Lucy
ACME Canine Unit
(note to self: TECS will allow me six pages.) Note: This is intended as a one off story with several parts. We are using Carmen from WOEICS and Chase from games.)
In the Summer heat the cadets lined up forming two straight lines. They stood at attention as their two instructors came into view. A few cadet's returned with gathered wood, who put it down and joined the others in line.
Kendra glanced over at their lean-to shelter she’d been working on. It was mostly finished but her partner hadn't returned, and she was worried. What happened to Lucy? Had she not heard her watch beeping?
Wegman glanced up from the clipboard, scanning the line. “Sanchez?” she called again, louder this time. No response. Frowning, Wegman tapped the screen of her ACME-issued watch. “Lucy? Are you there?” she asked, her voice calm but clipped with concern. Nothing but static and forest birds on the other end.
She quickly checked the device's location tracker. The signal was active, still close, just beyond the perimeter of camp. Odd. Why hadn’t Lucy responded when they pinged the watches earlier?
After completing the roll call, Wegman and the group headed into the woods, following the blip on the screen. Kendra fell into step beside her.
“This isn’t like Lucy,” Kendra said, chewing her lip.
“Don't worry. We’ll find her,” said the second instructor.
The group reached the signal. Wegman pressed a button on her watch, and a loud BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! echoed through the trees, repeating every ten seconds.
They followed the sound until Wegman spotted the watch lying half-buried under pine needles. She picked it up. A small crack split across the screen. Wegman met eyes with the second instructor.
The second instructor, Rodrigues, said, “I should call in. The rest of the group go with Wegman and start setting up the perimeter!” He then pushed a few buttons on his watch and a ringing sound came through. On the second ring it picked up and Rodrigues saw him.
The screen lit up with Chase's face. “Devineaux.” he answered.
“Chase, it’s Sanchez. She's missing. We’re holding off on calling the rangers and paying it like an exercise. But we need backup. ”
“I’m sending Julie to assist you,” Chase said, when he was brought up to speed. “Keep me updated” He hung up
There was a bright flash of light from the C-5 corridor before Julie appeared. She looked around at the group.
*****
When she came to, she was flat on her back, staring up at swaying branches. The wind whispered through the leaves, soft, eerie, and unfamiliar.
Wait… where am I? the girl thought.
Her head ached with a dull throb as she sat up. There was movement from the corner of her eye, someone was there. A guy, maybe sixteen or seventeen, stepped out from the trees and walked toward her like he’d been looking for her all morning.
“Rita Booke,” he said, voice soft with relief. “We’ve been searching everywhere.”
Her shoulders stiffened when the boy stepped from the trees. She blinked. “Is…that my name?” The name struck her oddly. Like hearing a song in a language she almost knew.
He paused, clearly surprised. “You don’t remember?” He hesitated a moment before offering a hand to help her stand. “It’s okay. I’m Jed. Jed Dye. I’m your friend.”
She hesitated. Something in her gut said she knew him--maybe. Rita took his hand. He helped her up.
“Let’s get you back to V.I.L.E.,” he said. “We’ll get you checked out.”
V.I.L.E. The name stirred something deep inside her. It felt… familiar. She felt like there was something important to remember about it, though she couldn’t. She gave a small nod and let Jed guide her. They walked through the trees.
“Reed will be glad you’re safe.”
“Reed?”
“Reed Alott. He’s in charge of new recruits.”
New recruits. That made sense, somehow. Maybe that’s what she was, a new recruit who’d gotten lost. Something about that fit. Jed talked as they walked, filling the silence with names and references that didn’t stick, but felt oddly comforting.
Eventually, they reached a clearing. Jed raised his left hand in a circular motion a few times. For just a moment, the image of the tree was interrupted. Jed grumbled a little. He raised his hand over the image again; and this time, a space opened up in the image of the tree that was big enough for them to walk through.
“Oh, a hologram, " she realized.
“Dang thing. It needs to be looked at.” Jed said, motioning for her to follow him.
pop-up Tents were scattered between trees, teens her age moving in and out of view, some laughing, others focused on tasks. A sense of routine and order filled the space, and Rita found herself exhaling just a little. This felt like somewhere she could rest. Somewhere safe.
Jed led her between tents, glancing at each one like he was looking for a specific place. Rita passed a few other recruits, none of whom looked familiar, but then she didn't exactly recognize herself either.
Then a voice rang out, teasing but sharp: “What is the only continent that has land in all four hemispheres? Well, Art Major?”
“Uhh… Australia?” a younger voice answered, uncertain.
“Wrong!” came the reply, playful but sharp. “Kerry Oki, same question!”
Jed guided Rita around a stand of trees, and suddenly they were in view of two teenage boys and something… odd. One of the voices belonged to a floating head. Well, not just a head. A guy’s face, black hair, smug, appeared on a hovering screen, like a monitor on a sleek drone. She stared, trying to make sense of it. She’d never seen tech like that before.
“Africa,” Kerry answered confidently.
