Butterbeans the classified, a new way home

Level 113 was new and experimental. It was about top secret intel and experiments. Only personnel with top clearances were allowed at this level.

Butterbeans is far ahead and Alex can no longer hear her clicking paws against the concrete floor. Since level 113 was such a new and unexplored area, Alex is still unfamiliar with its nuances. He moves further into the level.

Not for the first time he wonders how the underground levels are completed so quickly. Now he is unable to see the rest of the team. He continues moving steadily forward. He knows that Butterbeans will double back soon, as she is trained.

With this in mind Alex continues into the main corridor of this level. It is designed in the same way as the levels above. There is a main corridor and several others that branch off at differing intervals.

The Classified

The mission briefing on this level had been standard, with one caution, unknown anomaly. Alex had thought briefly about the oddness of that statement. However, it had sounded like a matter of construction. He and Butterbeans were a search and find team. Not a construction team.

Alex is half way down the main corridor he can see. He still doesn’t hear or see Butterbeans. He hasn’t heard anything from ahead of him. Their team is more than a formality. The members of this team are familiar coworkers. Alex and Butterbeans are not the only search and find duo being used by the military these days.

They were part of a broader program designed for a better way. Alex had been selected for this detail because of dedicated work during basic training. He could have had his selection of pathways but something about the search and find concept prevailed.

The entire level has grown quiet now. Alex no longer feels confident. Furthermore, there hasn’t been a check in from Butterbeans. Now Alex is feeling concerned. Their training was designed for survival. A key component of that, was communication.

Regardless of terrain or objects in a search, the check in was fundamental to a safe outcome. However, not even this is a major concern as the first of the shots ring out in the underground labyrinth.

Now Alex is fully alarmed, and his concern for his partner becomes extreme worry. He begins moving quicker, and with more determination. The shots came from up ahead, he cautiously moves forward. He is fighting the urge to call out to Butterbeans. They had been trained for this after all.