Hey guys! Okay so I don't know what happened to fanfiction's mailing server this week but I think we all got hit, am I right? So I hope I replied back to all you guys after I checked! And oh my gosh, I had such a surge in favourites/follows this week like, where did you all come from? Haha is Tooth's transformation really that life-changing?! Lol in any case, thanks guys! I'm glad you're enjoying the ride (as I always say lol). Now let's do this! Roll up your sleeves! (The ELF isn't Hiccup!)
"And those other fellas he runs with, those kids that he signed?
Ridiculous, without even tryin', how do they do it?"
"This is ten-percent luck. Twenty-percent skill.
Fifteen-percent concentrated power of will.
Five-percent pleasure. Fifty-percent pain.
And a hundred-percent reason to remember the name."
Lone warehouse, Gulf of Naples coastline, 12:57 a.m.
"...unkn'...wn mov..."
"...movem...id'n...'ver the G..."
"...altitu...sity...tim't..."
Chzzz-schk!
"U-Unknown mov...over the Gulf of Naples. Coverage ar-rea and data no longer availa-a–"
Chzzz!
"This-is – Th-This is a warning. U'...'nknown movement identified over the Gulf of Naples. Coverage area and d'...data no longer available."
Chzzz!
"Altitude unknown–"
"–intensity unknown."
"...Prepare to engage."
VRRRMMMM...
The aircraft flew over the Gulf then continued on Northbound. It didn't appear to have any business over the Italian coastline and was just carrying on in its duties.
After its signature vanished over the Nightmare air traffic control, Pitch's men glared at their scanners and fixated on other unimportant sectors.
"False alarm. Continuing scout."
And they left it at that.
Even though they shouldn't have.
The aircraft did indeed fly on over Italy seemingly mundane and dumb for using such a rarely used highway that most planes didn't fly on anymore – except for Nightmares, that is.
But in the path it left, a single device was dropped from its cargo bay high over the warehouse perched close to the deep sea. Round and virtually invisible in the midnight sky, the device plummeted to the earth from 33,000 feet, spinning like a top on its descent.
No energy signatures were picking up on it, making it invisible.
Then at 20,000 ft, the little egg started to blink rapidly and high pitched beeping began to whine against the high wintry winds and rush of air. Coming to life, it synchronized and set an identical magnetic signature to the sensors that Nightmare until it was barely noticeable again.
Then it started to do its job.
The little egg began downloading all the region's environmental stats it had picked up in the fall – things like air pressure, air flow, temperature, humidity, and precipitation.
But in its activation, the Nightmares picked up on its signature.
"Disturbance over the base. 19, 536 ft. N12°W. Preparing to lock on."
It proved difficult however; their cameras weren't fast enough to lock onto such a tiny module. So as it spun and beeped faster, coming toward the ground, they couldn't catch onto it properly.
"Lock on now. Now!"
"Negative can't draw an accurate trajectory at its angle."
"Predict a spot of impact."
"Almost...three more seconds..."
The egg hurled closer and closer to the warehouse's rooftop, spinning and beeping like a bomb ready to drop.
"...two..."
"Dammit, lock on now."
But at thirty feet–
"One–"
The tiny little thing exploded.
A violent but small pop of yellow light left its body and spread like a firework in the air. The Nightmares paused and said nothing for a short while as it illuminated the rooftop and sent a tiny shock wave moving through the air.
Then they said nothing and crossed their arms in disappointment and aggravation.
"Target self-disengaged...Continuing regular scout."
Then they all turned their sensors to other points of interest. And in their apathy, they missed the brief static on their feed.
Veeeeerrrrr...
Not a second later, the invisible shockwave from the egg suddenly multiplied in size and strength. Its signature quadrupled and spread like wildfire over the rooftop and bounced on the roof.
And the second it touched the steel cover, the subtle vibration traveled all the way down to the base...giving Aster the layout of the base that he wanted.
...
Naples stratosphere, 50,000 ft high, 1:25 a.m.
"Now that's what I'm talking about!"
"Haha! That is my boys! Good job, men!"
A second later, Aster pulled the 3D layout from his touchscreen and lifted it off the screen to touch with his fingers. He made sure all of North's aircrafts (despite how much collateral damage it'd cost) had his style-projectors built into their walls so they could do the sorts of futuristic things necessary for North's assignments.
When the Slav patted his shoulder proudly, he knew it was definitely worth it too; and so did the two Elves (the same senior ranking ones from the Globe Room) piloting the mighty jet – they threw each other fist bumps.
No sooner did they go back to flying the large aircraft, did two huge hands drop on both their shoulders.
