The infirmary didn't really want my help. So I ended up studying in the cafeteria during off meal hours.

Breakfast was a purple bun. I could only guess that it was made of some type of purple yam or something. It didn't taste bad actually.

The cafeteria is really empty when there is no one to surve the meals, so it was a perfect place to study.

Medicine is an exhausting field. Even when you get your degree, the learning never ends. I guess it's the same for most fields. But I try to earn some self pity for myself in private, telling myself that most of my friends probably don't find themselves taking notes on filaria and dengue in a cafeteria on the surface. I guess I might have been so absorbed that I didn't realize it when lunch rolled by. I choose the corner most table for myself so I didn't hear the additional sounds (it didn't help that I had my music-pod on).

I only realised it was lunch when a meal tray slapped itself in front of me on the table while an annoying Greek god-like face smiled down at me. How can a man's face look so perfect? Does he put on make-up or something? But all I felt was anger...

Because resting on the tray in front of me... Were eyeballs. Slimy green eyeballs along with a side serving of a purple bun and some salad. Everyone in Alpha two sad a trey and sat down around it. It took me a while to realize that the tray with the eyeballs were for me.

"I felt generous," Colonel Einze said with a shrug.

"Boss never picks up food for anyone," The only woman in the team, Katya Chevolsky said with a smirk.

I gave a rather awkward grin. Was it wise to tell them that I alret ate? Bugs in one matter, but eyeballs??? What type of poor creature had to be sacrificed for this? Why not eat their flesh? Were they hunted for their eyeballs?

"It's quite a delicacy," Colonel Einze explained. "Rich in protein."

I couldn't help but poke an eyeball with a fork. It didn't seem human at least. I sneaked a glance at everyone else's trays... They didn't have eyeballs! They had something else instead. I narrowed my eyes at the colonel, stabbed an eyeball with my fork and stuffed it into my mouth.

It tasted horrible.

Okay, it didn't taste exactly horrible, but the chewy and jelly like consistantcy was enough for anyone's imagination to run wild.

I sware that if I didn't get revenge on the colonel for this, I am not Mema Aluziyo!

Alpha Two decided that it is quite entertaining to bother their team doctor who was studying about rabies to save their lives just in case they got bitten by something unspeakable. They would hollar like mad baboons and tell jokes that for some reason they found rather funny. I discovered to my surprise that the blonde model chick and the part head-shaven brunette muscle builder of the team (Namely Brandon Lee) were actually married. I once say them peck each others cheeks before parting ways for some reason and I must have stared at them bewildered because the guy with the red head and scared face (a.k.a Cullen Andrews) sort of explained that they were married.

"Katya used to be a model," he said. "She quit and joined the military when Brandon was transferred here."

I had to pay myself in the back for guessing that Katya might have been a model at some point.

"That's so sweet," I found myself saying.

Cullen Andrews snorted before standing up and leaving me to my work.

I didn't have anywhere else to study but the cafeteria (my room wasn't an option). Doctor Stone sort of felt sorry for me and told me that I could burrow his office to study while he worked in his laboratory. My fondness to the old doctor grew tremendously.

On the fourth day, I found out that they were serving eyeballs for a limited amount along with some type of fish brain for those who want them. I ordered a plate fo myself and filled up another stay with everything I found unedible on display.

"Uhh.." the cadet who was serving the food said, "It's one tray per person."

"Oh, this is for Colonel Einze. He might be late and he loves these. He told to reserve a tray for him."

Colonel Einze arrived when I was halfway done with my meal. I sat near the counter so that I could catch him.

"Yoo hoo! Oh colonel! I wanted to return the favour from last time."

I think I might have yelled too loud because everyone looked at me.

The colonel came to my table. His face contorted the second he saw what was on his plate. Brandon Lee held a laugh and moved away with his own tray when he saw what was piled up on Colonel Einze's tray.

The Colonel sat down rather heavily.

"Thanks," he said, "How did you know these were my favourite?"

I shrugged. "Lucky guess."

Haaa... Vengeance sure felt sweet.

On the fifth day ever since I arrived to the surface, my digital watch informed me of a team meeting in the sixth floor of Column Four.

