GATE: Awakening The Sleeping Giant

Chapter 6: The Visit for Italica

Local Afternoon

Dessria Highway

USMC Hunter 2-1 POV

A convoy of four vehicles drove on the Dessria Highway at respectable speeds as they headed towards the Town of Italica.

Inside the Cougar, Sergeant Major Jamal Foley was looking at a map while holding a compass to make sure that they were on the right track.

"We're on the Dessria road right now, and Italica is up ahead on this road?" Foley muttered as he glanced at the mentioned town on the map.

Sitting beside him, Lelei looked at the map in amazement.

"This map is incredible accurate... The Appia and Dessria Highways, the Romalia and Dumas Mountains..."

She then asked Foley about the compass he was holding in near perfect.

"Does this apparatus show us where we are going?"

Foley softly smiled as he raised his compass.

"Yes, this is a compass, you place it on a map and when the needle points to north..."

As Foley explained what the compass is and it used, James rolled his eyes.

"They called Pops the Demonic Dragon Sergeant because he made his enemies cower in fear like he was a demon in a form of a dragon, yet he his now acting like he's visiting his granddaughter."

Mike simply smiled as he watched the conversation in the rearview mirror before noticing that Rory and Tuka were having a quiet conversation, and that Tuka seemed to be flustered by whatever the subject the two were talking about.

"Wonder what those two talking are about?" Mike asked himself with bemusement.

James then noticing a plume of smoke rising in the distance.

"Lieutenant, there's smoke up ahead."

Taking note of the smoke as well, Mike gets on the radio.

"All units halt." Mike ordered.

"We noticed a plume rising in the distance."

"Got it." The rest of the convoy replied.

Once the convoy had fully stopped Mike narrowed his eyes.

"James, does this highway take us to the source of the smoke?"

"Actually sir, this road takes us right towards it."

Foley took a quick look at the map before informing Mike.

"Lieutenant Ramirez, the only settlement in that area is Italica."

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Mike muttered Lelei borrowed a pair of binoculars and looked through them, only to be confused as she found everything to be smaller.

"Backwards?" She thought when she checked her binoculars before properly looking through them again.

"That's... Smoke."

"Do you know what the reason is?"

"Some people must have done something. A key? But it's not the season for bushfires, and it's too big."