Expedition For The Unknown

( A short Story/chapter ) You the reader follow a group of severely unprepared scientists as they hike through a frozen woodland , but everything isn't as it seems...

Perhaps it was the way the darkness consumed them, Held them helpless to the harsh bitterness of the winter air that made Warren and his colleagues perturbed to continue trekking into the frost bitten woodland. They only had before midnight to get to Jamella. Warren knew this ,his thick unkempt eyebrows furrowed , ancient eyes trying to make out the hands on his wrist watch against the fierce breeze .

A little old fashioned for the times of course but he wasn’t just yet accustomed to the new wave of technology. He’s an old man trapped in the past’s placid simplicity, but even he must admit that having one of those newfangled bracelets would not hurt to have at hand in times like these. 

“Having some problems there Lancaster?” Alex breathlessly chuckled as he rolled up his padded coat’s fur cuffed sleeves, exposing the metallic blue halo around his tanned wrist. With a simple tap the technology sprung into life and released an artificial blue glow which pierced through the darkness, making Warren wince . Three taps later the glow was dimmed, revealing a hologram.  

“ 10:15, we've been walking for around 2 hours now, surely we are nearly there right?” Alex said as he turned to face the rest of the team , the hologram flickered flashes of teal and green revealing a disco of angry faces . 

“ I mean, I can't stand this weather for much longer” . He paused to turn off the device, punishing them all back into darkness. “...and my TB2 is struggling to cope in this climate”.

His stroppy voice never failed to provoke Warren. Alex Bates joined operation 4.0 in late March, and ever since their first greeting the team took a dislike to Alex. It was his arrogance that stunk the most, alongside a sexist nature and selfishness made him almost unbearable to be around.

Warren couldn’t decide whether this time he had just displayed selfishness or stupidity.The expedition has limited battery power for GPS and flashlights .Relying heavily on the moon and emerald stars to guide their way. A thick canopy from the fir trees has made this difficult and had them traveling blindly for much of the journey. The fact that Alex had kept his TB2 to himself and not used it to aid them infuriated Warren and clearly the rest of the team. Before any of them had a chance to speak their mind Alice hastily butted in as she turned on her precious light.  

    

“Well by my judgement, I think it will take us another hour to get to Jamella bridge”. 

A big huff came from Alex’s direction. “ And why should we take your judgement to be correct Miss Green? I mean do you even know where we are?” Alex scoffed. 

“Well..i..i just...we estimated before we set off that it w-” Alice stammered defensively. 

“Bates. There is no need to speak to Green like that” Emilia snapped as she opened up her GPS. “ Because she’s correct ,if we carry on down this path we should see the river Arlen then we can just follow the bank down to the bridge” 

“Right,” Warren said impatiently, “ but do I need to remind everyone that Jamella will not let us pass after midnight , so it would be a good idea to get moving.”

Stanley, who had been quiet for much of this discussion, re-adjusted his scarf from around his bearded jaw and cleared his throat, he's not the best at taking charge but that didn’t stop him from accepting the role as leader. “yes i agree with Lancaster no need for all this talking ,Bates seen as you failed to mention you having possession of a TB2 before”. Alex rolled his eyes . “ - I think it’s a good idea that you lead the way with it. The last thing we need tonight is for someone to fall into Arlen”. They all nodded in silence.   

With Alex leading the way they continued walking on. 

They were a small group.The last to make the Journey. Originally Operation 4.0 sent out specialist military teams of 15. When they failed to make contact at the last checkpoint, they increased that number to 25. Then 30. Until eventually Stanley and his team were the only ones brave enough to take the plunge into the unknown. Many of them only had basic training by working in the research labs and bootcamp centers. 

Alice's eyes were locked on Stanley's boots kicking up thick clumps of mud, she couldn’t help but think that fact over and over in her head. It was complete madness. Only finding herself useful studying petri dishes and running tests on the aquatic life surrounding the base, she felt way out of her league. All of them did . 

The world had undergone a monumental change, but what exactly?. One day the world woke up to find that things weren't exactly how they remembered them. Was the grass always this shade of blue? technology this advanced? Animals this aggressive and artificial?. Nobody could remember. Something was telling them that it's wrong and yet they don’t know what it should be. Of Course this drove much of the general public into madness .Civilizations collapsed into despair and disorder. A colossal shift had swept up humanity. Thus operation 4.0 was created to find the cause of this apparent change. 

And Jamella might just hold the answer.

Author's Note

More of a first chapter than a completed work. This was one of my first attempts at writing a Dystopian piece ( and dialogue) , it isn't a favourite but i like it all the same.
With more practice and critics i'm sure i can make it better.