Infiltrate

Ethan tried to swat the mosquito buzzing around his ears, only to find his arm didn't obey the command. For that matter, he had trouble moving at all. He barely made out shouting and felt vibrations running throughout the floor. Ethan figured it was his best friend Jonathan bounding up the stairs to his bedroom. He moved like a pack of dogs was nipping at his heels. But something was wrong. The air smelled of ozone, like during the Fourth of July. A thick layer of smoke hangs in the air constricting your airways and inhibiting the ability to take a full breath. Ethan was petrified to discover that he might not be in Kansas anymore.

Ethan blinked a few times, bringing his surroundings into focus, the twang in his ears lessening by the minute. What he saw didn't register at first. Ethan remembered lounging on the floor of his room killing time until Jonathan arrived. They had planned to play the new Modern Warfare that was released recently. He must have fallen asleep at some point because this was something else. Guys in combat gear jogged in formation down a barely lit corridor. Ethan was propped against a wall while army personnel walked with purpose from one place to another.

In stunned disbelief, Ethan realized he wore the same tactical gear as the men that passed a few moments ago. Before panic could set in a tech, Ethan thought he was a tech based on the headphone/mic combo on his head, crouched at his side.

"Sir, how are you feeling?"

Like a fish out of water, mouth opening and closing, Ethan couldn't manage a response. His brain-to-mouth function wasn't operational either.

"It's alright, sir. Your team took a heavy hit."

Distantly, Ethan recognized that the tech didn't carry the heavy scent of ozone.

"Come on, sir. Lets get you to the command center." The tech carefully maneuvered Ethan's left arm around his shoulder. Once vertical, Ethan stumbled to the side, but the solid grip of the tech steadied him. The tech took a meandering course, dogging personnel left and right, trying not to jostle Ethan too much.

The tech keyed in a combination code to a heavily reinforced door. As the locks disengaged, the men and women at their stations all stood to offer their salutes. Ethan, still mentally disconnected, watched as an ole man approached him.

"Sir, it's good to see your still with us. I understand the attack was a surprise and you lost some good soldiers."

"Uh—" Ethan felt his grasp on reality slip through his fingers like water trickling from a leaking faucet.

The next time Ethan opened his eyes, he faced a massive holographic layout of, he guessed, the compound they occupied. Green dots patrolled strategic locations on the map, and red dots surrounded the outlying perimeter. Surreptitiously, Ethan analyzed his situation. No one bound him to the chair, no one outright monitored him, and surprisingly they all saluted him when he entered. Either this was one intricate dream based on his excitement for the new game, or somehow he fell through a black hole into another dimension. It was still up in the air, which happened to him.

"Sir!" Again, the salute. "We have an update on the situation."

Ethan figured he might as well find out what was going on so he could get the hell out of there. He felt more clear-headed than he did initially.

Ethan felt way out of depth. Nonetheless, he made an effort to play the role they seemed to expect. After clearing his throat, he said, "Ok. Proceed."

"The invading faction, as you know, was able to break through your defense at the northern perimeter. We were able to counterattack and halt their advance past the wall. Unfortunately, sir, they are pressing forward on all sides."

"Can we call for backup?" At this point, the techs at their stations had stopped to listen to the conversation.

"We have exhausted all viable options. However, we have one contingency plan if all else fails. We have—"

"That'll be all, private." The guy from earlier interrupted the conversation.

A little peeved, Ethan said, "I wanted to hear what he has to say."

"Apologies, sir, that option is a last resort. We can't afford to use it just yet."

"I see." Ethan didn't see. He couldn't see even if there were a neon sign in glowing red letters showing him the answer.

"Yes, well, we need you back out there. As you know, the enemy is taking advantage of your absence."

Cold sweat drips down Ethan's spine after that revelation. He could feel his heart ready to leap out of his chest. Like swallowing a biscuit from KFC, Ethan attempts to get rid of the ball in his throat. He desperately needed a glass of water.

"You want me to go back out there? Didn't I...my team get our asses kicked not too long ago?"

"Yes, well, I need you back out there. You signed up, and we need you in the field. Get this done!"

Shit. Oh man, moms going to kill me.

Ethan executed a sloppy salute and made his exit. He stopped the next person that walked past.

Ethan executed a sloppy salute and made his exit. He stopped the next person that walked past and thought the armory was a start.

After getting access to the armory, Ethan stood slacked jawed; the array of weapons available was outstanding and maybe a little intimidating.

Just like MW. It'll be a piece of cake, thought Ethan.

Ethan picked up his first weapon, marveling at how heavy it was. He assumed that it would be much lighter. Those guys in the army toted these around? He couldn't imagine it. Frankly, Ethan didn't see himself carrying and firing it either. But what could he do? He couldn't waltz through the front doors bidding them sayonara. While deep in his thoughts, Ethan didn't hear the people walking in.

"Sir!"

Ethan startled badly, marginally, preventing the gun from falling. Filtering into the room was a slew of guys, some casting Ethan dubious looks. They geared up and exchanged glances that weren't hard to decipher. They thought Ethan was incompetent. They weren't wrong. Did he care? No. Was he going out there to get his ass whooped? Yes. He said the first thing that came to mind and winced immediately after.

"Move out!"

As they moved to their designated area, Ethan guessed, his second in command updated him. He nodded and made noncommittal sounds when he thought it appropriate. Ethan didn't hear a word, his heart drummed a rapid staccato, and blood rushed through his ear. As the massive steel doors glided open, Ethan's vision wavered, and he couldn't feel his face. But his mind was racing. Ethan desperately thought of every scenario he'd encountered while playing Modern Warfare and hoped he was as skilled as when he played online.

The outside was a disaster zone. Debris littered the ground, burnt paper floated on the wind, and what smelled like smoking circuitry permeated the air. In the distance was a sea of red in every direction for as far as the eye could see. In comparison, their side was but a fraction of the opposition. The heavy doors smoothly shut. Ethan heard the gears tumble and then lock. Fine tremors overtook Ethan's body. He realized a moment later it was the earth rumbling; the advancing army was so great in number their collective footsteps shook the ground.

He looked at his fellow soldiers, drew strength from them when he couldn't find any within himself, and faced the coming onslaught.

****

"Ethan...Ethan! What the hell, man?"

Ethan came awake like someone had lit a fire under him. During his scramble, he almost gave himself a concussion. He would have a sizeable knot on his forehead.

"Geez. You good?"

Ethan's chest pumped like a freight train, but he managed to nod his head. It took him a while to calm down enough to tell Jonathan what had happened.

Jonathan raked a hand through his hair. "Dude, I don't—. That's one messed-up dream. I think you should lay off the games for a bit."

"I can't explain it. But I know I died. There was no coming back from that. It felt so real."

"Yea, definitely lay off." Jonathan chuckled nervously. He saw that this had affected Ethan more than he thought. He abruptly changed the topic. "Jessica messaged me. She couldn't reach you."

"Shit. I forgot to message her about our date later on this week."

Ethan found his phone under the bed, dead. He plugged in the charger and tried to factory reset it, but nothing worked.

Groaning, Jonathan asked, "Did you get your phone looked at after that message came through the other day?"

Ethan looked at him strangely.

"You know, the one you opened, and your phone started glitching later?"

"Damn. I totally forgot."

"I told you to get it looked at and reset your password to your email, just in case."

"This is going to be a pain in the ass to recover."