The four women each gave a sharp salute to signal their agreement. Private Martinez and Private Daniels grabbed the access hatch and pulled it open, revealing a very narrow, very dark environment within the base. Cold air escaped from the hatch, briefly cooling down the women gathered under the hot sun.
Private Rachel Meyers stared down into the darkness, still confused about the nature of their mission here. She wasn't one to ask questions, and, in fact, the marines were frequently discouraged from doing so, but something about this base made her feel uneasy. At least it would be cool indoors, the hot sun was making her irritable - when her parents had forced her to sign up for the marine core, she had hoped to travel to more exotic locations than this barren desert. Her uniform chafed and she could feel herself starting to sweat.
"Okay, let's get inside," Sgt Contreras ordered.
The women climbed inside, carefully descending the ladder into the pitch black of the base. Rachel was the last to descend, and while it felt good to get inside, the darkness made her nervous.
"Looks like the power is out," Private Zhu said. "Torches."
When everyone had safely reached the floor, they activated their torches, shining some light on their surroundings. They were inside a metallic room, with large steel doors - only one of which was open.
"Zhu, Martinez; try and get the power back online," Felicia ordered. "They must have a backup generator here somewhere."
"Yes sir." Zhu said as she and Martinez passed through the open door and disappeared into the darkness.
"Meyers, me and you will split up - you search the south of the base, I'll search the north. Keep your radio on, I don't want any surprises," the Corporal said.
"Right," Rachel replied, heading down the corridor.
Rachel took the safety off her pistol and kept her weapon close by as she walked down the southern tunnel. Martinez and Zhu were long gone, probably working their magic with the computers in the control room. Technology had never been Rachel's strong suit, she wasn't as smart as the other women in the group, but she was okay with that - her determination had been all she needed to see her through military academy. Well...that and her good looks. Even in this environment, her long blonde hair was shampooed, conditioned and styled to perfection, while her uniform had been specially chosen to accentuate her slim, toned figure and perky, full breasts. To say Rachel was proud of her body would have been an understatement.
As she turned a corner - her torch eliminating the path ahead - she heard something move in the darkness. She froze, pointing her weapon ahead and scanning the area for signs of life...