Project MCX: The Mission Pt. 03

Session 1 – The Moment

Session 2 – The Enemy

Session 3 – The Search

Session 4 – The Horror

Session 5 – The Coward

Session 6 – The Lie

Session 7 – The End

Session 8 – The Sacrifices

Session 9 – The Mission

Session 3 – The Search

Her colleague looked over her report, turning pale as soon as she hit the spot about Niki and Jodi being impregnated by the insects. "This...is horrible..."

Fox nodded gravely. "I hope that it makes as big of an impact as on you. These things are dangerous, Wolf."

Senior Agent Wolf adjusted her glasses when she looked at the camera. "As I've heard. Unfortunately, although what I see is compelling, it remains mostly speculation."

"Speculation?" Fox didn't like how that sounded. "There were clear signs of shooting inside that chamber, and yet the insects clearly won that struggle. The witness was also confident in the weapon handling of the victims."

"The witness had no experience in the military," Wolf replied sharply. "His definition of firearms proficiency would not be the same as yours. Nor did you see the battle itself, only the aftermath. Yes..." She held her hand up, stopping Fox's defense in her throat. "I know you can read a battlefield. I trust your instincts Fox, but in order to convince the higher brass we need something more substantial than this."

After a moment's thoughts, Fox conceded this. "What about the other survivors?"

"Survivors are a questionable word to use," Wolf said. She relented with a sigh though. "The other survivors have been quarantined; we are not allowed to speak with them."

"Quarantined?" Fox repeated. "Who has the authority to prevent us from speaking to them?"

The answer made Wolf uncomfortable. "The orders came from General Lanes"

Fox lifted her head higher, recalling a detail from Martin's memories. "Wolf, the General might have a personal stake in this."

Wolf narrowed her eyes. "Explain."

Gathering what she recalled about this, Fox elaborated. "The witness was made aware of a gathering of college coeds at a lake house inside the quarantine zone. This house was owned by General Lanes, as was the adjacent house rented by the adult entertainment people mentioned in my report. Martin was informed that the General's daughter was one of these coeds."

"Likely how these girls got inside such an exclusive locale," Wolf gauged. Her eyes narrowed at a thought. "You suspect the General's daughter might have something to do with this?"

"Yes," Fox responded confidently. "A 'Christine Lanes' was reported among the survivors when I first accepted the mission, but now these names are conspicuously absent from the files. I checked."

After a moment, Wolf looked at her. Her eyes blazed serious. "Agent Fox, I will look into the General. He might very well be undermining us, but do not repeat this to anyone else. The General is a powerful man, and I would hate to see him come after you. Am I clear?"

Fox nodded quickly. She knew just how powerful General Lanes was; no sense stirring that sort of trouble.

Wolf nodded in approval. "Well done Agent. Proceed with the readings with all due haste."

This order didn't make Fox happy at all. "Sir, this experience has been trying. The witness has been fighting every step of the way, and he has exacted a toll on me. I request two additional days for this mission."

"Unacceptable." Wolf's reply was curt, formal, and serious.

Fox had to press this issue; there was something going on here. "I request the details concerning the urgency."

Other officers in the past would berate her for this, but Wolf was once an Agent as well before her eyesight turned sour. "As you wish. The quarantine is in effect in order to contain the insect outbreak, as you might've guessed by now. We've been telling everyone that everything is going alright..."

"...but it's not," Fox completed for her. She knew that look. "The insects are winning?"

"Yes." Saying that seemed to pain Wolf, especially knowing what she knew now. "Information on the enemy has been very limited. We've known that they men are killed and eaten, expected when fighting animals, but any women they've come across have been abducted. Until now, we have not known why."

Fox felt herself shaking; she had seen rapes before but never like this. "Breeding..."

Wolf nodded grimly. "According to your report, the witness thought it was twelve eggs per woman. Current estimates on victims are in the thousands, although you're your information I can narrow it down to younger, child-bearing women. Even so, depending on the gestation period we could be looking at a massive number of enemies in short order. We need to know how long it takes for an insect to be born after impregnation, as well as how long it takes to grow to full size." Wolf leaned forward into the camera. "Agent Fox, I need you for this. Are you able to do this?"

