Year 2018
Greiver Extermination Force Headquarters (GEF HQ), California, United States of America
Meeting Room...
"Agents of the GEF! I hope you already know why you have been gathered here. I am your captain, Commander Jacob Warren. And I will be leading this mission..."
David stood in front of the captain, along with thirty other soldiers of the GEF. The captain was a middle-aged man with a beard, but his body looked strong and built with broad shoulders and a wide chest, like he had been training for years. And his voice had power and authority. David knew immediately that he could rely on this person to lead. He had no idea what his mission was going to be, none of them had, but they were ready.
"... All of you have officially been chosen for 3rd Operation Grim!"
Everyone got shocked and started chattering, but David was confused as he looked around.
"Silence!"
Just with a single word from the captain, the room went pin-drop silent. A woman among the soldiers raised her hand.
"Vanessa, speak," The captain said.
"But Captain, that mission is suicidal."
"So what? Aren't you willing to give up your life to save this world? If not, then what kind of soldier are you?"
"But, is this world really worth dying for? It's already destroyed. Shouldn't we keep doing what we do? Protecting the surviving population and exterminating as many Greivers as we can?"
"No, this world is not worth dying for. But MY world is. YOUR world is. Everyone's world is. We all have our own worlds. Your family, your friends, and your teammates are your world. And that is a world worth dying for. Yes, we can keep doing what we do, but that wouldn't help much. The turn rate this year has increased by 12% compared to last year. We have to find out the cause and destroy it at its roots. Only then will we be able to truly protect our world, even if it costs our lives. Do you copy?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Any more questions?"
David quickly raised his hand.
"Ask."
"Captain, What's Operation Grim?"
The moment he asked his question, everyone looked at him.
"Oh, you're the rookie, aren't you? Commander William informed me about you. What's your name?"
"Uh... It's David- I mean... Agent David Floyd, reporting for duty, Captain!" He awkwardly saluted. Even though he was in his thirties, he joined late and lacked experience compared to others.
"Agent Floyd, Operation Grim is a top-secret operation of the GEF. The purpose of this Operation is to head closer to the CORE, which is considered the cause of this chaos, and find the reason behind the turning, as well as eliminate it if possible. This Operation has been carried out twice in the past ten years. Once, led by Commander H. K. Johnson. Then by Commander Veronica Whiteman. Both Operations failed, and none of the soldiers returned. This is the 3rd Operation Grim, and we have to make sure it's the last. Any more questions?"
"No, sir!" David replied, but deep down, he was afraid... afraid of dying.
"Very well then..." The Captain turned to all the soldiers, "Now that you all know what your mission is, does any of you want to back off? Keep in mind that if you do, you'd have to quit the GEF along with this operation, as there is no room for cowards in the GEF!"
The soldiers started looking at each other.
"Those who make up their minds, prepare themselves, and meet me at the roof. The rest, well, hand over their resignation letter to Commander William. This meeting is dismissed."
* * *
After lunch, David sat in the cafeteria for a while, holding a picture in his hand. The picture was of him and his wife, who was holding a baby. He didn't want to die... He wanted to see them again. But although they were safe for now in the shelters, there was no guarantee they would be safe in the future, too. He had no other option but to save them, even if it cost him his life. As they were his world... A world to die for. He decided what he had to do. He put the picture in his front pocket and rushed to the armory. When he arrived, he noticed that only fourteen soldiers were present there. The rest probably resigned. The armory was huge, with all sorts of weapons, gear, and specialized CBRN suits to avoid DARCNES radiation.
"Hey, rookie! Decided to put your life on the line? How brave of you!"
David turned right in the direction of the voice and saw Vanessa, the woman from earlier. She was in her early twenties. She had white hair and a pixie cut.
"I'm Agent Vanessa Whiteman," She said while extending her hand forward.
"Whiteman?" David asked as he shook her hand. He had heard this name before.
"Yes, Commander Veronica Whiteman, the Captain of 2nd Operation Grim, was my older sister, and a close friend of our Captain."
"Oh..."
"What about you? A rookie got selected for Operation Grim? That's a first. We'll see what you've got," She smirked and walked away.
The soldiers put on their CBRN suits, grabbed their gear, and armed themselves. Then they all arrived at the rooftop. The stars were shining bright in the sky. A tiltrotor was waiting for them on the helipad. The engines were on, and the aft ramp was open. The captain was standing near the aft ramp.
"SOLDIERS! ARE YOU READY TO GIVE UP YOUR LIVES TO SAVE YOUR LOVED ONES?!"
"YES, SIR!" They all shouted.
As they all got inside, the tiltrotor took off.
"May I ask you something?" David asked Vanessa, who was sitting next to him.
"Go on, rookie."
"What is the CORE?"
"You don't even know that? Well, the CORE is a large monument located in England, which is known to have formed hundreds of years ago when the DARCNES started spreading. The DARCNES radiation is known to increase the closer you are to the CORE. Everyone believes that the CORE holds the secret behind all of this. Anything else you wanna know?"
"There's one thing... Why?"
"What do you mean?" Vanessa was confused.
"Why do you wanna go on this operation, even after knowing what happened to your sister?"
Veronica looked down. She hesitated for a moment before looking back at him and saying, "No one knows if she's alive or not. She just... never returned. Even if there's the slightest chance that she's still alive, I wanna find her and bring her back."
"I see... Well then, we both have our reasons to put our lives at stake. You will find her. And if not, we will end this once and for all."
Vanessa smiled at him, "We definitely will."
Jacob pulled out the picture from his pocket and looked at it again. He knew he might not return, but he also knew that this was the only way he could make a better world for them to live in.