Fantasy Search and Rescue

[heysappho]

" Dear Trainee Recruit,


Welcome to the US Forest Service- Search and Rescue team. You among your fellow trainee's will begin your time here in the NorthWest section of the mountains with me and my crew of vets. Stories of past situations will be told to you, and under the worst of circumstances you will have your own stories by the end of your trial period. I urge to you come prepared for tomorrow as you will be exposed to the most straining work you will probably ever do. If you happen to be of poor mental health, please come see me in my office BEFORE orientation, for this is not a job for anyone who can't handle high stress situations and/or are closed minded.


Do not bring cameras, and you will be told during orientation of some other... specifics that will be vital to your employment (and possibly survival) at this base. I expect all of you unless you have spoken to me prior to be ready by 0700 tomorrow morning.

Good luck, and be aware.


CAPT. Arcadia Nox Cole "
​

Based off of

this series of reddit posts, by searchandrescuewoods
​

 

[heysappho]

Arcadia hugged her sweater around her stomach, sitting in her old pickup waiting for it to warm up. Over the radio, a queue of early morning announcements and classic rock went on it's second time through. Today was her first rookie welcome day with the full Captain title, last year she was merely filling in for her father while he was in the hospital.


A file full of new faces was waiting on her desk once she walked in. If any of them were to walk through her door before 0700 and ask for it to be, their photo goes into the transfer 'OUT' pile. Outside of her office people were starting to file in, some of those ho were sleeping in the bunk in the apartments above coming scrambling down the stairs for the first dibs on fresh coffee.


"Ready today Arcadia?" said a voice popping in through her door, a heavy toed boot kicking up on a chair that sat infront of her desk.


"Am I ever?" She said to the older man infront of her. He was her uncle, in every sense but the biological. While he didn't go out on searches anymore due to his age, he does come and oversee things at the base, and he especially loves to participate in rookie day. If there's a horror story search to be told- he's the man to scare you out of ever wanting to step onto a trail again. "Please be nice to them, Bryant."


Arcadia stood after gathering the things she would need for her opening speech, and walked out the door behind him as he followed.


"Chin up, shoulders wide. Forest aint ever on your side." He said in a sing song voice- something her grandfather had taught him and her father when they were children.


"Yeah, don't tell them that just yet. Wait till we're out there."


Arcadia stood at the front of the room, and began pinning maps, saftey sheets, and lists on procedures up to prepare for the initial introduction. All that was left now was for people to start filling up the room. It would be a full house today- everyone was required to be here.

 

[SkyChild]

"This must be the place..." He thought to himself as he looked out of the car window. Nathan pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his trouser pocket and his gaze jumped back and forth between the address and the building in front of him. It has to be the right place. Reluctantly, he forced himself out of his car and into the cold. He grabbed his backpack with the few things he needed before closing the car door and locking it, digging his hands deep into his pockets and watching his exhaled breath condensate in the air.


He narrowed his eyes and darted to the entrance. It was colder than he expected.


He closed the door behind him and let out a sigh as he checked his watch;


06:46 am. He was a little early.


Nathan walked into the room the speech was going to be held in soon and sat down on one of the chairs, taking off his backpack and laying it on the floor next to him.


This was going to be interesting.

 

[Vespertide]

Hazel took a breath, slowly reading the title that spanned the top of the doors. United States Forest Service.


Well, this is it! She put a smile on her face and cheerfully opened the door. Her past was behind her, her future ahead. She was determined to make the best of it. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she picked it up. On the screen her mom's face was smiling. Hazel put the phone to her ear.


"Mom?"


She heard only breathing, and then a little giggle. "I found Ganny's phone, mommy! HI MOMMY!"


Hazel laughed, and heard her mother in the background. After a shuffling sound, her mom's voice filled her ear as Hazel walked up to the front desk.


"Mom, I have to go. Love you both!"


"I'll make sure that rascal of a child you have doesn't get my--Daniel Valiant Lampton! Get off the table!"


