Colonel Sheldon Banes and his three reluctant companions briskly made their way through the woods, keeping their guns cocked and at the ready - they had to be ready for anything. These forests were not entirely safe despite the endless nuclear bombings that had taken place several years before. 

       Minutes turned into hours as they crept along in silence, watching the trees around them and almost hoping for something, anything, to happen. Sheldon reached out one of his hands, brushing his fingertips across a nearby tree branch. A thousand thoughts were bouncing around inside his head. He hadn’t been able to pay attention for much of their trip; he had hoped the three soldiers behind him would be on the alert to compensate for his lack of focus. 

      SNAP! Sheldon’s head whipped around! The sound of a snapping twig had just come from a nearby cluster of trees! Sheldon reached down, drawing his large black sword and gesturing to the trio behind him. “Move in!” he growled as they all hurried towards the source of the sound with their laser guns up and ready for action.

      The three soldiers lumbered down to the cluster of trees, oblivious to the stick lying on the ground that had freshly been snapped in half. Sheldon glanced down and slid his sword back under his belt. “Hey. Get a load of this,” he said, as he knelt and picked up the two halves of the stick, examining the broken ends. “Someone heard us coming and must’ve hit the road in a hurry.” Tossing the halves aside, he rose back to his feet and began surveying the shrubbery around him. Someone was close - he could feel it. 

       Suddenly, a teenage girl wearing camo pants and a ragtag vest leaped out from behind a nearby tree, clutching a large stick! Before anyone could react, she had clobbered one of the soldiers in the face with it and knocked him to the ground! Quick as a flash, Sheldon drew his sword again, clicking the small black button near the pommel and sending currents of arcing electricity coursing through its blade! He placed the pulsating blade near her throat, shouting, “Hold it right there!” She froze, tightening her grip on the stick and ever so slowly turning her head to look Sheldon in the eyes, giving him the meanest look he’d ever seen before. “I suggest you drop the weapon and back off!” he snarled. She didn’t respond - the only sound was the buzzing of his electrical blade. “You better do what I say. Now.” 

      Begrudgingly, the girl grit her teeth and threw the stick to the ground. “Who are you?” Sheldon probed. No answer came from her lips, but her dark eyes remained fixed upon him. He felt uneasy - there was something about her that unnerved him. “Don’t wanna talk, eh?” he said, attempting to lighten the mood as he extinguished his sword’s arcing blade and lowered it. “Alright. I’m Sheldon. Colonel Sheldon Banes.” Still, no answer. “It’s nice to meet you”

      “Oh, cut the niceties and kill her, already!” snapped the skinny soldier. The girl spun around, unexpectedly drawing a long black knife from her vest and glaring in his direction!

     “Uh, don’t listen to him!” Sheldon protested. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” The girl slowly turned back to face him. Their eyes locked and they seemed to reach an unspoken understanding as she sheathed her knife and started to back away. “Hold it right there!” shouted Sheldon, drawing his sword again but not igniting it. “You’re not going anywhere.” The girl took another step back. “I said you’re not going anywhere! You are with us now.” And, with that, he lashed out, striking her with the pommel of his weapon and knocking her unconscious!

      “What’d you do that for?!” shouted the large soldier who had been hit in the face only moments before.

      “She’ll be fine.” shrugged Sheldon.

      “You’re supposed to kill her!” the large soldier clapped back.

      “We’re not going to kill her,” Sheldon retorted. “Not yet, at least.”

      “Why not?” hissed the skinny soldier.

      “Because I said so!” Sheldon declared with unquestionable authority in his voice. “You,” he pointed at the large soldier. “Pick her up. Let’s go.”

      “Sir,” piped in the third soldier who wore a regal black beret. “I fail to see how bringing her along benefits the mission at all. If anything--”

      “Listen!” Sheldon cut him short. “I want her for questioning. President Knowles could get some valuable information out of her. Understood?” 

      “Yes, sir.”

      A long moment of awkward silence ensued. Sheldon impatiently glared at the trio and screamed, “Well, then, let’s get going!!” The large soldier reluctantly picked up the girl, shouldering her in a fireman's carry and the four of them tramped off into the forest to continue their search. 