“Ding ding ding,” the floating head said with a wide grin. “Correct.” He swiveled slightly to face the first boy. “Art, you're on potato peeling duty.”
Jed didn’t stop. He led her quickly into a nearby tent. Inside, the temperature dropped a few degrees, and the buzz of activity outside faded. Cots lined the walls, and a woman sat behind a small metal desk scribbling on a clipboard.
Rita barely registered her surroundings, her mind still lingered on that floating face. "What the heck was that thing? What a cool concept." she thought.
“Hello there,” the woman said, rising with a warm smile. “I’m nurse Joy. What can I do for you?”
Jed gave Rita a gentle nudge forward. “I think my friend here had a knock to the head. She doesn’t remember much.”
Joy’s expression shifted to concern. “Of course. What’s her name?”
“Rita Booke,” he answered quickly.
The nurse turned to a stack of slim folders, flipping through them with practiced ease. “Let’s see… yep, here we go.” She held the folder up, glancing between the photo inside and the girl standing in front of her. “That looks like her.”
Rita managed a small smile.
“Go ahead and have a seat.”
She sat. The cot creaked slightly under her weight.
Joy examined the girl, seeing she had cuts and scratches, she immediately washed them and cleaned them. Then pulled a penlight from her pocket. “Follow this with your eyes, okay?”
Rita followed directions, eyes tracking left to right, then up and down. Everything seemed to be working fine—at least, from the outside. Joy hummed thoughtfully, then moved on to some standard memory questions . When she was finished, she scribbled something in the folder and closed it with a soft snap.
“Well,” she said, “physically, you’re in good shape. The memory loss may take a little time but there’s nothing alarming. You’re cleared to return to training but let us know if you have any headaches or nausea..”
Relief loosened Rita’s shoulders. She hadn’t even realized how tense she was. “I will,” she said.
Reed walked in and stood just inside the door. “Hey, Joy I need you to--Rita?” He asked. Joy brought him up to speed.
“Glad to hear.” Reed answered. Reed adjusted his glasses and turned to Jed. “I expected you back at training by now.”
Jed Dye walked towards the door, taking one last look at his friend, Rita and then met Reed’s eyes. “I just wanted to make sure she was okay. One more thing, we need the tech team in here now. The holographic generator needs an adjustment. We don't want anyone finding the camp.”
“In that case we may have to move tonight.”
Co-Written Julie/Lucy
ACME Camp
Ocala National Forest
ACME Camp
Ocala National Forest
In the Summer heat the cadets lined up forming two straight lines. They stood at attention as their two instructors came into view. A few cadet's returned with gathered wood, who put it down and joined the others in line.
Kendra glanced over at their lean-to shelter she’d been working on. It was mostly finished but her partner hadn't returned, and she was worried. What happened to Lucy? Had she not heard her watch beeping?
Mrs. Wegman held a clipboard firmly in hand, calling roll in front of the cadets. They stood at attention in two straight lines.
“Anderson!”
“Here!”
“Bishop!”
“Here!”
“Chavez”
“Here!”
“Edwards!”
“Here!”
“Garcia!”
“Here!”
“Sanchez!”
Silence.
“Anderson!”
“Here!”
“Bishop!”
“Here!”
“Chavez”
“Here!”
“Edwards!”
“Here!”
“Garcia!”
“Here!”
“Sanchez!”
Silence.
Wegman glanced up from the clipboard, scanning the line. “Sanchez?” she called again, louder this time. No response. Frowning, Wegman tapped the screen of her ACME-issued watch. “Lucy? Are you there?” she asked, her voice calm but clipped with concern. Nothing but static and forest birds on the other end.
She quickly checked the device's location tracker. The signal was active, still close, just beyond the perimeter of camp. Odd. Why hadn’t Lucy responded when they pinged the watches earlier?
After completing the roll call, Wegman and the group headed into the woods, following the blip on the screen. Kendra fell into step beside her.
“This isn’t like Lucy,” Kendra said, chewing her lip.
“Don't worry. We’ll find her,” said the second instructor.
The group reached the signal. Wegman pressed a button on her watch, and a loud BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! echoed through the trees, repeating every ten seconds.
They followed the sound until Wegman spotted the watch lying half-buried under pine needles. She picked it up. A small crack split across the screen. Wegman met eyes with the second instructor.
The second instructor, Rodrigues, said, “I should call in. The rest of the group go with Wegman and start setting up the perimeter!” He then pushed a few buttons on his watch and a ringing sound came through. On the second ring it picked up and Rodrigues saw him.
The screen lit up with Chase's face. “Devineaux.” he answered.
“Chase, it’s Sanchez. She's missing. We’re holding off on calling the rangers and paying it like an exercise. But we need backup. ”
“I’m sending Julie to assist you,” Chase said, when he was brought up to speed. “Keep me updated” He hung up
There was a bright flash of light from the C-5 corridor before Julie appeared. She looked around at the group.
*****
When she came to, she was flat on her back, staring up at swaying branches. The wind whispered through the leaves, soft, eerie, and unfamiliar.
Wait… where am I? the girl thought.
