"All right, everyone, gather around. It's time for the briefing."
Ravi Stennin, Kishor Draggarh, Sig Asgrimur, Elaine Karina, and Viluke Enaera all huddled around their commanding officer, Milla Hope.
"Here's the situation: For the past few weeks, there have been a series of multiple homicides. All of the victims were young women in their twenties who attended the same university. Each girl disappeared for approximately one week before later reappearing in dismembered pieces inside cardboard boxes..."
"Sick fuck..." Viluke muttered underneath her breath. Sig heard her, but said nothing of it, only returning his attention back to Milla.
"We were unable to list any possible suspects...until now."
Milla pulled out a photo of a man from her pocket. He was paler than the average person and had brown eyes and a shaved head. The only thing ruining the perfectly good photo was the creepy smile on his face.
"This is Andou Faralon, our main target. We found traces of his DNA on the latest body, so now we're going in after him. With the week already coming to a close, there's no time for subtlety: You're going in unannounced."
She turned to the board behind her. On it was a blueprint sketch detailing the inside of a two-story house.
"We believe that Ria Cline, the latest girl reported missing from the same college, is being held in the basement level of the house. However, that's also where we'll be expecting Faralon to be. We presume that he is not armed; we ran a background check on the guy and found no record of him ever purchasing a firearm. Nevertheless, stay on your toes. We don't know what this guy is capable of..."
"Does anyone else live with him?" Ravi Stennin asked, speaking up.
"His mother, Gleda Faralon. We've no reason to believe she's involved, but as procedure states, all must be restrained: Perp or not." Milla answered his question to which Ravi nodded his head.
"Guys...Seconds may be the difference between life and death for Ria Cline. Study the layout, grab your gear, and get moving."
Milla crossed her arms and nodded her head.
"Dismissed!"
In the armory, the guys were suiting up for their mission. Ravi was the first to finish as he put his helmet on, which differed from the rest, signifying his position as leader. He walked over to the table which had the blueprint Milla had shown them in the briefing room.
There are two points of entry...both of which are located in the backyard of the house. That makes our decision making a bit more flexible.
"Going over the layout, boss?"
Looking to his right, he saw Kishor standing beside him.
"Yeah." Ravi answered him, looking back at the schematics. "The two access points available are both located in the backyard where we'll be inserted. Convenient for us since we don't have to stick to one choice upon arrival."
"If so, then I have an idea."
Ravi and Kishor looked behind them at Sig who was staring at his helmet in his hands.
"It's assumed that only one man and an old lady lives there. So can't we just divide the team so we can clear the house quicker?" Sig suggested.
"A good idea, but it's risky. Remember that we have to expect the unexpected. I'm also going to assume that Faralon has an unregistered gun." Ravi explained.
"That does little to change the situation."
The three turned to the entrance where Viluke and Elaine were standing. Viluke had a green-painted shotgun strung behind her back while Elaine held a pepper-ball gun. Elaine walked toward the others while Viluke followed behind her.
"Even if he did own an illegal firearm, I doubt his accuracy matches that of any our sniper teams."
She walked over to the table and scanned the map over once.
"If you let Enaera and I take the door that leads into the garage and basement floor of the house, we'll take care of Andou Faralon and secure Ria Cline...or what's left of her. Of course, the final decision is yours since you're our leader."
There was a moment of silence as Ravi rubbed his chin in contemplation. Everyone looked at him patiently, awaiting his answer.
"All right, we'll do it." Ravi nodded his head. "When we get there, we'll divide and conquer. Enaera and Karina will take the door into the garage and basement while Draggarh, Asgrimur, and I clear the first and second floors through the backdoor leading into the kitchen."
"Enaera suggested we use strictly less-lethal weapons for this mission." Elaine stated, pointing her thumb at the girl without looking back.
Everyone except Elaine turned to Viluke who had been quiet the whole time.
"That's surprising." Kishor said. "No offense, Enaera."
"None taken." Viluke replied, looking the other way.
"I'm not against it. We leave at 1800 hours. Until then, you're free. Be ready." Ravi announced before leaving.
The others followed suit and only Sig and Viluke remained. Finally, Sig stood up from his seat, putting on his helmet and walked by Viluke. He stopped when they had their backs to each other. Turning around, he placed his hand on her shoulder giving her a light pat.
"I'm proud of you."
A blush stained her cheeks as she shook her head.
"Just get out of here, will ya? Jeez..."
Sig just chuckled and walked out.
The city was quiet under the cover of night, aside from the sounds of cricket and the small gusts of wind that passed by every few minutes. In the backyard of a house, several figures climbed over the fence. It was Ravi and the others.
"TOC, this is Team Eleven-Seven. We've arrived at the house, over." Ravi spoke to the radio attached to his vest.
"Copy. Proceed as planned." The voice from the radio responded.
"Roger that."
Ravi turned to his team.
"You all know what to do. Let's move."
Everyone nodded their heads. Ravi, Sig, and Kishor moved to the door on the back-porch while Elaine and Viluke headed to the door near the large garage entrance.
Elaine was already getting to work on the door with her lock-pick. A few seconds later, a clicking sound told them it was unlocked now. Switching back to her pepper-ball gun, she looked to Viluke who remained ready with her shotgun.
"This is it. Into the den of a serial killer."
She took a few steps back, letting Viluke move in front of her. Elaine placed one hand on Viluke's shoulder and she in turn grasped the doorknob.
Elaine squeezed Viluke's shoulder which prompted Viluke to grin and slowly turn the knob.
"Let's do this."
How does this relate to Lucky Star? You'll find out next chapter. Until then, I'll see you next time.