Mikkel was a cunning medic, and a man who didn't shy away from the harsh truth. He wasn't a pessimist, he didn't really believe in any of that 'nonsense' just like he wasn't a man of faith. But some things you just had to believe when you saw them with your own eyes.

(set before the current mission)

He had been placed in a village in Sweden, near one of the great lakes called Vättern. After working here for years, he had picked up rumors here and there which all added together would make for an urban myth. It was about a group of people who had tried to take back the toxic lands from the creatures who roamed.

The group wasn't operated by the government, but it had its fair share of individuals who had military experience along with the guns that were provided for the villagers' own safety. Not much was known about the group members, or who their leader was.

The only thing that even made people think they existed was the graffiti made with spray-paint that was sometimes found on the buildings. Along with the consistent warnings that the village council made every other month about how any movement which still tried to operate like this would be punished for putting the village in danger.

Mikkel wasn't one to gossip, although thinking the reasons why someone would have such ludicrous plans in the first place was amusing. But that quickly turned into thinking about, what he would do if he were in their situation. He knew of the risks, he had seen the marks the creatures could leave and how it could all bitterly end. He had listened to the soldiers, the cleansers, the leaders who felt they had done nothing but sent good men into a terrible end.

With the medical knowledge he could tell what was the most vulnerable, and what could be seen as harmless but without the right precautions could kill you in the end. He had made his mistakes as a doctor in a war.

Although he wasn't a loner, he wasn't exactly looking for a lot of friends. His job could take a lot of toll on anyone and felt like he shouldn't be too friendly since he worked with the military where anything that the current state of the world would throw at the courageous men that dared fight against it, could happen and did. A few acquaintances were enough. And the cats, since they were seemingly always around, doing what they do best.

Days were usually dull, as the medics didn't have much to do when there weren't any missions available for them all of the time, especially since this place wasn't as active as the bigger ones at the top.

This left Mikkel to mostly just keep the equipment clean and sanitary, and to keep himself educated with all the possible things that could surprise him if there was an emergency to attend to. So, he mostly read medical journals. However, he did not only read the ones intended for medical students, he did also have more entertaining material. He also had some records of in-field emergency situations, the journals of doctors who had been to far away places that still survived for decades.

He had had his share of adventures already, but honestly thought he could never be too educated. It was also an incredible rush to read of all these fascinating discoveries, even with the images of gore when it came to the more gruesome cases that occurred on the fields of battle with the decay that roamed all the known and unknown world.

With all of his asocial behavior in mind, it surprised him when he received a letter addressed to him in one of his medical journals at work. He opened it somewhat hesitantly, he had no clue who would just leave it at his work station and not at his room in the medics' cabin in town. He hid it in his jacket until he got some privacy on the lunch break when he stayed behind his work desk.

The letter simply read, "Would you be interested in the real deal?", followed by instructions on how to contact the mysterious stranger if so. If not, he would just have to pretend not to have seen the message and burn the envelope it came in as well as the letter.

Mikkel wasn't sure if this was some joke set up by some colleague who thought this would lead to some funny chain of events, designed to humiliate him. He tried to figure out who sent the message, but since there wasn't any distinct features on the envelope, and as the handwriting was too texted, almost as if it had been typed on one of the old-world computers, he had now found himself in a bit of a conundrum he wasn't sure what to do.