The phone call abruptly ended, and Hazel smiled at the receptionist. "Hi. I'm here for the orientation? For the rookies?"


On the phone, the receptionist leaned forward and pointed down the hallway. "Up the stairs, to your left. Room 43."


"Thanks! Have a great day!" Hazel replied, following her directions. The receptionist gave her an odd look, then rolled her heavily make-uped eyes and went back to her work. Hazel really was excited to be here; she hadn't had a job ever since she went to college, and then...


Hazel paused on the stairs, a sudden flashback hitting her.


A smile she grew to fear.


A party she never should have been at.


A son...


Hazel shook her head suddenly, taking in a few quick breaths. Her past was her past, her future ahead. That's what her psychologist, her mother, told her. Keep reminding yourself of that, honey. You'll be fine.


She nodded to herself, smiling as she continued up the steps. This was going to be a lot of fun. She would learn so much about the wildlife, the animals, the plants. She would help hikers and campers on their way! So much useful stuff, and she didn't need a single bit of pre-knowledge. It was a wonderful find.


Everything was going to be just fine. Just perfectly peachy.


She spotted room 43, and opened the door. Inside was a bunch of chairs. There were already several people there, and she sat down next to a nice-looking guy. Kind of cute, even.


He had nice eyes, too, and she didn't see the evil before it was too late...


Hazel shook her head, determined to forget what happened to her. "Hi, I'm Hazel. What's your name?" She extended her hand, smiling cheerfully.


(@Skychild that's you she's talking to.)

 

[SkyChild]

Nathan layed back in the chair and started to daydream like he always does when he doesn't have anything better to do. The anticipation was written all over his face as he stared into the distance, an awkward smile drawn on his lips. This was a good chapter of his life, he was sure of it.


"I'm going to have a good time..." He thought to himself, letting out a sigh as he sank deeper into the chair.


He was starting to get impatient and glanced at his watch.


06:55...


As he checked it, he spotted somebody in the corner of his eye, sitting down next to him.


It was a young woman with brown, curly hair and green eyes. Very cute-looking.

"Hi, I'm Hazel. What's your name?"

He took the hand she extended for a handshake and smiled.


"Nathan. Most people call me Nate."


He leaned back into the chair and tapped his feet, crossing his arms. More and more people filled the room. It was packed already. Why was he so excited? This is just a welcoming speech for the new trainees.


Honestly, he didn't know.


"How are you doing?" He asked, sitting back up normally in his chair only to lean back again shortly after.


He probably was the most impatient person alive.

 

[Vespertide]

"Nathan. Most people call me Nate.... How are you doing?"

Hazel smiled at his friendliness. "Just dandy. So are you one of the new recruits or one of the instructors?"


Her phone buzzed, and Hazel smiled apologetically at the man. She pulled it out, tapped the screen, and found a text with a picture. Daniel was on the floor, laughing his head off, and the caption was, I don't know what he's laughing at. Just like you when you were that age.


Hazel laughed, and turned her phone off. While she loved to see pictures of her baby boy being hilarious, she really shouldn't be so distracted.


"Sorry about that," she told him. "What did you say?"

 

[SkyChild]

"I'm a brandnew recruit. You as well, i assume?" The sound of a phone buzzing interrupted their conversation, and Hazel pulled it out. She started laughing a few moments after looking at the screen. Nathan unintentionally caught a glimpse of what was visible on the screen as well, and the smile on his face widened. It was a picture of a little boy laying on the ground, laughing. There was a text too, but he didn't plan on reading it.


Was that little guy her son? If so, she's a very young mother.

"Sorry about that,"

"What did you say?"

"Don't worry about it." He said with a smile before letting out a long yawn. He didn't get much sleep in the past days.


"I'm a newbie. You're a new recruit as well, aren't you?"

 

[Vespertide]

Hazel nodded, the brown curls around her face bouncing. "Yes. I'm really excited."


