Triple Point

Chapter 61: 30 NOV 33AE, 0615 MT

30 NOV 33AE, 0615 MT

One kilometer south of Yellowstone Camp

The forest was creepy enough at night on a daily basis, so the tense silence that loomed between the dense trees like a heavy fog made things even worse.

"So why are we out here again?" Mack hissed as he followed her through the forest, the loudest sounds coming from their footfalls crunching on freshly fallen snow.

"One of the lookouts sensed something around this area," Camilla explained for the fifth time. "Dispatch sent us to investigate."

"Yeah, but why us?" Mack pressed, obviously disgruntled. "I don't know about you, but my genetics aren't meant for temperatures below sixty degrees. Besides, where are the kids? I swear I haven't seen them all day. Those little brats should be out here with us."

"They don't know what we're dealing with, so they figured it'd be best to send out more experienced personnel," Camilla explained monotonously. Why did Mack ask so many questions?

"So what, we're sacrifices? Terrific." Mack huffed in frustration. "Could you at least do something about the snow?"

"And risk using up my energy before a possible fight? No, thanks."

"Whatever," Mack said, and Camilla could hear him rolling his eyes through the tone of his voice. "You and I both know you've got like an insane amount of energy. Like seriously, it's—"

Camilla suddenly froze and held up a closed hand above her shoulder. Immediately, Mack stopped talking and moving, and the silence that followed seemed to ring through the air. For a few seconds, Camilla let her eyes scan their surroundings before waving him forward. She waited until they were side-by-side before continuing her advance, and the two steadily made their way closer to a wide clearing of trees, illuminated only by the dim moonlight.

Once they got closer though, Camilla subtly slowed her pace, and Mack took a few more steps before realizing she was no longer besides him. When his head spun around to look for her, his eyes were wide and his body radiated fear.

At the sight of him, Camilla felt a little guilty for her role in this betrayal scheme, but she still followed the plan and pointed silently to the clearing before them. For a few seconds, it didn't seem like Mack was going to turn around again, but with Camilla making no indication that she was going to do anything else, he eventually gave in and slowly faced forward.

Suddenly, bright lights immediately illuminated the clearing, and a couple dozen people jumped down from the tree tops or out from behind the trunks, startling Mack off his feet.

"Surprise!" the crowd cheered, drowning out a slew of family-friendly curses from Mack. "Happy birthday!"

Mack responded with even more wholesome curses from his seat on the snowy forest floor. He at least earned himself some pity from Camilla, and she went over to help him to his feet.

"What in the world just happened?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"You can thank Pala and Caffrey," Camilla said. "Happy birthday, Grandpa."

"Yeah, happy birthday, Grandpa!" Caffrey repeated, grinning wider than Camilla had ever seen.

"That's Vice Captain Grandpa to you, kid," Mack replied, but his stern tone meant nothing with the smile on his face.

His new title caught on with the rest of the partygoers, and he was pulled into the crowd of his guardian friends for a round of hugs and congratulations on surviving another year. Off to the side, Pala and Caffrey brought out the birthday cake, a bunch of factory-made chocolate muffins piled onto a meal tray from the mess tent, clustered around an emergency flare. Caffrey held it as far from his face as he could while Pala tried to light the flare, but after a few failed attempts, they gave up, and looked quickly around at the crowd.

"Cap!" Pala called as soon as they spotted her, shouting over the chatter from the other guardians. "Can you light this for us? My hands are frozen."

Camilla put on a scowl, trying to look irritated, but Pala's innocent smile showed that they knew she wasn't serious. Seconds later, the flare was lit and Camilla focused on keeping the rogue sparks under control while Caffrey carefully took the cake to Mack.

As soon as it reached him, the group erupted into song with a rough rendition of "happy birthday," and Mack looked happier than he had been in weeks. Sure, it wasn't much of a party venue, out in the middle of a dark forest a short distance away from a potential warzone, and the cake was primarily made out of sugar and preservatives, but Mack didn't seem to mind as his eyes glistened in the flare's warm light.

When it came time to blow out the candle, Pala quickly intervened and absorbed the heat instead, and the crowd began to smother Mack once more.

"Aw, our big buff baby," one of his Academy classmates teased, ruffling his hair. "Old age got you all sentimental, huh?"

"Don't you start crying, Mana, or you're gonna make me cry too," another said, gently smacking one of Mack's biceps.

"Be quiet, you jerks," Mack said, wiping his eyes a bit before starting another round of hugs.

While Camilla kept her distance, she was content from watching from afar. Even though she didn't know most of the guardians there, she could still sense their emotions, and their joy and affection were pure and genuine. The scene filled her with warmth, and even though it wasn't quite the same as Elsie's it would have to do. So as she held the perimeter, making sure that the noise, lights, and heat didn't sound off any alarms back at the camp, she allowed herself to bask in the happiness for a little while longer.

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