The road was bumpy and rough, Nikodem sat quietly in the front seat of the truck he was in, trying to recall how he got himself into this situation.


He had been going about his usual business of what little he could do at the current moment making him go a bit stir crazy. The other guys he was with were goofing off, not taking anything really seriously. But then again, he understood as there was not much to take seriously right now. It’s not like they were in the middle of something major or anything, just a bunch of jobs to keep them busy for the time being until an opportunity arrived to be useful. 


Grabbing a radio, he left them going off to do his own thing. Which was going to find a quiet place to read, though it was not nearly as exciting as talking about..whatever they were talking about, it kept Nikodem content. Gaze drifting lazily, he made his way deeper into the brush. 


They were sent to a small camp to keep an eye on everything. There was a few small villages that had some riots happening all around, so they were sent in to keep everything under control. Although he didn’t quite understand why he was sent with them, his skill set could surely be used elsewhere. But of course, asking questions with no real answers was going to get him nowhere very fast. Keeping his mouth shut and just going along with whatever was happening at the time was the best way to keep from getting in trouble. 


Nikodem had finally found a spot. It was a small clearing next to a glimmering stream. The trees let in sunlight from above to illuminate the words that lay on the page, just itching to come to life as his eyes set upon them. It was tranquil, the silence surrounded him and he sat down under a large tree. He was content, if not only for a moment. 


Though he knew he should have not expected it to last too long, as it never usually does. He sighed softly, ‘a boy can dream’, he thought. From where he just left, he heard some loud bangs and noises. Springing to his feet on instinct, Nikodem made a mad dash back to the small camps they were just at. What greeted him was something he was not expecting at all.


Two pre-teen rascals armed with knives and a gun plus spray paint were sitting in the middle of the camp, tied up with rope. Nikodem couldn’t help but to laugh at their pouting, dirty faces. 


“Did you boys try to play army?” He spoke to them in a somewhat condescending voice still dumbstruck at their predicament. 


The smaller boy, who had jet black hair and eyes to match, spat at Nikodem. “We don’t need you guys here to be our babysitters! We can handle this on our own! Leave us alone!” 


Nikodem was unsure of what to make of this. They had a point, but they simply could not leave until the big guys told them to pack up. “Ah..Well.. We can’t really do that.” He was blunt. This caused the taller boy to wiggle in his confines. 


“You have to leave!” He shouted and sent Nikodem a glare. The other men gathered at the spectacle, most people understand that Nikodem is as stubborn and dense as a rock when it comes to rules; so seeing someone argue with him was really a sight to behold. 


Nikodem was taken aback at the boy’s statement. “Well I mean..Child..” His words died away as he saw people to watch, murmuring amongst themselves with smirks on their faces. He was becoming uncomfortable with their stares. “Anywho, we must get you back home now..” Approaching the pair, the short one spat at Nikodem hitting him straight in the face with his saliva. 


The crowd got louder, but Nikodem remained calm simply wiping off his cheek and walked away from the boys, whispering to an officer as he passed, “Do not let them go. We shall return them home.” 


Just as fast as the action came, it subsided. But once more, as if those children set off a domino effect, his radio goes off. An unfamiliar voice spoke on the line. “Hello, is this Rzeka?” The man knew his callsign, so he must be some sort of person of importance. 


“Depends on who is asking..” He picked his words carefully. You never know with these types of people. 


“That is of no importance right now. What is important that you get to the man held up in the WWII bunker that is near your camp. Only you are to go. Is that understood?” The unknown man’s voice was stern and saying no was obviously not an option. 


“Sure…” Nikodem’s voice was steady with his response. Taking orders ran through his veins, it was programmed into him from day one of his start in the navy. He didn’t necessarily think about any consequences that may ensue from his impulsive reaction but for the moment they were nowhere to be found in his mind. It was only one thing, to do as he was told.  


“Good. You will contact callsign Hunter. There is a truck that will drop you near the place he is located and you will do as instructed. Is that clear?” His words had that same tightness to them that made Nikodem’s mouth fly open before he could even think.


“Yes sir.” With that the transmission ended leaving Nikodem to his thoughts. There were not many, and he simply began grabbing his personal supplies to put into his bag. It was nothing fancy or worth note, just common things that most should carry. He put his weapons in their holsters and left to find the truck. 


That is how Nikodem was sitting in the passenger's seat of military grade vehicle getting minor motion dizziness. Even if he was good at sea, the bumpy roads of the land made him sick. Nikodem had always found this ironic, some sort of sick satire of sorts as it usually is the other way around. His natural beck and call to authorities often lead him to some pretty wacky or uncomfortable situations, so something like this was nothing new. Even though he worked mostly on a submarine, he did have an amazing aptitude for search and rescue plus tracking making him useful in situations such as this. 


Soon, he tuned in and got the message from the man known as Hunter. He tried to pick his words cautiously to address him. 


“Ah, This is Rzeka. I am joining this mission. My skills are mostly navigation and tracking. But for something like this, I suppose negotiation would come in handy also which I have experience in. I will soon reach the bunker and be of assistance in anyway you see me fit.” 

Though, Nikodem couldn’t help but to wonder about the two boys who came to their camp. Were they from this village Hunter spoke of? If that is the case, his britalian may have caused this whole ordeal and that was why they were so desperate to get them away. He couldn’t be too sure as it all was just speculation. Even so, Nikodem just worried about how dire the situation may be. Another thought that crossed his mind was how they may have escaped if that was the case.. Though these are questions he could not linger on, as he had to look forward to the mission ahead.