She watched as other recruits and officials went into the room, filling in the chairs. Nathan yawned, and Hazel couldn't stop herself from forming a big smile. She was here, finally here. A real job. It was all really exciting, and she couldn't wait for the meeting to begin.


((Hint hint, @ayezombie . I'm wanting to really get into this RP.))

 

[Assailant]

Max pulls up in his car and steps out, looking at the building in front of him. He pulls out his backpack with flashlight, phone, snacks, anything he could conceivably need in it. Included is his laptop and a few files. After checking to make sure they are actually there, he nods and puts the backpack on, looking with grim determination at the building, and behind it forest, that lay beyond.


This place isn't normal, I know it. He takes a deep breath and begins walking forward. I'll unravel the mystery of what's going on here. He talks to the receptionist, and is quickly directed into a room. He walks in and sees two people sitting next to each other, talking. He shrugs and sits next to one of them, not wanting to take up unnecessary seats.

 

[Vespertide]

Hazel watched the guy sit next to her, and she smiled at him. "Hi! Are you new here, too? I'm Hazel. This is Nate."


She gestured to Nate, and turned back to the new guy. He looked kind of nervous. Maybe he wasn't big on talking to girls, or didn't like meeting new people. But that was alright. Hazel had plenty of shy friends.


She was getting a little impatient, though. When was the meeting going to start?

 

[Assailant]

Max quickly looked to Hazel, and immediately any real nervousness seemed to leave him. There was still that awkward hang in the air that an introvert gets from talking to someone they don't know, but it was nothing too invasive. "Hello," he said with a happy tone that only he knew was a farce. Well... not entirely, he was a bit excited. "I'm Max. So, you're signing up for this too, huh? Why?" The whole time he talked he spoke with a loud, attentive tone that made him sound really engaged in the conversation. He knew she was anxious to start the meeting, he was too, but best to make allies early on.

 

[Vespertide]

Hazel laughed goodheartedly. Max sure talked fast! "Hi Max. I guess I signed up for the future ahead, you could say. I'd like to leave my past behind me."


She smiled, but inwardly another flash happened. He talked fast too, in a wicked way that made girls giddy, and Hazel was no different.


Hazel took another short breath in, hoping that Max and Nate would equate it to nervousness, or not notice at all. She didn't usually have this many flashes in a day... Maybe it was just her own excitement and nervousness.

 

[Assailant]

Max noticed the slight gasp after mentioning the past, and unnoticeably frowned. Something happened in her past, something that's traumatized her. She's come here to forget. Why come to a place as deadly and supernatural as this? Surely she must know...





"Well," he said, pretending as though he didn't notice. "We all have our reasons." As he said that, his voice dropped. For a moment, the farce of energy and enthusiasm he had for a while broke, giving way to a determined, almost somber voice. She seems traumatized, but even with that she's enthusiastic, antsy even. She has a reason to fight. I won't let her die...

 

[Vespertide]

((Hey, not posting quite yet, but I wanted to give you a heads up. Your character is realizing things about my character that either makes him A) a mind reader or B) really really really really good at reading people. I don't believe your character's either one of those. Just be aware that when I bold, that's what my character is saying. But your character won't know the thoughts of my character unless I write in details that lead you to that conclusion. Just letting you know.))

 

[heysappho]

(( I am so sorry guys! my wifi has been down and It's been killer with all the storms coming through my area to get it fixed. But I'm back! @Skychild ))


Arcadia stood up a little taller now, happy with how full the room has become. The recruits seemed to already be chatting with each other as old faces filed into the room. One man joined her by the podium, to help present the regulations and how things work around here. His name was Michael Nott, he had been on the force for about 5 years but he had shown within his first just how skillful he was with creating schedules and dealing with numbers.


She coughed a few times, and clasped her hands behind her back. Her hiking boots clicked on the ground as she walked to the center front of the room.


"Hello everyone, I apologize for stopping your conversations short, I assure you that on the way up to the training area you'll have plenty of time to finish them."


