to happen. Knowing it never gets easier.

I am holding my axe in my right hand with the shield’s hand straps. I use my left to lower my faceplate. Hills already has hers down. Then taking the axe firmly into my left hand I let out a breath.

“Ok. Let’s go.”

I step forward into the fog.

The fog surrounds us quickly. The dampness in the air increases as the temperature drops. The mental effects are soon with us. I look to Hills.

“How are you holding up?”

“I had almost forgotten this part.”

“Tell me about it. Alright, game face on we are in a hostile zone here.” We both raise our shields and have our weapons ready.

We move forward steadily. The map I had been supplied had the zone in an abandoned graveyard at the edge of the community. Decades past the area was flooded badly and it was deemed too dangerous to rebuild. So, all the buildings were torn down but the graveyard was left as the area was allowed to grow wild to act as a flood plain.

This protected the nearby community as when the zone formed there was almost no one in the area. So, it was not a large zone.

There were a lot of overgrown plants around us with a few trees. They were all showing signs of prolonged zone exposure. Everything is damp and yellowing. Sickly looking. We soon are covered with a thin layer of moisture like everything else.

I look to Hills who is watching me. Unsure.

“Focus on around us not me Hills. I will tell you things as we go.” She quickly starts scanning around. “Always stay aware of the fog. It hides us but the dangers here but us also.”

We progress further into the zone following the planned route to sweep it. Along the way, I point out things to her. Like where not to step to reduce her noise when walking and slipping dangers on the ground, I had learned them the hard way.

She listens to my words and starts to change how she is moving. Overall, she is doing good. The real test is yet to come.

Time is always hard to gauge in a zone. So, I am unsure how long we have been here when I spot movement in the distance. I motion to stop and we knell down. We are close so I whisper over.

“Movement ahead.” I point to the area I had seen it. She nods as she looks. “We approach lower and quiet. Evaluate the threat, identify and then plan on what action to take.”

We approach the figure moving in the distance. Moving low and slow we get close enough to see it is a Skeleton. It is covered in plant material and dirt. It is facing away from us and has not noticed our approach. It is moving at an incredibly slow shuffle.

I motion to Hills to watch the area around us first. After a few minutes we no other signs of movement. I indicate that I am going in. She is to wait here. She nods in understanding.

I move in behind the Skeleton. The plants are no real hindrance as I approach. My axe collides with the skull before it is even aware that I am there. It quickly is removed as a threat as the skull is destroyed by several other blows.

Grave Chill

It sweeps through me fast. The chill in my bones and the onset of early depression. This is the main reason I hate my job. Ok if I am honest one of the many many reasons, I hate my job. My anger is now awake.

I stand there smelling the mould and earth scent coming from the Skeleton. I motion Hills over. She is hesitant as she approaches but gets over to me. Her face is pale.

“Ok. Identify the threat.” She blinks at me lost for a second.

“Err.. sorry?”

“Identify the threat.” I repeat with more of a snap. Pointing my axe at the pile of bones on the ground.

“A.. a type one Grave threat.”

“Yes. A Skeleton.” I confirmed. “Best approach when alone and from behind as I demonstrated just now. Easy to take out that way more dangerous if alerted to your presence.”

She looks down at the broken remains and nods. Running through how I did it in her head I hoped.

“Alright we are moving on”

We continue through the zone following the route assigned. We stop several times at the hint of movement but they turn out to be false. Hills is getting more confident with moving as we progress.

She is the one to indicate to stop when she spots movement to the right of us. I can just make out two trees in the distance. A figure is slowly appearing from the fog as it is heading toward us. I indicate we head left into an area with fewer plants.

Slowly a Skeleton emerges. I have us move around the threat as it shambles along. Soon we are behind it. It is not aware of us.

“Check the area then I engage.” I whisper to her. We spend a few moments looking around. Lucky we did because I point out movement behind and to the left a second figure is moving in a similar direction.

“Trouble. I will take that one out then you take the first.” I indicated with my axe the assigned targets.

“But I am a trainee!” She caught herself before crying out and whispered it loudly instead. Too loudly. I check to see if she had been heard. She had not and I glared at her. Her face was clear that she knew she had almost fucked up big time. My anger is not as forgiving and I have to take a moment to control it.

“Adapt or die Hills. Now move. And be ready!” My anger is evident still in my voice.

It takes several minutes to get into position. I am satisfied and move in. The attack is swift and brutal. The Skeleton collapses with no sign of danger to me. Impact shocks travel up my arm from the blows but nothing else. I look over to Hills and point to her target.

She moves into the attack. I move over to assist if needed. She clips the head with the first strike but she quickly follows up with another. Her attack is sloppy but she performs in the end. The Skeleton goes down and she makes sure it’s down for good.

When I get there, I know that the grave chill will be hitting her.

“A bitch isn’t it.”

“Sorry what?” She looks confused. Her face was even paler than before. I think she’s shaking.

“What you are feeling. That’s what we call grave chill. The technical term is…”

“After Threat Engagement Effects. Grave class.” She finishes understanding. She hugs herself getting cold.

“That will not work. The cold is in here and here.” I indicate my head and chest.

“How do you get warm?” She asks.

“You can’t. You can only endure until it goes.” I give her the facts. She looks like she is going to cry. “Pull your shit together Hills we’re not done yet!”

It takes a few minutes but she does and we continue. The sweep was almost over and the breach awaited.