"This is going to be EPIC!" North boomed and their nodded restlessly.
He was standing behind them in the cockpit watching as they flew his precious jet, the biggest in the fleet, whom he affectionately named after a horse he once rode.
"How is Petrov?" he asked brusquely, referring to the plane and one of the Elves gave him a thumbs up.
"Running smooth and strong, chief!" he confirmed over the sound of his complink and the multiple feeds he was getting. "This stallion was born for this!"
North smirked before he flit his eyes to the far left.
"And Bunny! How is tech?"
"My googies are up and loaded!" Aster boasted from his station before he turned slightly in his chair.
No one had any clue what the hell a 'googie' was, and they didn't want to bother the man about it.
He was wearing his E-lens and his face was illuminated by the neon green and light blue of the floating projections around him. With both hands, he fiddled pragmatically with a small device he'd helped invent off the top of his head. With a beep, it finished coding some final variables into its programming.
Once it started to glow red, he let loose a wiry grin and smacked it off. The dark-haired operative then lifted it and gave the Cossack a smirk.
"When this bot's ready to drop, it'll drop hard. So remind the frostbite of that."
After he tossed it to the ELF leader, the two high-fived.
"Shostakovich, Bunny," the Russian said, rubbing his bald head gratefully as he left the cockpit. "Ah, that brain of yours!"
As he did, the two Elves shot the tall Australian a respectful gaze. He really was a computer security expert and an elite hacker in his own artistic form! Because for every software and device Aster had given North and the Elves since he joined the team, and for the words he seldom said that didn't involve insulting someone...the guy's will, ingenuity and skill were unmatched.
When Aster sensed their gazes out of the corner of his acid-green eyes, he whirled in his seat.
"What?" he snapped and the two jumped in their seats and faced the windscreen again.
"Christmas knockoffs," he muttered and they smirked under their red hoods.
...
Petrov's fuselage Bay, 1:37 a.m.
North stepped back into the main haul.
His mind sidetracked for moment, thinking of Sanderson and wondering just where the SANDMAN had vanished off to. But like the gold man's intuitions, North had a feeling he didn't have to worry for long. He was always a sight for sore eyes at the right time.
As he continued on, he could faintly hear Aster's voice going off on his complink, barking out orders and command sequences to other TI Elves with him.
"Check the installation on the reverse proxy servers! Make sure your cache doesn't leave a paper trail, mates! And how's my tunnel?"
"Protected and ready to detect anonymous service. Interception filters are prompting."
"Oy! Remember to keep an eye on layer-7."
"Aster, uh...we've got a NAT gateway operating on a layer-3!"
"3?! Bloody–Run it! Configure that little shit and make sure they d–"
It wasn't long before North moved into the main room of the large cargo aircraft – the fuselage.
Inside the large cross-section steel-enforced room, the rear-access ramp sat proudly under the cargo and weaponry North was supplying for his men...along with the boots of eight men going through one final movement of taekwondo.
"Dasot!...Yasot!" Jack yelled in Korean as he led them through their stances with heated command.
"Ilgop!...Yadol!"
North moved into the blue lights of the aircraft's body and watched the GUARDIAN lead. He still felt the stress, but cared enough to appreciate dedication when he saw it. Jack didn't seem to sense him as he pushed the Elves into their final forms.
"–and Ahop! (nine)...Yool! (ten)...Shiuh (relax)."
The Elves perfectly stopped in time and placed their hands behind their back as a sign of respect to their chung sah nim (chief master).
Jack nodded firmly.
In his stance before the Elves, he exhaled silently and finally buried every, single negative thought he'd carried since being picked up from Canada. His concentration was now locked and firm on the mission at hand, a man's body he wanted to smash in...and a princess's face he longed to see again. Jack was so close to getting everything in one shot, and he wasn't about to let his unfocused emotions get the better of him. Not this time...his heart would still be there, but it wouldn't cloud his judgement.
And as he weaved a current of air through his twitching fingers, he vowed it wouldn't.
Jack then caught the dark eyes of some of the Elves flit sideways. He turned his head.
North clapped briefly as he made his presence known and gave a tight smile – his wrinkles were still set firmly on his head.
"Are my men ready?" he asked in that switchblade tone of his that went from Commanding Officer to Gentle Father.
When several of them flexed their muscles for show, the ivory-haired GUARDIAN gave a slight upward tilt of his lips.
"Definitely."
He was also glad that they'd taught him a new technique he could incorporate into the fights to come. Now that the Elves joining him were told the truth about his Center gene, it made everything easier to try.