Arcadia smiled and nodded to some of her friends at the back of the room. "My name is Captain Arcadia Cole. I will be your commanding officer during your time training here at Pandora unit. The people that work here are all here for a reason, and as they spend more time here we have become a family. We work together, live together, and survive together. It is up to us to save lives, and find the people that others cant. All of you will need to know right now that this is not a walk in the park. You will be searching for hours, sometimes climbing horrible terrain in the worst weather of your lives. Sometimes a search can even be relaxing, other times it will be hell. But the reward of a mother's cries when you bring her child back alive will be worth all of it."


Some people murmured, remarking the kid they found dead last month. He was in horrible condition, stuck up in a tree with no signs of him getting up there. This sparking something in her memory so she decided to make one more comment before getting to business. "And sometimes they wont be alive. You'd better get really comfortable with death and injury cause those two will be waking up in the bunk next to you and drinking your coffee. Sometimes people have no chance. It's a fact of life."


Arcadia took a step back, to allow Michael to state some things about equipment, schedule requests, and some rules.

 

[Assailant]

Max watched the new man walk up, as around him he heard the murmurs of the kid. He frowned as he flashed back to a case file on his desk, one of the same files that happened to be in his backpack. He had always suspected the park was strange, but the strange conditions of the kid from a month ago was what pushed him to investigate the park. The kid was almost an icon for him. An unfortunate sacrifice, but hopefully one who's sacrifice will reap the survival of others after Max's investigation closes and is publicized. That kid wasn't the first, but hopefully Max could make sure he was the last.

 

[SkyChild]

Nathan listened carefully to Captain Arcadia Cole's speech, sometimes getting distracted by the murmuring of the other people in the room. Appearently, a little boy was stuck up in a tree, badly injured. The child succumbed to his injuries later.


Thinking about it, he has heard about this case. It was all over the papers. That poor child... What happened to him? The newspapers couldn't give any information about the cause of his injuries. There was always something shady going on in this place.


Nathan knew about the risks. Death was going to be a constant companion in the future.

But the reward of a mother's cries when you bring her child back alive will be worth all of it.

"Exactly." Nathan smiled and crossed his arms. He was in the right place. A place where his presence is needed, where people appreciate his help.


He won't be a useless waste of air anymore. Well, at least he thought he was.


Captain Arcadia Nox Cole stepped back, and a man took her place to explain some things about rules, equipment, etc. There was nothing out of the ordinary, really.


Still, Nathan couldn't shake off the feeling that they were hiding something. He didn't know what it was, but he was sure that there was something they didn't tell their new recruits yet. Oh well, maybe they'll tell them later... Or not. Maybe he was wrong.


Nathan sighed and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his head tilted sideways on one hand. Maybe he was thinking too much... Yeah, he's probably worrying for no reason...


He turned his attention back to the man by the podium after checking his watch. The speech took longer than he expected.

 

[Vespertide]

Hazel listened excitedly. Though she heard the warnings, she enjoyed much more the thought of returning a child to his or her mother's arms. If anyone had hurt or taken Danny, I know I would be forever grateful to the person who rescued him.

"And sometimes they wont be alive. You'd better get really comfortable with death and injury cause those two will be waking up in the bunk next to you and drinking your coffee. Sometimes people have no chance. It's a fact of life."

She smiled, thinking of the adventures they were going to have. But whispers of a kid, found up in a tree, dead, chilled her excitement. Though she felt pity for the mother and father of the child, now that she was here, she felt even more empathy for the people who had to pull him down. Solemnly she nodded in approval of her statement, though silently she disagreed with Captain Cole's remarks of that sometimes people have no chance. Everyone has a chance, she thought to herself. It all depends on how quickly we respond. Every death is preventable, isn't it?


She played with her bracelet on her wrist as she listened. It was something a friend had made for her in celebration of her new job, and it always brought a smile to her face. On it was a small inscription that said, Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain.


