Dawn of a New Era (Crimson Blue Book 1)

by Joshua Guillemette

  Once again, Xavier lay down and stared at the top of the dome, reflecting on the day’s activities. He was proud of himself; he knew he did well. He decided to make his next challenge to get the members of the team involved. If they were all going to be judged based on their individual performances, he wanted to ensure that everyone who followed him scored well. He was ushered into a deep sleep by strategies on how to get everyone to participate.

  The next couple of days drug on as the team searched tirelessly for another flag. As they traveled the outskirts of the forest, the relentless humidity beat them down and kept them exhausted. Goma was so tired she wasn’t even complaining. David maintained his optimism and joy, but it was apparent that even he was being wearied by the unsuccessful search.

  Xavier was constantly looking around, scouting ahead and pushing forward. All the women were compelled and motivated by his never-say-die attitude. When they took a break—if he wasn’t scouting ahead—Xavier would teach useful survival techniques to the group. David proved to be a quick study and his best student.

  As they lumbered forward, their feet felt more and more like weights dragging in the mud. Abaigeal tripped forward over a branch, and as her eyes refocused, she peered down a brush covered cavern directly in front of her. A shine reflected from within.

  “I think I found one!” she shouted out to her team.

  David and Xavier ran to help her up. As they approached her, they saw the red sequin flag inside the cavern. Xavier had an idea of how to get it out but thought this would be the perfect opportunity to get more people involved. He looked over at Carla.

  “What do you think we should do?”

  “Well…” she hesitated, “when you climbed the tree, you made a rope out of vines. Maybe we could do something like that?”

  Xavier’s eyes lit up. He was thinking the same thing.

  “Let’s do it, but maybe we can make this vine thicker.”

  He laughed to himself remembering how the other vine broke on him. Xavier instructed the team to spread out and gather a number of vines that could extend to fifteen feet. Goma was in a daze and unfocused. Xavier called out to her and asked her to help him come up with a plan. In an instant, she ran over to him and they began to strategize.

  After everyone gathered their vines, they came together. Xavier began to demonstrate how to weave the vines in such a way that they would hold a few hundred pounds. Afterwards he explained that they were going to tie someone around the waist and lower them into the cave in order to get the flag. David and Emily took a more detailed look at the rope and optimized the plan. They were able to develop an intricate pulley system made of numerous branches and bushes that enhanced safety.

  “I know this can hold a couple of us at once, but to be safe, maybe we should lower the smallest person. Just in case,” Xavier explained.

  They all looked at Carla and she swallowed hard. “I guess that is me?” She froze for a moment. “Okay. I will do it.”

  Within minutes, they prepped her and she was ready to go. Her nerves made every muscle in her body tighten, but David encouraged her all the way through. He stepped in front of her, put his arms on her shoulders, and looked into her face with a huge smile. He stared at her for a few seconds before saying, “You can do this.”

  Xavier touched her shoulder and smiled, and they nodded at each other. It was time. She began to take deep breaths, her heart pounding and her mind racing.

  “I got you,” Xavier said.

  “We are all here,” David added.

  Xavier helped her down, positioned to take the bulk of the weight. The rest of them fell in behind him. Goma was staring into the cave giving direction on distance and speed, and Abaigeal stood by the tree to make sure the vine didn’t snap like it did on Xavier. After about ten feet, Carla’s voice echoed through the cave. “I have it!”

  Goma directed the team as they lifted her back up. Once she reached the top of the hole, Goma stepped away and the rest of the team relaxed. Carla reached to pull herself up as the dirt loosened under her, and her high-pitched scream broke the air as she fell backwards. With gunshot reflexes, Xavier reached out and snagged Carla’s hand. He pulled her up and laid her down next to him. The adrenaline wore off and they both collapsed. A sigh of relief fell over the entire group.

  Xavier stood off to the side as they all rejoiced in celebration of their victory. Carla held the flag on high. The team rallied around Xavier as he stood up to assess their next move.

  “It’s been a long day. What do you say we head back to camp?”

  After a couple of hours, they arrived back at their camp and they all dropped. Xavier stood, with his hands on his hips, laughing to himself. He started gathering wood and made a campfire as the rest of the team slept. As they napped, he leaned up against a tree and ate some nuts. He was tired of fruit and nuts, but in less than two days they would be back at the island and could eat a real meal. He was looking forward to some meat.

  As he watched over the sleeping group, his mind drifted to what’s to come. They had one more flag to obtain and one day to acquire it. Xavier was trying to go over the map in his head and recount where they hadn’t been. He was unsure what the direction was but had faith that he would be able to figure it out.

  Chapter 11

  August 1st 2062 3:30 a.m. (Day Six) Genesis Room, Crimson Manor, Berlin, Germany

  The group arose early feeling rejuvenated. They found the second flag and were able to fall asleep early. However, the clock was etched in Xavier’s mind. They didn’t have much time and he was fresh out of ideas of where to look. He refused to fail his first mission.