When North sensed the semi-relaxed vigour wash over Jack, he smile softened too.
"Very good! Now catch!" Next thing he knew, Jack lifted his hand subconsciously and caught Aster's EASTER egg.
As the two began what looked like a conversation, the other Elves broke apart to gear up. The stealth ELF agents didn't carry much like Jack did – they needed speed and lightness on their side so any sort of rifle or pack would slow them down and make them easy targets. At least their hoods were still pointed.
If they managed to breach Pitch's security and bring down the walls, then the other Elves could come in with the big toys.
They made little to no noise as Jack eyed the egg North tossed him. When he lifted his head though, he noticed the older man's gaze flit around the large space, eyeing his Elves suited up in black.
North frowned a little when he took in their black thermal-pressure suits – he always thought red was the best colour but it couldn't be helped. They'd have to blend in with the shadows, be the shadows tonight to stop Pitch's Nightmares. And, they needed to cover Jack who was leading their group into the dark.
"Nic?"
The Russian turned his head back and put a hand on Jack's shoulder. When he didn't flinch or tense under the touch, the older man was proud of how far they'd come.
(Луна) "Are you ready?" he and Jack nodded under his more-detailed black hood while his re-introduced white bangs slapped his forehead. North took the chance to take in the younger man's profile too.
Fully healed from the bullet wound and ready to bring hell, Jack's skin didn't look so pale anymore now that his hair complimented his tone and made his sapphire eyes glint in the computer lights. In fact, his lighter appearance made him look completely reborn – alive, fresh, and more than ready to flash someone temporarily with confusion...just enough time to give Jack the moments he'd need.
But it wasn't the only thing North appreciated about Jack's transformation. As Jack stood before North, fairly small but almost equally as intimidating, in his new, dark uniform he looked...right and resolute. His uniform was like North and Aster's, the only three specially-designed by the ELF scientists to each match to their gene capabilities. So Jack's was made with light fabric, thin and flexible enough to feel the drop in temperature and push of the slightest breezes, whilst giving him enough padding to make his assaults hit harder and faster. And the design of the body suit (also laced with more lethal weaponry than it seemed possible) exuded more than enough authority to make any low-ranking Nightmare nervous and put any arch-level Nightmare on their guard.
And Jack felt it too – it was like he was a GUARDIAN again.
He glared from under the black cowl, remembering to answer North's question.
"I'm born ready," he answered back in English. "I've always been. I wasn't chosen for this like you guys, so I'm ready to take whatever comes."
"You better!"
When they both turned, Aster was leaning against the entryway into the fuselage with a scowl. In one hand, he was rolling a small stone between his fingers (and still trying to get used to Jack's real hair colour).
Jack bristled.
He rolled his eyes before he tossed the EASTER egg into the air.
"Hey, watch it!" the hacker griped but all Jack did was frown slightly.
"What's your acronym for this one anyway?"
He already had Aster's first ElectronicAlpha device hooked onto his weapons belt – but he preferred not to call it an EA System Teardown Ex-Ruin for the obvious reasons. All he knew from Aster's poindexter explanation was that the first egg was designed as both a vulnerability scanner (to find Pitch's weak access ports in his network) and as a packet sniffer (then steal encodes and passwords from it which would then transmit back to their team).
So yeah, Aster had a lot of faith in his gadgets – almost as much as North had in his stomach.
The tattooed Australian even smirked proudly as he pointed at his googie. He answered Jack's question.
"The new one's my EA Siren Takedown Ex-Ruin! It's got a rootkit so it'll go undetected once it starts installin' itself onto Pitch's system. But once it's in, it'll give me and my blokes subvert control over his security systems, and they won't see us comin'," and he snickered, "It's gonna blow any ambush trick Pitch's boys have outta the water, that's for sure!"
After Jack gave it one more, light toss before he fastened it to his belt.
When Jack nodded, Aster crossed his arms.
"Trust me, you wouldn't want me as a Nightmare with the things I can do!"
And Jack rolled his eyes but the warmth in his face was there.
"I think we're all pretty lucky that you aren't. But hey, you wouldn't want me for a Nightmare either."
"Well, I can program faster!"
"Well, I can kick your ass."
"W–"
"Gentlemen!" North laughed. "This is about Toothiana and sisters. And world, not competition. So save spirit for the fight!"
Jack and Aster both gave him sour looks before they stepped aside and let the seven foot tall man come between them.
"Really? You're not even in this a little for the braggin' rights?" Aster said apprehensively.
"Oy nyet, Bunny. I am in this to make point!" he retorted back with marvel. "Point that globe can be protected and that we are capable of changing world. I have no time for brag...but heh, I would not mind if my men come out on top."
