[i]Holly stepped off the aerial transport into the deep snow on the upper side of a mountain, carrying her briefcase. She was followed by two soldiers in woodland garb, grunting as they struggled to lift the heavy equipment onto a MULE robot. She paused for a moment, surveying the landscape, before she walked briskly towards the cave she had come to investigate. [/i] [b]“Right here will work”[/b] [i]She said before turning to look at the soldiers. The soldier closest to her nodded and began leading the MULE down the ramp. Holly turned back to the cave. She knew she was lucky to even be there. Valmredia Colenials had little to no jurisdiction in this area, despite Gargadon being a state in their country, and the local police were very suspicious of any activity in the mountains. After all, it HAD been the site of the Kubura Uprising so many years ago, when the Kubura broke out of the caves and decimated most of Valmredia before they could be destroyed. Holly sighed and closed her eyes briefly before the aircraft’s rotors spun up and lifted it into the air. The wind blew her short brown hair into her face and sent snow flying everywhere. The soldiers stopped the MULE a few feet away from Holly. One spoke up in a deep, metallic voice.[/i] [b]“Where would you like this Ma’am?” [/b] [i]Despite not being an officer, or even a member of the military, Holly had grown accustomed to the Valmredian military tradition of calling civilians Sir or Ma’am. She pondered the question for a moment before responding.[/i] [b]“I think on that flat rock there, if you don’t mind.” [/b] [i]She pointed at a rock jutting out from the cave entrance. The soldier who asked the question gave a quick nod.[/i] [b]“Yes Ma’am.”[/b] [i]The soldiers began moving the MULE onto the rock. When it reached the rock, they deactivated it, sending the contents crashing onto the ground.[/i] [b]“Be careful with that!”[/b] [i]Holly glared at the soldiers, who shrugged apologetically and moved to remove the straps holding the equipment in place. Annoyed, she shook her head and peered down the dark tunnel ahead of her. This was going to be a big break for humanity. Hidden Kubura tech was down there, covered by darkness and buried by dirt. And Holly Vandor was going to find it and become famous.[/i] [b]“Ma’am, we’re finished.” [/b] [i]The soldier’s voice snapped Holly back to reality. [/i][b] “Good, now start setting up the excavation gear. I’m going to have a look around” [/b] [i]As the soldiers struggled to unpack the gear, Holly flicked on her helmet light. The thin LED stream lit up a small portion of the dusty cave. Large stalactites made from ice hung from the ceiling and the ground slowly became less snowy and turned into dirt and mud. As she walked forward, Holly began to notice the air was getting hotter. It wasn’t uncomfortable hot, but it felt unnatural, as if something was heating the mountain. She swung her light around the cave, peering into every crack in the walls. Something didn’t feel right about this place. Holly turned around and was startled to be face to face with a soldier. [/i] [b]“Woah!” [/b] [i]Holly’s hands went into the air and she blushed as her voice cracked in surprise. She put her hand on her chest to calm herself down[/i] [b]“My God you scared me.”[/b] [i]The soldier’s face was covered by a lower face mask and tactical glasses, masking his appearance.[/i][b] “My apologies Ma’am, I thought you heard me walking.” [/b] [i]He was right. The thick body armor he was wearing made a lot of noise moving around. Holly shook her head. [/i] [b]“Never mind that... is the equipment set up?” [/b] [i]The soldier laughed. Even though it was meant to be a humorous laugh, it sounded flat and emotionless.[/i] [b]“Wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t Ma’am.”[/b] [i]Holly hesitated and considering saying something about his choice of words. She decided against it.[/i] [b]“Alright let’s get back to work.” [/b] [i]As Holly and the soldier walked back towards the cave entrance, a pair of eyes watched them from the shadows, sizing them up before muttering something in a different language and disappeared.[/i] Thoughts? Would you like to see more?