ANGEL'S LANDING | BL

CHAPTER 15 | TOP OR BOTTOM?

Unit R traveled for two, full days until they reached the outskirts of Nature's Reserve. Flying over the high fence, the angels touched down just outside the headquarters where the rangers were located. Rae had planned to strike a deal with the rangers in exchange for their permission to stay in Nature's Reserve, so the main operations building was their first stop.

Rae scrunched his brows as he surveyed the front lot. Four vehicles used by rangers were parked in the lot, however, other than that, it was empty. Rae had expected the lot to be filled with rangers' vehicles. It was strange to see it so empty.

Rae's suspicions were confirmed as the unit neared the building. The lights were off, and no movement could be detected from the inside. It had been vacated. Easily hacking the electric lock, Rae opened the back door to the headquarters before carefully entering the dark building.

Kilo and Castyr followed behind Rae as the colonel drew his sword and made his way to the main lobby. From there, the unit split up into its three teams and scouted out the rest of the building.

"No one's here," Destil reported as he and his team returned after a few minutes. It was not too large of a facility, so searching it did not take long.

"Confirmed, it's been evacuated," Azyr agreed with R-12's captain.

Kilo nodded in agreement with his fellow team captains as the unit reunited.

"I assume the rangers were called out to aid efforts in Harlim," Sinjae said as he came to stand behind his team's captain.

"Whatever the situation is, it's all the better for us that no one's here," Destil pointed out. "The fewer who know where we are, the better."

The other team leaders nodded in silent agreement. It was best if no one knew that the unit was hiding out somewhere in the depths of Nature's Reserve. As long as they were not discovered, they could safely train Axel into a soldier experienced enough to join the war.

"Let's move out," Rae commanded after looking around the main lobby once more. Although the headquarters would make for a great base, it was still too obvious a place in which to set up shop. Rae intended to almost get lost in the mountains of the reserve. That was the best way to protect Axel and ensure he could focus on training.

Following the colonel, the rest of the unit followed Rae back to the front lot where they commandeered the abandoned vehicles. Designed to be used by the rangers in the wilderness of the reserve, the rovers were perfect modes of transportation. Following the main road that led into the reserve, Rae led his unit deep into the woods before splitting off from the main road and continuing toward the mountain.

Axel looked out the window of the lead rover and gazed in awe at the trees as they drove through the woods. Never in his life had he seen nature that was so beautiful. Sure, Harlim had its fair share of parks, but nothing could beat raw nature. Natural trees were taller and sturdier than he had expected and much more grandiose.

It was about midday when the unit came to the base of the mountain where they found a vacated base that was once utilized by rangers. The base was small, but it had plenty of space for the angelic unit. With a stream nearby and plenty of essential pills, the unit had all the tools it needed to make this their base for the next few months.

Their new base was comprised of three small buildings. One was filled with bunk beds and shower rooms, and the second was a gym/training center while the third was a dining room with desks and workspaces. After checking each of the buildings and making sure they had been completely vacated, the team captains then secured the perimeter of their new base.

Once everything had been checked and secured, the unit then came together and gathered in the dining room where Rae set up the rotation for guarding the base. "Three members from one team will walk the perimeter at night. We will rotate through the three teams until everyone has guarded before restarting the rotations."