"Yes." Fox had no uncertainty in her voice. She would get this mission done, or die trying.

Wolf had faith in her. "Good. You know how important it is to get any information you can on these creatures. Don't worry about minor updates; just do what you need to do to get us a bigger picture. I will be in touch with Doctor...?"

"Emerson."

"Right, Dr. Emerson, about the situation. He will be instructed to give you everything you need in addition to what he has already provided." Wolf looked at Fox, and she saw the tired look in her boss's eyes. This has not been a good past few days. "God speed, Agent Fox. You might very well be our best hope for stopping these things. Agent Wolf out."

Fox watched the screen turn blank, and reclined in her chair. She knew it was difficult, but had no idea it was truly this bad. Never before had her missions been so important. She had experienced risks before, but those were mostly to herself. Assassinating some scum in some shithole part of the world, or delaying an unfriendly country's development...that was something she was used to.

But these insects were a new kind of menace. The quarantine was being enforced by good soldiers, backed by tanks, artillery, and airpower. Yet according to Wolf, they were losing. What she had so far seen of Martin's memories made it clear that the insects were a threat, but nothing like that!

Taking a deep breath to resolve her nerves, Agent Fox swiftly left the room. She advanced towards the secured sections, determined to do this. She passed by the waiting room, where Fox felt Brea's twin sister Tracy's eyes follow her movements. Fox didn't care; she would talk with her later but now was not the time.

Her eyes spotted Dr. Emerson walking towards her. "Dr. Emerson, I need to resume immediately."

His eyes were apologetic. "Agent, I expected your meeting to take longer."

"What do you mean?"

He took a deep breath. "The psychological toll of the machine has been exacting to you. I've made a few adjustments..."

"...you WHAT?" Fox slammed him against the wall, ignoring the confused looks from hospital personnel. "I need that machine working now!"

"Yes sir!" he replied, shaken. "I will get it back up ASAP!"

Angered, she reluctantly let him back down. "How soon is ASAP?"

"Ten minutes."

Fox bit her lip; that was ten minutes too long! Still, he had best get on it. "Do it, now. We don't have time for this."

Although confused by her meaning, Dr. Emerson gratefully took his leave. Fox crossed her arms impatiently, hating the thought of wasting time. There was too much at stake here!

A thought did occur to her though, one which would at least put her time to use. She turned around and retraced her steps, pausing outside the waiting room.

Tracy didn't notice her yet, so Fox paused and watched her closely. Unlike Brea, who was so animated with life that she almost seemed impatient, her sister Tracy was far more composed. Brea seemed to go for the girl next door, or a naughty school girl, but Tracy had a more supermodel elegance to her. She had taken off her coat, leaving her with just her revealing yellow dress. Combined with her yellow hair, she looked positively radiant. Aside from the demeanor and blonde hair, she looked completely identical to her twin sister Brea. She had the same great body, and the same large augmented breasts barely contained within her dress.

But it was the shrewdness that Fox recalled from her first encounter. Brea's eyes held a look of innocence to them, possibly naiveté, but Tracy seemed to be the smarter of the two.

Fox took a deep breath and dove in. "I apologize for making you wait. Tracy, is it?"

If Tracy was startled, she hid it well. She greeted Fox with a polite smile. "I'm fine, Miss Fox. I will be better once someone finds my sister."

"Your sister will be found," Fox assured her. She wasn't sure if she was lying or not, but if Martin knew what happened to her then Fox would be the first to find out. "In the meantime, I believe it's time that we have another talk. If you have a few minutes?"

Tracy's smile hid an intellect phrasing her response. "Miss Fox.."

"Just Fox."

"Very well, Fox. I have driven hours straight from a very nice party to this hospital. I came as soon as I heard that Martin had been found, days after he was supposed to return with my sister and my friend Emily. I heard that it was just Martin found, and I want to know where my sister and Emily are."

Fox met her look carefully. "We are looking in to that. But I would have you know that Martin's presence is a military secret, and someone told you he was here."

Tracy did not flinch. "And I said you could arrest me. It doesn't matter to me. I've looked after Brea her entire life, and you people will not stop me from finding her."

Even though Tracy was being defiant, Fox admired her courage. The buxom blonde meant every word she said. Instead she tried a different approach. "Tracy, we are not opponents here. We both seek the truth. I am the lead investigator into this, and if someone is to find your sister it will be me."