  Everyone sensed Xavier’s frustration and it began to permeate the group as mid-noon approached. The sun was high, and the humidity was even thicker. In a few minutes’ time, Goma began complaining again, but Lena whipped around and screamed at her. “Zieh durch!”

  They all paused in shock. Of all the people that would lash out, Lena seemed the least likely to do so. An awkward silence drew the search to a halt. David interrupted the silence in his typical joyous fashion.

  “I have an idea! We should take a break and go for a swim! The white water is not drinkable, but it looked deep enough to liven us up!”

  With the exception of Xavier, they were all in agreement. He wanted to keep searching and knew the last thing they needed was to lose more time. With great hesitation, Xavier fell in behind them. Within an hour they arrived at the mouth of the river and David ran, forming himself into a cannonball. The tired crew broke out in laughter and ran into the water as well. Xavier plopped against a tree to think of a place they hadn’t searched.

  Several minutes had passed when Lena shouted with excitement. “I found it! It’s down there!”

  They all rallied near her. Straining their eyes, they were able to see a glint of the red flag, approximately fifty meters down. They were all treading water, and no one in the group felt confident in their ability to hold their breath long enough. Xavier knew he could, but he really wanted to try to get someone else involved. After several minutes passed, Xavier volunteered to dive and retrieve it. He developed a plan with Lena that involved her meeting him halfway.

  He took several deep breaths and descended. Lena followed him after several seconds had passed. It was tough to see in the water and Xavier’s eyes began to burn. Within thirty seconds, he had reached the flag. After several big kicks, he handed it off to Lena. They surfaced together, and the entire team swam to the shore, invigorated and excited. Xavier laughed at himself for being so serious. David’s fun loving nature was the reason they were able to find the last flag.

  It was too late in the day to make it back to the island in time for dinner. The group agreed that they were ready for some meat, but that it would have to wait until the morning. They all set up camp together. Everyone’s attitude had certainly improved, and as they sat around the fire, David suggested they go in a circle and complement each other. He was always trying to bring the group t
ogether. Xavier was the last in line and thought only David would complement him. To his great surprise, all the women gave him sincere praise and accolades. He couldn’t believe it. As they wound down, David was grinning from ear to ear, happy that people were starting to like his friend.

  “Why don’t you take the first watch, Xavier?” Emily suggested.

  Xavier was amazed. The group was in agreement and finally trusted him. Xavier smiled. Perhaps they don’t hate me after all, he thought to himself. The next day the party gathered all their things and the three flags. They headed back to the island with pep in their step. As they crossed the bridge, it looked like five of the recruits that were with Oscar had set up camp on the island.

  Oscar led his troop of thirty-five people across the bridge. With Charlie walking on his right hand side, carrying all three flags, Oscar approached the middle of the island. He scoffed at the five people that left him and never returned. He barked several orders to various members of his squad. Oscar’s eyes met David’s.

  “David! It is good to see you!” he said, acting as if Xavier wasn’t even there.

  “How are you, Oscar? Good job on getting the flags! We are halfway there!” David exclaimed politely.

  “So glad you don’t have a knife in your back,” Charlie said crassly, looking directly at Xavier.

  A cloud of fury inflamed Xavier’s eyes. He stepped in Charlie’s face with a menacing glare, and Oscar slid between the two of them.

  “Calm down, American. No need to be so barbaric. He was merely jesting.”

  “Then maybe we should get him a hat and pointy shoes,” Xavier snapped.

  A few of the recruits sucked in a chuckle. Charlie leered at them.

  “Perhaps you should check your temperament. Rash actions do not need to result in a civil war,” Oscar said mockingly.

  The two soldiers were locked in a fiery stare down that was on the brink of erupting at any second, and all of the recruits felt the tension about to boil over. David intervened as the peacemaker.

  “Hey, hey! We are all trying to accomplish the same thing here,” he said with a smile. He grabbed the three red flags and jammed them in the ground next to the blue flags. “See, how awesome is this!” David was making dramatic motions towards the flags.

  The rest of the group looked at them with pride. Xavier and Oscar’s stare was unwavering.

  “So, how shall we proceed?” David asked.

  “Yes…almighty Oscar. How do you want to proceed?” Xavier said sarcastically.

  After a few more seconds, Oscar looked at Xavier with a smug smile on his face. “We shall take the snowy mountains. Why don’t you go in the desert?”

  David began to pull Xavier away. “That sounds like a wonderful plan. We will see you in a week.”

  As David continued dragging Xavier away, Emily and Abaigeal grabbed several canteens and additional supplies. Charlie was encouraging Lena and Fina to join him and Oscar, but they staunchly refused.

  “Debiles!” Charlie shouted at them as they walked away.

