Foundered

Jasper I: Brothers in Arms

Yara and Jasper entered the command centre and to the council chambers, four guards stood outside: two robotic halberdiers and two other soldiers garbed in black wearing black marks and goggles and carrying AKs, Serbian soldiers by the looks of it.

As Jasper entered the hall, there wandered a stout gentleman, well into his thirties, garbed in a formal military outfit, sipping vodka at a slow pace.

"Zdravo!" hailed Jasper, opening his arms to embrace the man. "Long time no see."

"How fair ye, brother Jasper," said the guy, "indeed, I was wondering if you were even alive or not. Can't say how joyous I am to have met you after so many years."

"The pleasure is all mine," replied Jasper, "so how do you, comrade Anatoli?"

"I'm well myself, and you look all cheeki breeki too."

"I am," said Jasper, "although these days I'm drinking a bit less, but battles keep me entertained anyway."

"Oh, battles, isn't that what we came to chat about today?"

"Yeah," Jasper replied, "you see: I am in need of mercenaries, professional soldiers who are not ordinary country folk in whose arms a gun has been thrust, I need real soldiers who can withstand a zombie invasion and still keep a good number of themselves alive."

"Well, we're not mercenaries," said Anatoli, "I'd work for free, really, on the condition that we get to crack some skulls."

"What? Don't say that," said Jasper, "you're professionals, you deserve to be paid."

"We already owe you for what you did a few years ago," said Anatoli, "and... eh, whatever we did together when you were in school."

"Don't mention it," said Jasper, "let's put the past behind us, we have a lot of work to do anyway."

Yara entered the hall, "who is this?"

"Oh," Jasper went to him, "Yarachmiel, meet Anatoli, he's an old friend of mine, a Serbian mercenary. Eh, he's prepared to lend us aid. After all, we need all the aid we can get in these dark times."

"Oh, mercenary," Yara put his hand forth, "pleased to meet you, I'm Yarachmiel."

"The pleasure is all mine," said Anatoli, "so tell me comrades: where did you last leave the situation?"

"Not much," said Yara, "just some zombies developing a herd mentality."

"And you didn't expect that?"

"No, from what we had seen, zombies are simple mobs who work independently; it doesn't make sense for them to do coordinated attacks. They're slaves to their sense of smell and sense of sight."

Anatoli laughed, "if you think that is all, you know very little, my comrades."

"And you know more than us?" asked Jasper.

"Well, no," Anatoli sat at the table, "but I know this: Operation Outbreak had multiple phases, merely the first phase of which was the zombification."

"And what're the phases that come after this?" asked Jasper.

Anatoli looked around, six soldiers stood in the room silently peering at them. "Leave us," he told them, "also, bring us the file, and then be gone."

***

For a few minutes the three of them sat there in the empty room, slowly sipping their drinks. A few moments later, Serb brought in a file marked confidential, and left thereafter.

"This symbol," said Yara, "I haven't seen it in a while."

"Can you read English, Yara?" asked Anatoli.