EXTRA
A tremendous sound, like a series of powerful thunders, exploded all of a sudden without reasons, followed by a blinding flash and a sudden storm wind.
Then, a massive building resembling an old temple appeared from nowhere in the depth of the forest, surrounded by a sinister mist that vanished in a few moments.
Minutes passed, then a group of humans dressed in green appeared from the obscure inside of the building, wielding some strange black instruments. Together with them there were also some sort of male angel and a massive anthro bull, this last one armed with a far bigger and menacing black thing more fitting with his size.
The man leading the group looked around for a moment, then he touched the thing on his shoulder.
«Falcon-1 to HQ. Do you hear me, HQ?»
«Loud and clear, Falcon-1.»
«I confirm the experiment's success and the initial hypothesis. The new world can sustain human life.»
«This is HQ, received. Captain Amato, we're on mission. New contact in sixty minutes. HQ, out.»
«Where you think we are?» Wang said while looking around
«Not in Castria, and that's sure.» said Cassetti
«So, it was true what they said.» said Stefanini. «The gate can also be opened to other worlds apart our own and the Special Region.»
«Stay focused, we don't know if this world too is populated.» said Amato. «Flyr, take a look from above. See if there's any trace of human presence.»
«Yes Sir.» said the angel said before taking flight and disappearing over the tips of the trees.
«Always assuming that we're speaking of humans as we know them.» Valenti joked.
«We're going in search for intelligent forms of life, no matter their form.» the Captain answered. «Weisse?»
«Sir?» said a young soldier with a curious tuft of albino hair right over the forehead.
«I go checking around with Clug, Stefanini and Cassetti. You and Torrisi stay here with Valenti and Wang and surveil the gate. We'll remain inside of the radio signal. Let's stay on contact.»
«Yes, Sir.»
«And remember, this is just a preliminary exploration. No matter what, we have to avoid contacts with eventual intelligent beings.»
«At your orders.»
The squad then was split in two, and the Captain and three of his soldier, including the minotaur, entered deep into the forest.
At a first sight, there was no trace of humans or other intelligent creatures, but soon the squad started finding clues proving that they were probably not alone on that new world.
«Look.» Cassetti said at a certain point, and a moment later the others of the squad saw him extract a strange knife from a trunk «This surely is not natural.»
«It almost seems like a kunai.» Amato said
«A what?» Stefanini asked
«A Japanese ancient knife. I saw one of those things in a museum.»
«Anyway, surely we're not in Japan.» the Minotaur Clug said while coming out from the brushes. «Come take a look.»
Amato and the others followed him, and soon they found themselves face to face with something that left them literally speechless: at a first sight, one could easily think that it was just a fallen tree, but looking carefully the three soldiers were easily able to understand that instead it was a massive, terrifying giant centipede.
Fortunately that thing was apparently already dead, and his whole body was covered with tens of those metal knifes.
«Ok, now I'm officially scared.» Stefanini said «You know I hate insects, right?»
Amato immediately took the radio.
«Do you hear me, Weisse?»
«I hear you, Captain.»
«We found some sort of giant insect. Stay alert. This place may be more dangerous than expected. We're coming back to you, call the HQ and warn them that we'll come back sooner than expected.»
«Received.»
Amato ordered Cassetti to take a sample of the insect's carapace for eventual studies, then he prepared to call the return. However, before they could leave, Flyr the Avion came down from the sky.
«Sir, there are humans in this world.» he reported
«Are you sure?»
«Completely, Sir. There's a small city no more than two miles north from here, right at the base of a strange mountain.»
«Did they see you?» the Captain asked
«I was hidden behind a spell. But I saw some of the inhabitants, and they're surely humans.»
Even if orders were to not go too much close to eventual settlements, Amato wanted to bring some more info back, so he said his scout to bring them to the city.
Fortunately no giant insects came to disturb their walk, that stopped on a cliff at the edge of the forest, from which they managed to see the place Flyr had talked about.
At the end it was more a big village than a city, with plenty of trees and parks here and there and buildings with colored roofs. But what caught the squad's attention was mainly the mountain on the other side of the valley, an high and barren rock strongly resembling the Mount Rushmore, with four massive faces carved right on the stone.
Amato and his men were so much surprised and amazed from such incredible work, clearly proving the quite high cultural and technological civilization of that world's people, that they completely forgot to pay attention all around them. Or maybe, the ten strange guys dressed in grey, with their lower faces covered with bandages and wearing strange metal headbands had been so silent that even their well-trained ears had been unable to sense their arrival. Fortunately, the translation spell their pendants were blessed with proved working perfectly.
«Don't move.» someone suddenly said behind their backs. «Drop your weapons and rise your hands.»
«Shit.» Amato murmured. «Do as he says.»
He and the others obeyed, then, always following the newcomers' orders, they turned with raised hands.
«We're not your enemies.» Amato said again. «We have no hostile intentions.»
The enemy commander looked at them one by one, nervously moving the cigarette he was smoking from one side of the mouth to the others. Then, he threateningly went closer, looking right into Amato's eyes.
«If you're not enemies… who are you?»
«It's quite... complicated.» said the Captain.