  “We will fill up our canteens in the forest, and we will be back in time for dinner,” David instructed.

  Xavier was still fuming as they walked through the forest. In an hour they were filling up their canteens. The walk had relaxed him and before long, he was interacting with his team again.

  “Thanks for not quitting on me,” he said to Fina and Lena. “I don’t know why I let them get under my skin.”

  “Do not worry about it,” Lena said. “Charlie might be the most obnoxious man on the planet.”

  Fina nodded in agreement. David began telling bad jokes and puns as they walked through the forest. The group laughed together. Xavier began to focus on the task at hand. Desert training was extensive in the SEALs, but he thought it wise to let Goma, Fina, Abaigeal, and David take point since they grew up in the desert. Xavier asked them as they drew closer to the island.

  “So, what are some good strategies for living in the desert?”

  “Most people’s first thoughts about the desert is that it is always hot and that there is not enough water, but the nights actually get pretty cool,” Fina said.

  “And since everything here seems to be to the extreme, we should expect the nights to be very cold and the days to be very hot,” Emily suggested.

  “Right. No matter what, we need to make sure we have great amounts of water,” Carla stated.

  “And water is always buried in the ground as long as we can dig deep enough,” Abaigeal chimed in.

  “The worst part is going to be sandstorms. If they pick up, we will be breathing in course sand and we will not be able to see,” Goma noted.

  “Not everyone that lives in the desert lives in caves, although they do add ample protection and shelter. Many people who live in the desert live in tents and Arish houses made for ventilation. The engineering of the stone Gus houses is actually quite intriguing,” David informed them.

  “Right…so we’ll need hats and face covers,” Xavier suggested.

  “And sunglasses and multiple pairs of socks,” Goma added.

  “Can we use cloth to absorb the morning dew?” Xavier asked, already knowing the answer.

  “That is a great idea!” Abaigeal shrieked.

  The hike to the river really brought the team together. Once they arrived at the island, they saw the same five people camped out there. David and Carla enthusiastically grabbed all types of foods, especially meat. They encircled a large fire that Lena and Xavier started, and for the first time in eight days, they had a large meal. For the next couple of hours they continued bouncing ideas off of each other as they planned ways to survive in the desert.

  Xavier was grateful for the ones that stayed with him. He half expected after his faceoff with Oscar and Charlie they would abandon him and leave him to find the three flags in the desert on his own. Part of him wondered if that would have been a better option. Desert survival was nothing to scoff at.

  Xavier was pulled out of his daze as he realized the time. He tried to urge the group on. All the women glared at him as if he had just cussed them all out, and David found it humorous. He stood up and agreed with Xavier. Several moans and groans later, the women were getting up slowly. They crossed the bridge into the desert and an arid wind met them the second they stepped onto the dry sand.

  The sun was getting ready to set but the heat was still severe, piercing every bone of their bodies like arrows. They covered their faces and put on their sunglasses. Before they took more steps, the team checked their supplies to make sure they had everything they needed. Several of them grabbed fruit and meat for the road, knowing it would only last a day or two, but it was better than trying to find something in the desert.

  Once they completed their supply check, they all looked to Xavier to lead them. He looked in every direction and saw nothing but tawny brown every which way. In the distance he could make out a few hills but no clear direction. Discouragement began to creep in, but he defeated it by deciding to just go and figure it out along the way. They made their way northwest, fighting the wind as the sand blew against them without relent.

  After a few hours of an excruciating trek, David and Goma spotted a shadowy area. They were overjoyed and directed the team to follow them. The shadows revealed a small cave. Emily and Lena scoured the cave for any form of fruit or water to no avail. The cave offered little more than a respite from the sand and the wind. They plopped on the ground, sun burned, hot, hungry, and exhausted. Xavier advised and encouraged everyone.

  “It’s going to be difficult to not drink all of our water, but we have to pace ourselves. We have about three canteens apiece and six days to find these three flags. We can do it. Let’s not give up.”

  His words shot some energy into them. The realization of the difficulty of the challenge that lay before them was sinking in. Xavier had confidence in his people and refused to let Oscar and Charlie outdo him and his team.

  Chapter 12

  August 3rd 2
062 2:20 a.m. (Day Nine) Genesis Room, Crimson Manor, Berlin, Germany

  The team dozed off for a few hours, and Carla and Fina were the first ones awake. They woke everyone up to inform them that the wind had stopped. While Xavier was still wiping the sleep from his eyes, Carla approached him.

  “What is our plan, Xavier?”

  He shook the cobwebs from his brain and gained his composure. “Since the wind has died down, let’s scout ahead. Carla, come with me. David and Emily, make sure we have all that we need—”

  “I will start a fire and begin cooking dinner,” Goma interrupted.

  Xavier looked at her with a blank stare. He couldn’t believe that she volunteered instead of complaining. “That sounds great.”