Her head ached with a dull throb as she sat up. There was movement from the corner of her eye, someone was there. A guy, maybe sixteen or seventeen, stepped out from the trees and walked toward her like he’d been looking for her all morning.
“Rita Booke,” he said, voice soft with relief. “We’ve been searching everywhere.”
Her shoulders stiffened when the boy stepped from the trees. She blinked. “Is…that my name?” The name struck her oddly. Like hearing a song in a language she almost knew.
He paused, clearly surprised. “You don’t remember?” He hesitated a moment before offering a hand to help her stand. “It’s okay. I’m Jed. Jed Dye. I’m your friend.”
She hesitated. Something in her gut said she knew him--maybe. Rita took his hand. He helped her up.
“Let’s get you back to V.I.L.E.,” he said. “We’ll get you checked out.”
V.I.L.E. The name stirred something deep inside her. It felt… familiar. She felt like there was something important to remember about it, though she couldn’t. She gave a small nod and let Jed guide her. They walked through the trees.
“Reed will be glad you’re safe.”
“Reed?”
“Reed Alott. He’s in charge of new recruits.”
New recruits. That made sense, somehow. Maybe that’s what she was, a new recruit who’d gotten lost. Something about that fit. Jed talked as they walked, filling the silence with names and references that didn’t stick, but felt oddly comforting.
Eventually, they reached a clearing. Jed raised his left hand in a circular motion a few times. For just a moment, the image of the tree was interrupted. Jed grumbled a little. He raised his hand over the image again; and this time, a space opened up in the image of the tree that was big enough for them to walk through.
“Oh, a hologram, " she realized.
“Dang thing. It needs to be looked at.” Jed said, motioning for her to follow him.
pop-up Tents were scattered between trees, teens her age moving in and out of view, some laughing, others focused on tasks. A sense of routine and order filled the space, and Rita found herself exhaling just a little. This felt like somewhere she could rest. Somewhere safe.
Jed led her between tents, glancing at each one like he was looking for a specific place. Rita passed a few other recruits, none of whom looked familiar, but then she didn't exactly recognize herself either.
Then a voice rang out, teasing but sharp: “What is the only continent that has land in all four hemispheres? Well, Art Major?”
“Uhh… Australia?” a younger voice answered, uncertain.
“Wrong!” came the reply, playful but sharp. “Kerry Oki, same question!”
Jed guided Rita around a stand of trees, and suddenly they were in view of two teenage boys and something… odd. One of the voices belonged to a floating head. Well, not just a head. A guy’s face, black hair, smug, appeared on a hovering screen, like a monitor on a sleek drone. She stared, trying to make sense of it. She’d never seen tech like that before.
“Africa,” Kerry answered confidently.
“Ding ding ding,” the floating head said with a wide grin. “Correct.” He swiveled slightly to face the first boy. “Art, you're on potato peeling duty.”
Jed didn’t stop. He led her quickly into a nearby tent. Inside, the temperature dropped a few degrees, and the buzz of activity outside faded. Cots lined the walls, and a woman sat behind a small metal desk scribbling on a clipboard.
Rita barely registered her surroundings, her mind still lingered on that floating face. "What the heck was that thing? What a cool concept." she thought.
“Hello there,” the woman said, rising with a warm smile. “I’m nurse Joy. What can I do for you?”
Jed gave Rita a gentle nudge forward. “I think my friend here had a knock to the head. She doesn’t remember much.”
Joy’s expression shifted to concern. “Of course. What’s her name?”
“Rita Booke,” he answered quickly.
The nurse turned to a stack of slim folders, flipping through them with practiced ease. “Let’s see… yep, here we go.” She held the folder up, glancing between the photo inside and the girl standing in front of her. “That looks like her.”
Rita managed a small smile.
“Go ahead and have a seat.”
She sat. The cot creaked slightly under her weight.
Joy examined the girl, seeing she had cuts and scratches, she immediately washed them and cleaned them. Then pulled a penlight from her pocket. “Follow this with your eyes, okay?”
Rita followed directions, eyes tracking left to right, then up and down. Everything seemed to be working fine—at least, from the outside. Joy hummed thoughtfully, then moved on to some standard memory questions . When she was finished, she scribbled something in the folder and closed it with a soft snap.
“Well,” she said, “physically, you’re in good shape. The memory loss may take a little time but there’s nothing alarming. You’re cleared to return to training but let us know if you have any headaches or nausea..”
Relief loosened Rita’s shoulders. She hadn’t even realized how tense she was. “I will,” she said.
Reed walked in and stood just inside the door. “Hey, Joy I need you to--Rita?” He asked. Joy brought him up to speed.
“Glad to hear.” Reed answered. Reed adjusted his glasses and turned to Jed. “I expected you back at training by now.”
Jed Dye walked towards the door, taking one last look at his friend, Rita and then met Reed’s eyes. “I just wanted to make sure she was okay. One more thing, we need the tech team in here now. The holographic generator needs an adjustment. We don't want anyone finding the camp.”
“In that case we may have to move tonight.”
End Part One
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Interesting!