Chapter 3: SAR Squad 701

After what seemed like an entire day had passed, Orion finally struts into the first level bar and lounge where his squad patiently awaited his return. He was able to quickly pinpoint every face that made up squad 701 or so he thought. Heberus Arbon sat at the bar counter sipping a beverage and scrolling around on his screen, having already somewhat moved on from his confrontation with Ismeraldo. Maar Sativo sat at a couch cluster with some other SAR members dressed in their formals and conversed. Finally, Anarissa Tecrovoya was sitting at a high table talking with a neo-human man he has never seen before.

Orion brings himself to a stop beside the couch that Maar was slouching in. When Maar notices Orion standing over him, he rises from his seated position. The SAR operatives who were dressed in their formals sprang up from their seats and saluted Orion, an action that quickly grabbed his attention but garnered an unstartling and collected turn in their direction.

"Superior Yates! Bezier Luke, stage three experior!" Bezier Luke was the first to stand and salute by a millisecond. He was a brawny young man with light brown hair and a red beard. He was the shortest of the two others standing beside him who also held their hand to their temples and echoed one after the other Orion's title before giving their names and stage rank.

"Equaida Pearce! Stage three experior!" Equaida was of a light, mud color tone with bright, light brown eyes and dark, wavy hair pulled into a single braid behind her head.

"Peluto Haime! Stage Three Experior!" Peluto was the last to announce himself but he was the tallest, with fair skin and muddy hair. He also appeared to be the youngest of the three. Orion looked a bit confused as to why these operatives were announcing themselves to him.

"Nice to meet you all." Orion replies respectively. The three dropped their hands to their sides but remained standing. Maar read the confusion on Orions face.

"Highperiors up there didn't tell you? They assigned us five additional members for this mission." Maar explains.

"No, they didn't tell me that", Orion replies, slightly annoyed of the fact. "Where's the other two?"

"Ones over in that lounge corner…" Maar nods his head over at a darkened, unlit corner of the lounge where a dark haired woman sat still and patiently on her own in an orbital chair in front of a private television screen. Orion could tell from his position that she was a BMAIP, just by how still she sat there.

"…and the other guys' over there." Maar nods his head over at the high table where Ismeraldo and Anarissa sat.

"Didn't even fuckin consult with me about this?" Orion looks over at Anarissa.

"They didn't tell me shit. These foo's just came up to me and said they were sent by Highperiors and were looking for Squad 701 and Superior Yates." Maar says.

Orion casually heads over to the high table and plants his left forearm on the end of it, peering at Ismeraldo.

"Were you assigned to squad seven oh one?" Orion asks calmly.

"Yes I was." Ismeraldo replies.

"Orion Yates, squad superior." Orion announces. Ismeraldo puts his hand to his temple.

"Ismeraldo Veandez, stage two."

Orion nods his head slowly as he peered at him with cold eyes.

"Are you ready?" Orion asks.

"Of course. I'm always ready." Ismeraldo replies.

"You don't look fuckin ready." Orion says, throwing Ismeraldo and Anarissa off guard. "You're not even in your combat attire."

Ismeraldo is left speechless at being put on the spot.

"As a matter of fact!" Orion turns around, his voice commanding the entire lounge area into silence. "Nobody looks fuckin ready to go!"

The entire lounge area stopped and it became dead silent, staring at him as he yelled his lungs out.

"What the fuck are you looking at!? Why is almost everybody still in their goddamn formals!?" Orion booms. Heberus and Maar look around at his squad, glad that they decided to walk in combat ready, even if it made him look out of place in the capitol building. Peluto stands up.

"Our apologies, Superior Yates. We were ill informed the details of the mission and of its urgent departure." Peluto says.

"They didn't tell you the details of the mission?" Orion lowered his voice and asks calmly as if he was truly wondering why. "They didn't tell you, a professional search and rescue operative, that this was a search and rescue mission and that you're expected to be ready at the drop of a fuckin ballsack for a time sensitive, muthufuckin rescue mission!?" Orion appeared to have lost total control of his temper and mind. Anarissa had never seen him in such a state of explosiveness.

"Orion?" Anarissa says calmly. "You need to relax. It's okay."

Peluto and the rest kept their faces straight. Maar kept his head into his screen and Heberus sips his beverage and put his attention to the countertop.

"You all have approximately ten minutes to be in combat attire and ready to go."

Peluto, Equaida, and Bezier all spring up at the same time.

"Yes, superior!" They then grab their packs and hurry to a designated wash room. Ismeraldo grabs his pack and does the same. Anarissa sips her beverage awkwardly. The lounge area had returned to normal.

Orion turns his attention to the BMAIP over at the private viewing cubicle. She was quietly indulged in some television program. He makes his way over to her and taps the nearly invisible wall. The panel lit up a faint color. Casandra touches a button on the seat then gets up. She walks over to Orion, seemingly walking through an invisible wall.

"Hello Superior Yates. My name is Casandra." She says. "Yes, I am prepared to go as soon as you are."

Orion nods his head, and without another word, makes his way back passed the couch cluster and to the bar counter beside Heberus.

"Dragonfruit super tea, medium." Orion says. The waiter nods then immediately begins making the drink.

Orion stares off passed the counter and the BMAIP's walking back and forth with drinks and empty glasses as his mind wandered back into the last mission.

It was he, Heberus, Anarissa, Maar and Nepatunio on the tracks of a moving subject on foot. They were informed of this particular kidnappers tendency to set traps but were not informed of what kind. They had no idea what to expect. Heberus, Maar and Anarissa had sidestepped an alternate route with hopes to cut the kidnapper off, while Orion and Nep stayed directly behind his track. The kidnapper, with the subject, had fled into a sandstone cluster of buildings, a trade center in the middle of the Mohave desert. Orion and Nep tailed him to an alley where he seemingly disappeared. They continued onwards, keeping a close eye out. Even some locals of the trade center followed the two as they chased them.They emerge into a wider but much less dense street but there was no sign of the kidnapper. They continued on cautiously, but still, unseen, hidden under a thin layer of sand was the Teflon Fibronic Box trap, all five sides flattened out. Once Nep stepped onto the platform, his weight activated it, and all four sides boxed him in, the top flapping closed above him last. Orion kicked at the box but it was no use, and the locals who were with them knew this as well as they pulled him away from it and assured him that it was no use. The box was not going to stop compacting until set dimensions were reached before it returned back to its original size.

The kidnapper also managed to escape capture with the subject. A week had passed and the brain map blip of the subject had vanished. Highperiors of the SAR division declared her dead and that was that. The kidnapper was never found and is presumed dead as his brain map reading also vanished shortly after. It was Squad 701's first failed mission. The failure punched a hole in Orion's confidence, a hole that he was determined to close for good by not losing another squad members life while under his leadership. This task was now much more uncertain with the new and unexpected additions to his squad. Stage 3 experiors that, in his mind, put him in the place of a trainer all over again. The nature of this mission was already uncertain and Orion felt his hopes for a successful one fall deeper into the hole of uncertainty.

A notification alerted him on his wrist, the ten minutes was up. Orion looked over his shoulder to see the stage 3 experiors, the golden boy, and the BMAIP approaching the couch cluster in full combat apparel. Maar could sense the fear in their faces that they struggled to keep hidden. Orion had shook them. A bad thing considering that they will now fear making any mistakes in the presence of their superior, and thus, will surely make mistakes. Orion and Heberus get up from the counter, Orion leading the way to the exit of the building without a word to his squad. He was saving it for the ride.