Even though her eyes were skeptical, Tracy sensed the honesty in her answer. Still, she remained suspicious. "Then what do you want from me?"

Trying to relax the mood, Fox took a nearby seat. "Details."

"Details?" Tracy's suspicious tone did not abate.

"Yes, details." Fox kept her tone pleasant. Human. "I know all about Martin, Brea, and Emily...even a bit about yourself. The problem is that everything I know, I read from a report. Those things are so...impersonal that it's hard to truly know the person. That is where I'd like your help."

"You want to know...?" Tracy seemed confused by this. "...about me and Brea?"

"Yes."

Again, Tracy seemed confused. "How do you have time for this? My sister could still be in that quarantined area! I don't even know why it's been quarantined!"

"Nor I," Fox lied. "And I have time because I make time. The soldiers don't care about the individuals there; they only care about the bigger picture. It's my job to focus on the smaller picture, and find details that might help understand the bigger picture's complexity."

While Tracy didn't entirely believe her, she relented. "Fine. Where should we start?"

Fox had the answer. "Explain the nature of your relationship with your sister. I've already discerned considerable differences between you two."

Tracy found this amusing. "Brea's always been so outgoing, but I've been the one taking care of her. It sure as hell hasn't been our parents. We both had one thing going for us; our looks. I made sure we kept them up. As soon as I could, I found myself a rich doctor to marry and got us out of the shit life."

Fox didn't say anything. There was a time for that, but this wasn't it.

"My husband..." Tracy struggled with this part. "...is not a good man. I had no problem with him; he loved my body and I loved his money...it was enough. This was my choice, but I wanted something better for Brea. I searched around, and found out about Martin. I checked his profile...you know, what kind of girl he liked. Fit Brea perfectly. He liked big tits, I convinced her to upsize without explaining the reason. Arranged for them to meet and voila, perfect."

"So your sister was not a part of your scheme?" Fox asked.

Tracy shook her head, and a fond smile played at her lips. "No, I couldn't let her be a part of this. Brea was always so sweet, so innocent. She always wanted to believe the best in people, even when they would always hurt her. So it was always up to me to look out for her. It was up to me to find her a good husband, and I did. Martin seemed like quite the catch."

Fox kept silent on this point. She wondered what Tracy would've said if she had been in Martin's thoughts, but this was not her place to judge. "So why was Emily there? Martin brought Brea there to propose."

"He did, did he?" Tracy found it absurdly funny. "Finally got around to it? He'd procrastinated long enough. I was getting impatient, but Brea was content to give him however long he needed."

"Brea knew?" Fox struggled with this. Martin was so sure that she didn't know.

Tracy raised an eyebrow. "I keep my sister free of my scheming, but she loved him too much for me not to let that one slide. Brea knew that Martin had a thing for big-breasted women, especially brunettes. She caught him eying Emily plenty of times, but she didn't mind that much. She even invited Emily along for a threesome with Martin, to fulfill his unspoken fantasy! Can you believe it?"

The thought of Martin having a threesome with Brea and Emily almost blew Fox's mind. She knew enough of Martin to know he would've gone crazy over that. "I believe that would've made Martin's year."

"I'll say!" Tracy laughed lightly. "Still might happen, if I could get some answers about them."

"You will," Fox said sincerely. "I will look into your sister and friend. As soon as I know something I can at least put your concerns to rest."

Tracy smiled, but her eyes understood the answer for what it was. "I know about secrecy, Fox. Like how that can't be your real name. I also see how the soldiers react to you, so you must have some clout here. I don't want to cause any trouble for your people. I just want to know what happened to Emily and Brea. Are they still even alive?"

"And I will get you that answer at least," Fox admitted. "As soon as I have it myself."

While Tracy wanted more than that, she understood that this was all she was going to get for now. She was about to say something when her hazel eyes turned to the door. Fox didn't need to; she heard the pair of footsteps as they approached. They weren't military types...these footsteps were feminine and wearing expensive shoes.

"Hey, is this where we look for information on people caught in the quarantine?"