Hazel listened quietly to the next speaker, eagerly waiting to get started with her new job.

 

[heysappho]

Stepping back up in front of everyone, a crinkling sound came in over Arcadia's radio as well as over a few of the other's scattered around the room. Missy, their main communications supervisor who was in charge of making sure everyone knew what was going on, slid up behind Michael to discreetly hand them both a copy of the information that was coming over the airwaves. Paramedics just responded to two people that had been found by the highway. The problem was- once one fo them came to, he was asking for a third girl. After contacting their family the police were able to send the search team a report of exactly who they were going to be looking for.


"Okay! I want teams one and two on the west side of trail Doxen and teams three and four on east side. Rookies, you're with me. There's a bookbag for each of you on the back table, meet me asap at the red pickup truck out front." She said, as Missy handed out incident reports to different teams as they all gathered their things to go. Someone handed Arcadia her pack, water jugs, and flashlights. Already strapped to her side a tranquilizer.


"Missing is Marine Elliot, female 20. Dark brown hair. Look's like you all are skipping the introduction exercises, there's a lot fo ground to cover." Arcadia moved to go out the door, but stopped and looked back at the group of rookies. "If any of you fail to follow orders we will being having issues. You stay in my line of sight at all times, if you cannot see me or i cannot see you radio in immediately. None of you know the area yet, I will not be having any of you getting lost. Understood?"

 

[Assailant]

Max jumped up at the opportunity and looked at his personal bag. Debating with himself on what to do about it, he eventually decided to leave it and hope no one digs through it and finds the files. He jumped up and followed Arcadia out.

 

[SkyChild]

Nathan stood up and looked around, darting to the back table shortly after. Unsure what to do with his backpack, he decided to leave it here and picked up one of the book bags on the table. There wasn't anything of value in there to steal, anyway. He followed the other recruits to the door, carrying the book bag over his shoulder.

"Missing is Marine Elliot, female 20. Dark brown hair. Look's like you all are skipping the introduction exercises, there's a lot fo ground to cover."

"Alright then..." What exactly happened? Did she just get lost when she went hiking, or did something else happen?


Guess he'll find out soon.

"If any of you fail to follow orders we will being having issues. You stay in my line of sight at all times, if you cannot see me or i cannot see you radio in immediately. None of you know the area yet, I will not be having any of you getting lost. Understood?"

"Yes, mam." She was stern, but that's only understandable in this situation. Nathan pulled his radio out of the book bag after rummaging around in there for a while. Hopefully he didn't have to use it.


He darted out front to the red pickup truck, waiting for the other recruits to arrive. As he waited, thoughts began to run through his head.


How long is she missing already?


Is she injured?


Is she currently dying? Freezing to death? Succumbing to her potential injuries?


These were horrible thoughts, but sugar coating the situation wasn't going to help, either.

 

[Vespertide]

Rookies, you're with me. There's a bookbag for each of you on the back table, meet me asap at the red pickup truck out front."

Hazel was kind of excited. A real rescue, on her first day? Awesome! She could just see an adventure, something to tell Danny when she got home. She watched Captain Cole walk to the back of the room, and out the door. Hazel noted the bookbags on the back table, and immediately walked towards the table, pushing past some other people. They were plain khaki, but as she swung it onto her shoulder, Hazel found it to be comfortable. She glanced at Nate, who left his bag where he was sitting, then darted outside. He was probably excited too. This was going to be so much fun!


Hazel went outside with the rest of the rookies, and stood by the truck, waiting for Captain Cole to debrief them. There was a big, excited smile on her face.

 

[heysappho]

Cole made sure she had everything, mentally checking off things she would have to tell them once they all got loaded up. She had a big cab in the trunk, their bags would have to stay in the back and it might be tight on the ride, but it would do. She needed to speak to them all at once.


She stepped into the driver's seat, and hit the unlock button and waited for them all to file in. She eyed Max as he followed, and he others as well as they came out one by one. She noticed Nathan already getting his radio out, a good sign. Hazel's excitement was evident and she only hoped that the girl would keep that excitement even after this trip.