Column Four was mainly unoccupied. I pretty much had no idea meetings were held there, but that is where I was told to go. Some floors and rooms might as well be haunted. Then again, it could be a prank. Trust me, being a doctor doesn't mean I don't believe in ghosts. I have faced some... Encounters.

Still, it was a long walk from one building to the next as I had to cross the common training courtyard. I had to ride the half maintained elevator to the sixth floor, maybe taking the stairs might be good for my cholesterol levels.

Room Six B of Column Four was as haunted as ever, and for some reason, there was a projector there.

As it seems... It was one of the many rooms with an intact projector.

"Okay team," said a guy in military slacks and a mustache, "This is your new mission."

Oh joy, I told myself.

Our mission was to find a flower as Brigadier General Karl Finland pointed out. I would have taken him seriously if his mustache and manner of speech didn't remind me of a once feared dictator, or was it the comedian.

Still, I was going to risk my life for a flower which was yet to be proven to have any medicinal importance. It was blue and looked like a lily that absorbed glow in the night highlighter ink.

My teammates listened to the briefing rather seriously, and it seems they have explored the designated area already. There was a map projected on the screen and I understood nothing of it (Medical training doesn't come with reading military maps) while Brigadier General Finland kept on poking the white screen with a stick.

"You will depart tomorrow at dawn!" He said.

I turned to the red-head, Cullen Andrews, who was sitting next to me. I really could not guess his ancestry since I have never met red heads with dark skin before. Maybe... Red American? Still. It didn't matter. All the races in of people who live in the city were so much inter-mixed, it was impossible to tell what their original race was.

"What time does dawn translate to," I asked.

"Six a.m.," Cullen said.

I nodded, "Thanks."

The briefing ended quick.

"Hope to meet you all in Garage Four," the brigadier general said again.

"And where is that?" I asked Cullen again.

"Underground floor of this building."

"Ahh. Thanks again."

"And Doctor," The brigadier general turned to me. "I hope you realize the seriousness of this mission."

"Grab some flowers, try not to die," I said. "Understood."

"Remember team, this might be a Clas F mission, but it's still a serious one. You were chosen because you are familiar with Sector 53. Also, you have a newbie."

How many classes of missions were there. And why is everyone giving me a look that tells me they actually a mission of a higher class. Obviously a higher class mission spells more danger.

I think I might have been assigned to the suicide squad.

"Also, doctor, be ready with the medical kit. Come with me to get your field wear."

"Yes, sir."

Colonel Einze have me a look that pretty much told. "This is just the beginning of your nightmares."

I would have flipped him if it didn't seem quite unprofessional at the moment.

The meeting ended shortly after and I discovered that I truly was not a big fan of the field uniform. It was all in camaflouge colours and consisted of a pair of khaki shorts and a long sleeved army green dress shirt with a dozen pockets. It also came with a belt. They even came with a white tank top to wear underneath. I simply took back my field gear to my room and was told to obtain my first aid pack first thing in the morning.

The alarm clock of my signal-less phone woke me up at five a.m. in the morning. After dressing up, I went straight to the infirmary where I was given a white sleeve band with a red cross on it.

"Why this?" I asked the nurse as she picked out a first aid kit for me in the storage room while I fixed the sleeve band on my left arm.

"Reassurance," the nurse replied. "It makes them calm down knowing that a professional is there when you meet ranger who doesn't know you are a medical professional."

"I see," I said. I took hold of the back pack the nurse provided me before dumping all onto the nearest table.

"Doctor!"

"Ahhh..Sorry... I just want to know what I will be carrying," I said.

"O-okay."

The first aid kit had antibiotics, anti-filarials and a few antiviral drugs. There were drugs for worms including a set against malaria, pneumonia and tuberculosis. That it when I realized that maybe this trip might not be something accomplished in the span of the day.

These mad rangers hardly tell me anything and the nurse who accompanied me didn't seem to want to have me near too much. It was almost fifteen minutes to six, so I packed up all the drugs, bandage rolls, splints, ointments and syringes into the bag. I didn't have time to check what the syringes were.

When I made it to the garage area of Column Four my teammates were packing supplies into the back of two jeeps.

"Excuse me," I asked from the Brigadier General who was overseeing our mission. "How long will the mission take?"

