The commando group felt distinctly lost. Though they were used to surviving in harsh climates and hostile environments, they almost felt out of their element in this place. None of them really knew how they had got here, but they knew they were no longer in the African jungle.
They certainly hadn’t expected wolves the size of small cars to come lunging at them, and only fancy footwork and even fancier blade work had saved them from a severe mauling.
The leader, Jack, wiped the blood off his knife against one of the wolves and spat on the ground.
“Alright team. Does anyone know where the hell we are?”
“No G.P.S boss, the entire radio network is dead.”
“No satellite? Are we being jammed?”
“No – there’s just nothing, not even a jamming signal.”
Jack absent mindedly removed his red beret and smacked it against his leg a few times to give it its original shape back before he replaced it on his head.
“Alright… until we can re-establish contact with command we’re on our own. Consider everything and everyone hostile unless I say otherwise. First of all however, we need to find somewhere to take shelter and regroup. Lets move out – and keep your eyes peeled.”
The group re-armed their weapons and they quickly moved out through the thick undergrowth, their camouflage keeping them almost totally hidden. The silent padding of their feet carried them almost half a kilometre before Jack spotted something of interest. He squinted with his one good eye and grinned.
He raised one hand into the air and instantly his team went to ground. Creeping forward, Jack produced a pistol and levelled it at the man crouches several feet away, watching intently from the top of thick tree root.
Jack was within feet of the man before he spoke.
“Don’t move. Are you friend or foe?”
The man froze, slowly raising their hands to a horizontal position and turning slightly. Jack was sceptical about the pointy hat the man wore, but he was genuinely surprised by the sophisticated night vision goggles the man was wearing – though of course the light indicated they were currently inactive.
The man wore a scarf over his mouth and nose so his entire face was concealed, but his goggles were on Jack’s chest.
“A fellow American?” Came the quiet voice as the man relaxed slightly.
Jack let out a sigh and lowered his pistol slightly.
“Who are you?”
“Corporal Gunther, but don’t let the name fool you, I’ve been stuck out here for days.”
“And where is here exactly?”
“The locals call it Felarya. To be honest I don’t know exactly where we are, only that we certainly aren’t in any charted territory.”
Jack eyed the man and then nodded.
“I’m Commander Jack. Tell me what you know of this place.”
Gunther saluted briefly before he raised a finger to his lips.
“In good time Commander, but first, take a look at this.” He indicated down off the other side of the root. Jack could see the huge tree was clinging precariously to the side of a cliff, and he crawled forwards next to Gunther and peered down the other side.
He was sure he must have experienced a moment of insanity upon seeing what lay below, but one look at Gunther confirmed he wasn’t dreaming.
The most gorgeous woman he had ever seen in his life lay basking in the radiance of the sun below him, her long golden hair streaming over the rocks she used as a pillow as she slept. However, something was utterly wrong with what he was seeing…
It almost looked as if the woman was being eaten, her whole lower half engulfed by a vast snake – but it didn’t take Jack long to realize that she Was the snake. Half woman, half snake… it couldn’t be possible – yet there she was.
“Corporal… what the hell am I looking at here?” Jack’s low whisper came slowly as he gazed, mystified by the beauty.
“Well sir, have you ever heard the mythological tale of the Naga? Half human, half serpent? Well I have been watching this one for some time, and I am certain this is no fake… this is a genuine Naga.”
Jack spun his knife idly in his hand and calmly placed the sharp blade against his palm, slicing a tiny cut. The sharp blast of pain told him he wasn’t dreaming, and he breathed in surprise, blood rushing to his head.
“Sir, if I may – I’ve been watching this Naga for some time, and I believe there is a way to capture it… though of course, it won’t be easy, I’m sure it will work.”
“What do you mean easy? Just because she has the body of a snake doesn’t mean she should be any more dangerous does it?” Jack said suspiciously.
“Well sir… you may not have noticed from this angle, but… well, what else do you notice about that Naga?”
Jack un-slung his field binoculars and peered down at the gorgeous snake-woman. He looked her up and down – taking more time than he really needed – and finally spotted one of her hands.
Beside it was a tent, a full sized family tent… and it wasn’t even the size of her palm.
Jack had to fight from swearing. It was almost too much for any normal man to handle, and if it weren’t for his intense training he might have succumbed to the maddening insanity of the situation.
He rolled onto his back and stared into the blue sky, closing his eyes and taking a moment to absorb the situation.
“How big would you guess Corporal Gunther?”
“At least eighty feet in height – and that’s just a rough guess.”
“What’s your plan then?”
Gunther reached into his coat and drew a pistol. It vaguely resembled a desert eagle, but the end appeared to have been customized somewhat.