"Okay, so radios to the ready. Get familiar with your equipment, as you'll be using all of it on the trails after we find this girl."


Arcadia took a deep breath, and looked into the rear view mirror to look at them.


"This will be rough, I need all of you to understand that. I am very sorry that I couldn't get you all out at the trails, and I should be leaving you all at the HQ. But I'm not one to sugar coat anything. This is the sort of thing that you'll be encountering in your career here." She paused for a second, thinking about her first rough search. "If you can't handle today, then you need to go home. I hope you all feel like ou can stay here though. You seem like a tough group."


With that, Arcadia backed out of the parking spot and headed back round behind the building, and down an old vehicle trail. She followed different colored ropes around the trees until they reached a side entrance to a trail.


"Alright, we've got about a mile to hike. First thing's first, we find the camp."

 

[SkyChild]

Nathan didn't know why Captain Cole kept excusing herself. He didn't see a reason for that. If there was a person in mortal danger out in the woods, there's no time for getting to the trails.


A human life is more important than that. The recruits should understand the risks of this job.


He opened the book bag again and glanced at everything inside.


Beside from the radio, there were medical supplies, a flashlight, a lighter, climbing equipment, a GPS device, some provisions and a battery-powered heating blanket, as well as some other stuff. Still, the bag was surprisingly light.


He stuffed the radio back into the bag and his gaze shifted to Hazel, who sat next to him. A wide smile was stretched across her face, and she couldn't sit still. She was pretty excited.


Nathan wasn't excited at all. He was nervous, hoping not to find a dead body. Still, he could understand how people can get excited over this, though it would be better not to get your hopes up. When the woman is rescued, safe and sound, that's when he feels better.


"Geez, "I'm so excited!" is written on your forehead!" He said with a smile as he buried his hands in his pockets. Looking out the window, he noticed different colored ropes wrapped around the tree trunks. A short time later, they arrived at a side entrance to a small trail.


Nathan opened the car door and stepped out, leaving it open for the others to step out as well. It was nice to have some space, since the car was packed with people.

"Alright, we've got about a mile to hike. First thing's first, we find the camp."

He nodded, and followed Captain Cole and the others down the small trail leading into the woods. Even if his eyes adjusted to the darkness already, he decided to take his book bag off and rummaged around in it, looking for the flashlight, not stopping on the way. He pulled it out of the bag and turned the little switch, and a wide cone of light illuminated the ground in front of him.


"That's better..." He thought to himself, a half-smile forming on his lips. Though the flashlight gave off a soothing light, the woods made him feel... Uneasy.


He looked to his left and right, surrounded by large trees.


It was beautiful, yet eerie...


He didn't know why, but he felt very uncomfortable, but at the same time, he was amazed by the beauty of nature.


He couldn't explain that feeling very well...'Something just didn't feel right.' Is the best way to put it.


He let out a sigh, and saw Hazel walking a few meters in front of him. He picked up the pace to catch up with her.


"These woods sure have a creepy vibe to them..." He said, hoping he wasn't the only one who felt that way.


Maybe he just worries too much... Probably because he's so nervous...


Yeah, he should just calm down. There's probably no reason to feel uneasy.

 

[Assailant]

Max hopped out, shrugging his bag up to his shoulders more. He readjusted his bag and pulled out the flashlight, flicking it on. Oh, I hope nothing huge happens. I left my camera. He looks around a bit before following. It wasn't night, but the canopy blocked out much of the light, casting flickering waves of light battling in a dance of darkness upon the ground as he walked over their great battlefield. He jogged a tad, catching up to the others. He heard Nathan mention how creepy it was and walked up next to him.


"Well, we signed up for this. Wish for the best, expect the worst, and you can never go wrong. I'd like to hope we find Marine in one peace and we safely lead her out, but I'm prepared to be wrong."