The man shrugged, "Depends."

"How long did it take before?"

"Probably two days."

I froze. Shouldn't I pack a toothbrush at least? Then again, the team seemed to be carrying backpacks and guns of their own. My one-see backpack didn't seem much to be honest.

Colonel Einze took the wheel of the first Jeep while the guy who I guess was Cheng Lin (by what I remember from their medical report photographs) jumped onto he driving seat of the next.

All in all, there were six guys and two ladies including me, so four persons have to take a seat per jeep. Katya Chevolsky (since she was the only female besides me) and Jeremy Hawk along with Brandon Lee climbed onto the second jeep. I was left with the colonel, Cullen Andrews and whom I think should be Raajith Fernandez from what I remember. Cullen sat on on the shotgun while I sat behind with Raajith.

Raajith dumped his backpack behind him while picking up his gun and laying it across his lap.

"Okay rangers! Good luck!" Said the Brigadier General Finland and the jeeps shot out into the central yard. The gate of the base opened up automatically and the jeeps rolled out into the wilderness.

"Holding up well, doctor?" Colonel Einze asked from the driving seat while looking behind.

The ride was too bumpy to my liking. Who knew grass fields could be so uneven.

"Yes! Now drive while looking ahead!"

Raajith and Cullen chuckled.

"Don't worry doctor," Raajith said, leaving his arm over the back rest of the seat. "The colonel can drive very well."

I feel like these people are allowing me to accompany them just for the sake of having someone to make fun of.

"That's good to know then," I muttered.

I knew I wouldn't get along well with a bunch of neanderthals. It was as if the colonel was reading me mind before he said, "But keep in mind, doc. Us neanderthals are your means of survival. We say something, you obey. Got it?"

"Sure. Whatever," I said.

The outside world was like a painting done by a five year old who couldn't help my splash all colours in his crayon box into the paper. Everywhere was littered with greens, reds and hues of orange and browns. It was amazing how the contrast the blue of the sky made with green seem to fitting together. As the jeep drove into a gravel pathway, the echoes of strange whistles and flapping sounds along with rustling leaves filled the air. Sunlight streamed through the canopy up ahead, lighting up the road ahead in rays of strange yellowy green light.

Eventhough o though that maybe so much sunlight would make everything smolderig hot, it was surprisingly cool. Even the air that forcefully entered my lungs were cool with a strange icy feeling that burned my insides.

"Beautiful, ain't it doctor," Raajith said next to me. I couldn't help but notice that Raajith had the most enviable tone of bronze brown skin girls would kill for. Getting a tan was a luxury when you live your whole life underground. The sunlight steaming down us exaggerated the effects of his skin. It didn't help that it was obviously his natural skin tone from his south Asian descent. My skin might be dark, but it was a dull type of dark. More chocolate brown than gold. I must have stared too much at him because he grinned.

I looked away while the jeep drove over a pit, sending me flying na few inches off my seat and threatening to throw my breakfast straight out of my stomach.

Behind me, the second jeep rolled by, everyone glued to the door with their weapons at arm's reach.

Forests... Were surprisingly silent. Don't get me wrong, there were noises here and there. Yet no matter what, you couldn't help but feel a calm silence that penetrated into your being when surrounded by soil and vegetation. The rumble of the two jeeps seem to disturb that silence, and a hidden part of me was anxious for the recuperations that came with it, no matter how odd that sounded.

I checked the time over and over again as we rode and my buttocks were starting to get stiff. All the tossing and sharp turns were giving me a headache. The relief I felt when the colonel killed the engine was immense,  but it was replaced upon seeing that we have stopped in front of a revine.

There was a rope bridge crossing the revine, and my pessimistic mind told me that we were obviously going to cross it.

Everyone else strapped on their bags and weapons while the colonel covered the jeeps with a camaflouge cover after hiding the keys under the driver's seat.

"So we just ... Leave them?" I said.

Cullen nodded.

"Okay, folks! Let's move! Doc, behind me," said the colonel.

I had no qualms with that. The closer to him the better I survive.

Crossing the bridge was a nightmare. I couldn't help but looking down while reminding myself not to look down. At least the rope bridge was not five hundred years old with rotten rope and planks. It was recently installed and was military grade.

