595 shuffled through the snow in formation with the others. The transit station on her back and the spectrometer in her left hand were heavy and unwieldy; she had to lean slightly to her right to maintain good balance. The Agent could probably have moved faster if she’d gripped the sensory equipment in both arms, but then she wouldn’t have been able to wield her sidearm.   

At any rate, her load became noticeably easier to bear once they crossed onto the top face of the cube. Either something was making the objects she was carrying lighter, or something was making her suit stronger. 595 smiled under her visor and pressed on with renewed vigor.

“Ground team, can you read me? Come in, please.” Freyr crackled and hissed over comms, kept open purely via the cables connected to Vreta and 595. “I read you.” 595 answered, looking at Vreta to check he’d heard it too. “Good. We’re getting readings from the spectrometer now too. Proceed to the structure - we’re going to check the field for booby traps.”

“Copy that. Good work on the countermeasures, boys. Keep it up.” 595 purred, looking up at the fingers of light stabbing the chaotic swarm of creatures above. A few of the things had peeled away from the pack and were flying about frantically at a lower altitude, seemingly confused. 595 observed that they definitely weren’t bats. She’d never seen anything like them before.

“Is your gear still working?” She asked the team around her.