*      *      *               

      After hours of searching, Sheldon and the trio of soldiers finally came to a stop in a small clearing. Sheldon turned and snapped at his reluctant comrades, “We can stop here and refresh ourselves. We got a lot more ground to cover before we can head back.” 

      With relief, the large soldier threw the girl’s unconscious body to the rough ground before snarling at Sheldon, “So where do we go now, Colonel?”

      Sheldon, who had distracted himself by watching their surroundings, turned back to face the company. “We’ll move up and sweep the Northern perimeters before checking the West.” he declared, resting his hands on the pommel of his sword.

      “I thought we already checked the West!” protested the soldier wearing the beret.

      “We did,” retorted Sheldon. “But, it never hurts to check again!” 

      Unbeknownst to the company, the mysterious girl had become fully conscious again. As Sheldon and the soldiers bantered amongst one another, she lay perfectly still, eavesdropped with a growing curiosity. 

      “You’re addicted to your job, aren’t you?!” snarled the soldier with the beret.

      Sheldon defended himself with unmatched confidence, pointing one of his long fingers at the disrespectful soldier. “If by ‘addicted to my job’, you mean that I like to be thorough...then, yes, I am, indeed, addicted to my job!” 

      “Nah,” chimed in the skinny soldier.  “He means you’re just being stupid.”

      “Stupid?!” roared Sheldon.

      “What the President don’t know won’t hurt him,” shrugged the skinny soldier.

      Sheldon’s patience was wearing thin. “Unlike you, I’m a Colonel. More is expected of me than of you three stooges!”

      “Hey, watch it, buddy!” snapped the large soldier, taking a threatening step towards Sheldon.

      A fire was building in Sheldon’s eyes as he glared at the trio. “The President gave me a job! And I intend to complete it...thoroughly!”

      The soldier with the beret beckoned to the motionless body of the girl, “Then why are we draggin’ the girl along with us?!” 

      “I need her for questioning. There could be other people around here. More groups. She could have the answers!”

      “Uh-huh. Sure,” snickered the skinny soldier. “I think you’re just hopin’ to win yourself a free girlfriend!” The other two soldiers burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter as the skinny soldier sneered victoriously; he had been waiting to crack that joke all day. 

      Sheldon was not happy. “Alright, that’s enough,” he said, trying to keep his cool as the company continued their relentless giggling. “Hey! There’s a reason the President never trusted you idiots - you’re just a bunch of children!” The laughing did not stop but only grew louder. “THAT’S ENOUGH!!” screamed Sheldon at the top of his lungs. The laughing instantly stopped. He whirled around, roaring at the skinny soldier who had cracked the joke, “I don’t know what deep, dark crevice you drug that insane idea out of...but I suggest you shove it right back before I end the three of you!!”

      “Chillax, General,” mocked the soldier in the beret. “We’re just tryna have a little fun.”

      “She’s not my girlfriend,” retorted Sheldon. “She’s a living treasure trove of questions that need answering!

      “What sort of questions?” probed the skinny soldier, clearly preparing to crack another joke. But, before he could, the soldier in the beret piped in…

      “Can I have your number??” 

      Sheldon ripped his laser gun from his holster! BLAM!! The soldier in the beret collapsed to the forest floor in a heap - dead. The two soldiers remaining took a couple of steps back in absolute shock. They knew that the punishments for killing one of President Knowles’ men were extremely severe. Sheldon furiously shoved his gun back into his holster, screaming, “One more flippant comment out of either one of you, and you’ll be going to join your friend - in hell!” The girl had heard enough. She leaped to her feet, stumbling over a few tree roots, and dashed away into the forest! 

      The large soldier whipped his head around, “Hey!” he shouted, pointing a large hand in the direction of the fleeing girl.

      “Stop!” screamed Sheldon, before barreling off in mad pursuit of her, cursing under his breath! The two remaining soldiers took chase as well, carelessly leaping over the body of their dead comrade.

      The girl looked back as she ran, seeing Sheldon and his men not too far behind. Putting on a rejuvenating burst of speed, she forced herself to go faster despite the growing pain in her legs… But suddenly, her foot caught on a large tree root and she tripped, crashing to the ground! Before she could even climb back up, Sheldon had appeared and seized her roughly by the arm! “Get up! Come here!” he snarled, dragging her to her feet and violently pinning her against the nearest tree trunk! “I told you, you’re not going anywhere! Now just surrender!” Sheldon slammed his forearm against the girl’s throat as she struggled to break free. 