Jeremy Patten by backpack with a laugh when my feet touched solid ground, almost sending me off my feet. Then we once again squeezed into the wilderness. Cullen had his eyes on what seemed like a GSP monitor while the rest had their guns drawn.

"Listen clear and listen well, doctor," the colonel spoke from in front of me. "You see an animal smaller than you, you don't run until I tell you to. You must stay put and not move a muscle. Understand?"

"Smaller than me how?" I said.

The colonel frowned.

"He means an animal whose eye level is below yours," Cullen said from behind me.

"Why?" I asked.

"We are intruders to this environment," Colonel Einze explained, "when they see us they will categories us into two groups. It's either food, threat or predator. Food runs way and they will chase food, and it might trigger their chasing instinct. Threats attack, and they will attack back. We have to be neither and they will leave us alone."

Did this guy take a degree on animal psychology or something?

"Understand doctor Aluziyo?"

"Yes. Understood. See something, don't move."

"But if you see something remotely humanoid besides us, just run."

What?

"Remotely humanoid?" I whisper yelled. "Like a monkey?"

Colonel Einze didn't answer.

Was it a joke? But he didn't seem to be in a mood to make jokes. No, this was the Colonel Einze in his job mode.

Why did I spend my youth reading all of thousands of those trashy web novels on the internet? My imagination tends to run wild very easily. I swallowed my terror down and decided to concentrate on the task at hand. He probably meant a gorilla or an ape, I told myself. Could be an ape. They are quite intelligent.

Snap out of it! I yelled to myself again.
Pay attention to your surroundings, and walk. Just walk.

We walked for four hours and the sun was creeping to the summit. We took a water break under a large tree while eating a packet of compressed military biscuits. They tasted to bad, it felt like cardboard mixed with flour. At least, it's want I imagined cardboard to taste like.

While everyone was resting, I took the liberty to look at a pretty purple looking flower with black spots. The petals were randomly spread apart and had no district uniform shape to all them.

I guess it added to it's charm.

Katya walked over to me carrying a half rotten branch and smacked the flower.

"Hay!" I yelled, shocked at her abruptness.

The petals instantly wrapped itself around the rotten branch, strangling it.

My throat gave out the sound of a rat caught in a trap.

"If you don't know what it is, don't touch anything," said Katya.

If the flora were this much brutal, I wonder how brutal the animals were.

We continued walking. After about two hours, I felt my feet and calf muscles protesting against me. But no one else seemed to have any trouble walking, so I had to simply swallow down my sorrows and keep on walking.

They already saw me as a burden anyways.

My heels were aching from bearing my body weight while my toes were aching from being cramped inside a pair of boots. It didn't help that the path we took ran uphill sometimes and even if there was no definite observable path, Colonel Einze seemed to know where he was going.

At about four, we reached a small clearing where the colonel announced that we would make camp for the night.

"We already entered sector 53. We'll be able to reach the valley at dawn tomorrow."

The rest of the team nodded.

"Katya, Lee make the tents. Fernandez, you and doc can pick up some firewood."

The Colonel threw something which landed on my feet.

I was a sheathed dagger.

"Come on doc," Raajith said, "even picking firewood is am art."

An arm which pretty much involved me trying to pick out dead branches which were not damp from the forest floor without getting bitten my anything.

It was Cullen who uses his lighter to make a fire. Rations of compressed biscuits were passed around again. Fortunately, one packet seem to fulfill all the nutritional needs of a meal while making you feel full, even if it was unpalatable.

There were four makeshift tents and I was required to share one with Katya. She didn't seem so pleased but simply bared with it.

I didn't sleep that night since I couldn't help but listen to the sounds of the forest and scaring myself by reminding the warning the colonel gave me in the morning.

The nest morning, my feet went on work strike.

I could only secretly apply some of the balm I carried in the first aid kit and nurse some of my blisters while Katya was out before we had to fold up the tents again. I wondered if anyone had any blisters to look after since... Yeah... I was the team doctor. But no one was complaining. I guess I was the only one who had get used to walking all day.

After breakfast we walked.

Again.

Life couldn't get more torturous than this.