“Those Naga’s are vicious about people invading their territory, but they mainly seem to feed on local plant life, fruits and the like… there’s one fruit in particular that seems to put them right to sleep – she was eating some earlier and now she’s out like a light.”
“I see…” Jack said, sensing where the conversation was going.
“This pistol contains just enough concentrated essence of that fruit to down that Naga in a matter of minutes, and keep her out for a matter of hours.”
Jack thought about it for a moment and narrowed his eyes.
“That scrawny little thing? Against an eighty foot Naga?”
“I’ve watched very carefully and my measurements are accurate… it’s all mute however unless someone could successfully inject the serum. The best bet is to get up close and stab it directly into the neck, but if for some reason that is impossible, I believe that even being able to fire the syringe into the creature’s mouth would be enough to down it.”
“And what of it? What’s the point of capturing this specimen if we can’t get home?”
“On the contrary… a chopper is already on its way for me, but you and the team I assume is with you can hitch a ride with me when it arrives – but I doubt that thing will sleep through a chopper arrival.”
Jack didn’t take long to think it over.
“How the hell did you get radio contact?”
“There is a strong electromagnetic field that scrambles most equipment, however if you get high enough up in one of these trees the field is weak enough to allow brief contact.”
With a nod, Jack sheathed his knife and looked Gunther in the goggle.
“If me and my team move down there and take this thing out, will you come with us and lend us the benefit of that syringe gun you’ve got there?”
Gunther spun the gun in his fingers and held it out to Jack, handle first.
“I believe you are far more qualified sir. I was trained as a scientist and a sniper, not a combat expert such as yourself. If you leave a rifle here, and things go pear shaped, I can distract the Naga with a few precise shots…”
A toothy grin crossed Jack’s scarred face as he crawled back away from the edge of the cliff.
“Don’t you worry corporal… we’ll take this thing down just fine… and when we do, we’ll be sure not to hog all the credit eh?”
Gunther chuckled.
“Appreciated...”
And as Jack disappeared back into the undergrowth, he added casually,
“…idiot.”
Having left their supplies with Gunther so they wouldn’t slow them down, Jack’s team moved into position. Their weapons were trained on the Naga as she slept, the barrels aimed at her more vulnerable parts… though considering she was bare chested, she wasn’t exactly highly defended.
Jack raised his arm and his team halted as he moved forward with the syringe gun… he edged closer and closer to the Naga, his cold grey eyes focused on her closed ones. His breathe was slow and quiet as he came within feet of her…
One beautiful blue eye flicked open, already fixed on Jack.
There was a pregnant pause…
“Well hello there.”
“OPEN FIRE!”
A spray of bullets pattered harmlessly off Crisis’s skin as she leaned up, her towering form dwarfing the hopelessly outmatched commandos.
With a yawn and a stretch, Crisis looked down grinning.
“Oh I love it when you guys fight back, makes things so much more interesting.”
Beaming good naturedly, Crisis reached down, Jack’s brutal knife not even leaving the tiniest of scratches in her skin.
Jack however somehow remained calm throughout the whole thing, knowing he held the ace in this conflict. He felt the log-like fingers wrap around his torso, and he made sure to keep his pistol hand in the air. The Naga didn’t seem to mind, as the bullets of his men seemed to have no effect on her flesh.
With a casual slowness, Crisis lifted Jack up to eye level with her, his beret sliding off and plummeting to the ground.
“Mmm, you’re not afraid little guy?” Crisis said in amusement, noticing Jack’s fixed facial expression.
“Of a monster like you?”
“Monster? That’s a bit harsh don’t you think? We’ve only just met and you’re already flinging the M word around.”
“Already? Makes it sound like everyone calls you that.”
Crisis flushed bright red and squeezed a little tighter, knocking the wind out of Jack.
“You’re not very nice you know? Still, I don’t judge by first appearances… plus I bet you’re sweet on the inside.” And with that, she tilted her head back, still ignoring the futile pattering of ammunition against her skin, and held Jack over her gaping throat…
Jack grinned widely and levelled the pistol straight down Crisis’s throat and pulled the trigger…
There was a small popping noise and a stick poked out the end of the syringe, a piece of cloth tied to it with print neatly stitched onto the end. Jacks eyes went wide as he read the words ‘Thanks for your Stuff’ staring him in the face.
Crisis paused and glanced at the fake pistol in Jack’s hands, before sucking in a deep breathe and bellowing,
“THANKS GUNTHER!”
Jack cursed the con-man’s name as he saw the void opening up to engulf him, and with a groan of acceptance, he was dropped out of sight…
Subject: Felarya: Commando Storm 
Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:56 am