"It might as well be." Suppressing a sigh, Fox turned around and addressed them. She studied them, quickly speculating the two girls to be no older than twenty-two years. "What can I do for you two?"

The blonde one folded her arms, as though she didn't really want to be here. The redhead was more forthcoming. "Some of our sorority sisters were on a trip in the mountains, yet we haven't heard from them. As soon as the news broke about a quarantine in that area we rushed here. One of the hospital people sent us to this room."

"The news?" Fox asked, immediately berating herself for it. Of course the news would've been covering the quarantine.

The blonde rolled her hazel eyes. "The news, duh! Not often that an obscure part of the United States gets quarantined by the military."

"Grace!" the redhead rebuked. Fox quickly started sizing the two girls up. The redhead was 5'7" tall, slim body with natural A-cups, her red hair was much lighter color than Emily's. Her freckled face had a playful look to it.

The blonde, identified as Grace, was slightly shorter at 5'4" but had more shapely figure. Her cup size had to be a B-cup, more substantial than the redhead's but far from Tracy's much larger breasts. Still, both girls were young, beautiful, and judging by their clothes came from money.

Grace raised her hands in frustration. "Yeah, yeah...Elle I'll behave. It was a long drive, and I'm tired."

Tracy kept her smile polite. "I can sympathize. It took me hours to get here after I learned my sister was overdue."

"You must be missing out on some party," Grace commented, eyeing Tracy's provocative dress. The young blonde looked at Fox. "Who's she?"

"Same as we all are," Tracy said, surprising Fox. Tracy gave her a knowing look before continuing. "We are all searching for people here. Go ahead and take some of the seats; there's plenty of room."

"Thanks!" Elle chirped happily, taking a seat close by. Less interested, Grace took a further seat and began playing on her smart phone. "Have they said anything yet?"

Tracy shrugged. "The last I heard they had moved in tanks and cannons."

Elle nodded. "We saw some jets flying overhead. It looks pretty serious."

"It's not serious," Grace said, bored. "I got the news on right here. The floating heads are saying that everything is fine. Some sort of spill or something. Should be cleaned up in a few days."

Her friend's indifference made Elle visibly upset. "Grace...our friends are up there! We can't get any of them on the cell phone! Hell, even Christine's landline is out!"

"Christine?" Fox's eyes narrowed at the name. "As in Christine Lanes?"

Elle turned her attention back to her. "Yes! She invited the entire sorority to her father's lake house, but only about twenty were able to attend. Me and Grace couldn't, but when we got back to college the others weren't back yet. That's when we heard about the quarantine, so we came here. I'm really worried about them!"

"You're just a big baby!" Grace declared. "They're just stuck up there until this mess is sorted out by the army. If they have any problems, it's that they've run outta alcohol."

"And if they're not okay?" Elle challenged.

"Elle, they probably are okay," Tracy stepped in. "The news said that everything should be resolved soon. Why would they say otherwise?"

This calmed Elle down, but Fox could see that Tracy didn't entirely believe it either. But Tracy wasn't going to say anything, at least in front of her. This was her cue to leave. She'd given Dr. Emerson more than enough time to fix the device.

"I must be going," Fox declared, standing up. "Elle, Grace, a pleasure to meet you both."

"Stop by!" Elle said. Grace just rolled her eyes.

"I will," Fox replied, turning to look at Tracy. "You can count on it."

Tracy met her eyes directly. "I will."

Fox felt her eyes follow her out, but she didn't let that stop her. She moved quickly past the guards, ignoring their roaming eyes. They'd seen the two coeds join the buxom Tracy inside, and were no doubt enjoying the sight. They would enjoy the sight of her too, had they not been so damn scared of her.

It didn't matter. The two girls believed the news somewhat, but Tracy could smell the stink behind it. As for Fox, the girls confirmed that Christine Lanes was in the quarantine zone when the military closed the area off. The General was hiding something, alright!

She could dwell on that later. For now, she had a job to do.

———————————–

Jodi and Niki's screams drove Martin forward. The screaming sounded like they were in terrible pain, but it was hard to tell. Their sounds seemed funny in these weird caves, moving but not echoing properly. He wasn't even sure why he was trying to find them; they were women! The insect's just killed all the men!

"Why are you doing this?" Cammy demanded to know, keeping up with him easily.