      The two soldiers stood close by, watching with glee as Sheldon tightened his grip on the girl’s throat. Just then, a scuffling was heard in the bushes nearby. The two soldiers turned to see a hulking metallic figure looming in the trees nearby. Its mysterious bulbous eyes ominously glinted in the sunlight as it watched them. “Sir! Sir!” shouted the skinny soldier, turning back to Sheldon. 

      Sheldon released his grip on the girl’s throat as she slumped against the tree trunk, gasping for air. He whirled around, staring in the direction of the skinny soldier. “What?” he snapped. The skinny soldier shakily pointed a finger in the direction of the mysterious figure who had been looming in the trees only moments before…but was now gone. Sheldon sighed, “I don’t see anything!” 

      The large soldier nodded, agreeing with his comrade. “There was something over there!” he protested. 

      Another scuffling was heard nearby. “Hey!” shouted the skinny soldier, whirling around and aiming his laser gun into the surrounding trees. BLAM! A large blue beam of infrared light flew out of the trees nearby, striking the large soldier in the chest and sending him toppling to the ground! The skinny soldier turned, seeing his comrade fall, and shouted, “No–!” BLAM!! Another beam of blue light whizzed through the air and struck the skinny soldier in the chest, knocking him to the ground as well. 

      Sheldon gasped in horror and stumbled back a few steps just as a second figure dashed out of the trees nearby. The figure was dressed in a long trench coat with his face protected by copper-colored goggles and a strap-on mask. He took one look at Sheldon before hurling a small silver-colored object through the air! The object clattered to the ground at Sheldon’s feet and began to hiss, spewing smoke and rattling violently - it was a gas bomb! Sheldon’s eyes widened and he screamed, “No, no, no–!!” Before he could even think about escaping, the bomb had detonated in a blinding flash of light, and the air filled with a haze. Sheldon’s head began to spin, his ears rang and the world went dark… he toppled to the ground, instantly losing consciousness. 

      The figure in goggles rushed forward with his large metal friend close behind. The metallic figure scooped the girl up in its massive arms while the one in goggles kept watch over Sheldon and the soldiers, keeping his laser pistol at the ready. With the girl lying limp in the large figure’s arms, he and his friend vanished back into the forest…

*      *      *   

      Sheldon Banes slowly lifted his head, gritting his teeth and groaning in pain; he had been unconscious for several hours now. He struggled to climb back onto his feet, trying to shut out the pounding in his head. Finally, he found his footing and managed to ease himself up into a hunched standing position, looking around - the girl was nowhere to be seen. Limping over to where the body of the large soldier lay, Sheldon leaned down and shook him. “Hey,” he whispered. No answer. Sheldon quickly moved to the body of the skinny soldier, shaking him as well… Still, no response. His men were dead. 

      The weight of the situation suddenly hit Sheldon like a ton of bricks - the President was not going to be happy. On the verge of hyperventilation, he turned and stumbled away. Leaning against a large tree, he slid down its trunk into a sitting position, desperately trying to remain calm. His racing mind was filled with questions; The President was already suspicious of him, what would he do now that three of his men were dead? Would the President kill him? 

      Pssshhhh. The small radio in Sheldon’s coat pocket crackled to life and the chilling voice of President Aaron Knowles hissed, “Colonel Sheldon Barnes. What news do you have for me? Over.” 

      Sheldon’s breath caught in his throat. Slowly, he slid the radio out of his coat pocket.  Despite the situation, he did his best to speak boldly, “They’re all gone, sir. We were attacked! They’re dead! All your men are… are dead. I’m the only one who survived!”

      The radio crackled to life and the President's voice came back, cold and harsh, “Report back to the bunker immediately, Colonel Barnes.” 

      “Copy that, sir,” Sheldon nodded. “10-4.” He slipped the radio back inside his jacket pocket, staring off into space and gritting his teeth in anger; he was tired of President Knowles mispronouncing his last name! “It’s Banes. Colonel Sheldon BANES!!” he roared out loud as he climbed back onto his feet and stormed off into the forest, heading back towards the bunker to face an inevitable consequence…