NORMAN (Narrator):
Support and Logistics Profile Entry no. 041806.
7th Elite Corps.
New Transfer Norman Reporting
Subject “Glory”.
As mentioned in previous reports the unit is acutely aware of the recent loss of subject “Glory” and while it is not subject for direct discussion, the loss is ever present, ever felt within the unit; with special observation to its effects upon subject Righteous Wrath, who was closest to Glory and who has been most affected by the loss.
A definite change in morale is evident and the silence is sometimes deafening when thoughts of Glory hang with unspoken words. The situation necessarily came to a crisis on a singular incident as described hereafter.
It was a regular assignment, the squad deployed for escort duty of a Mundane in a moderate area of Mortal Town.
CAP: Let’s split out for a wider perimeter and recon. True and Brim, sweep behind and see if we’re being trailed.
TRUE & BRIM: Yo that!
(SFX: Boots x2 receding quicktime)
CAP: Norm and Wrath, move forward and scan for possible hostiles, check for anything suspicious or ambushes.
NORM & WRATH: Yo that!
(SFX: Boots x2 approaching quicktime)
NORMAN (Narrator): Righteous Wrath and I spread out in a standard recon pattern, keeping each other in visual contact, surveying the area and keeping a watch for hostiles. The Taunters kept up their usual chatter which we could ignore easily enough. We had made almost a complete forward perimeter when I stopped outside a deep alley, shrouded in unnatural darkness. I signaled Wrath who came up in support. His reaction to the scene was rather unexpected.
(SFX: Slow boot walk)
WRATH: What cha got, Norm?
NORMAN: Probable hostile within that shrouding down the alley there. Unknown force, unknown numbers, situation unknown. Should we report it?
WRATH: What the--?
NORMAN: Righteous? What is it?
WRATH: It’s-- it’s not possible…
NORMAN: What isn’t?
WRATH: Of all the… Don’t you see?
NORMAN: No, just the dark shroud.
WRATH: There is no dark shroud! Are you blind? It’s—
NORMAN: All I see is blackness, Wrath.
WRATH: Go back to Cap and report what you see, Norm.
NORMAN: And you?
WRATH: I’ll—I’ll spot here and contain.
NORMAN: You know orders, Wrath. No one solos on recon. Standard procedure—
WRATH: I’ll be fine. You go.
NORMAN: Wrath, I can’t leave you. Especially with an unknown hostile situation.
WRATH: Go make the report, Norm.
NORMAN: Not without you—
WRATH: I’ll take the responsibility. Now go!
NORMAN: You can’t take responsibility for what would be my negligence, Wrath. Our orders are clearly specific in this situation--
WRATH: Norman, I’m only going to say this once: if you don’t go and make report to Cap I’ll level you. Right here. Right now. GET LOST NOOB!!!
NORMAN (Narrator): Wrath can have his obstinate streak, and sometimes his stubbornness can even be a strong virtue. But he’s never directed me to disobey a Standing Order before. Something was wrong. Very wrong. I could tell the source came from the blackness and the unknown within. Wrath was not acting himself, or rather, he was acting himself, but extremely amplified.
Fortunately, he does not outrank me, so I was not disobeying his order when I made my feigned exit.
NORMAN: All right, Wrath. I’m going. You stay here and spot. Promise?
WRATH: Yeah, yeah, promise. Just go. Quickly.
NORMAN (Narrator): It didn’t take much Psych training to know that Wrath wanted to do something, and do it alone. That much was obvious. And willing to breach protocols in the doing of it. That was a concern. But what made me most anxious was that he seemed either unable to perceive the black emanation for what it was, or, and more frighteningly, he was able to see something that I was not, and he was drawn to it, with the desire to be alone. This, above all else, triggered an alarm in me that something was very, very wrong.
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