Nicolas then looked down at Jack sternly.
"Remember your part," he said curtly and Jack bit the inside of his cheek as he prepared for another repeat of the mission again. But he didn't mind just so the rest of the Elves would hear – they perked up as their chief's voice went over the plan one last time.
When Jack flexed his fingers, North pointed a finger at his belt.
"Elves will shadow you as you break into lair. Find generators to supercomputers then use this egg jammer to, первый (first), takedown sirens then, второй (second), move to communication tower and knock out Nightmare Bluetooth connection with the other!"
Jack narrowed his strong, blue eyes.
"I know this mission like the back of my hand. A deaf Nightmare is a dead Nightmare."
Aster and North nodded with just as much vigour. They didn't comment as the cold breeze in the haul grew stronger and threw up their hair (or in North's case, his beard).
The Cossack then shot his men a determined smirk.
"Da. Now gather 'round men!"
And Jack's team of seven assembled before their chief, dark but proud as ever. Once they were in front of him, he crossed his arms. Too bad Phil or his officers weren't around to join in his final speech but they were all scattered amongst the other Elves and on various modes of transport, manning other ELF teams. Not that he really minded because as he watched the best and most cunning of his Elves prepare to free fall from such a high altitude with nothing but Jack's wind, he couldn't ask for a more personal moment to show his respect and gratitude.
"What is first rule of combat?" he asked curtly and one of them spoke from under his dark cover.
"Never start a war you can't win," he answered.
North nodded his head.
"And you all, along with your other comrades, told me that you believe we can win this war this time. Am I right or am I right?"
No second options there.
They nodded confidently, some plastering smirks or punching their fists together in agreement.
"So when I look at you druz'ya (friends), you do not know how proud I am to have seen each of you grow! It is pleasure."
"Aw, don't get soft on us now, sir," one ELF smirked with his thick, Hispanic accent. "Me da fuerzas para tener a alguien a lucha! (It gives me strength to have someone to fight for!)"
North smiled tirelessly as he translated.
"Haha but is true! You are the last line of defense for this world and as we come to final hour, I know you will change tide."
They were silent as they thought about their night to come. But North put a hand on the ELF closest to him and smiled gently like a man would to his son.
"I feel it in my belly," he said softly and the men were smart enough not to question the intuition of Nicolas' gut feeling. It always meant something beyond what they couldn't understand.
Even Jack looked at him fondly while still serious. He was starting to wonder if North's belly was a side effect from the gene – because how did a man with a gut that big fight at expert-level combat?
When he pulled away, North gave them a mischievous twinkle of his electric blue eye and they couldn't help the infectious pride drifting between them and their superior.
"We'll do you proud, chief!"
"You already do!" he chuckled. "So do self proud this time, and brothers and sisters coming to–"
Beep! Beeeep!
...
1:53 a.m.
A member of Aster's TI ELF teams spoke into all their left ears.
"North! Aster! The grid is uploaded."
A moment later, Jack eyed the computer pedestal glowing with life as it gave direct feeds from Aster (and his TI)'s progress.
He strode over to it fluidly and lifted his fingerless combat gloves to touch the smooth, futuristic surface. A second later, he stroked in a sequence and with one hand, Jack displayed the 3D layout of Sector 13, the warehouse that Aster's egg had earlier exploded on to scan. On the screen, the unimpressive warehouse drew up to small-scale length on the computer, but as Jack shrunk it more between his fingers, he stared with sharp eyes at how the egg's seismic vibration revealed a complex network of tunnels below the warehouse...traveling deep towards the heart of Pitch's lair.
The white-haired hellion gritted his teeth.
With a sweep of his hand, he dragged down the touchscreen's display and threw it towards the center of the room. It disappeared from the computer...but then immediately became a 3D projection for the rest of the men to see.
Impressively enough, the Elves on the other five planes (ready to airdrop at Jack's call) were seeing it too.
Each ELF stared in cold anticipation, hearts beating wildly under their uniforms and fists tightening at their sides. Eyes alight and drinking in the floating model before them, Jack drifted on sure, catlike footfalls toward the center and lifted his hand. He further shrunk the 3D model of the warehouse under his fingertips until the building's structure was tiny and at their feet and the sky above it (the sky they were currently flying through) was displaying the atmospheric layout.
And like a proud beacon, it showed him a live feed of the wind paths blowing in and around the region.
"This is really just for me but you guys are free to look," he said curtly as he crossed his arms. His uniform was pushed up at the sleeves like he always seemed to enjoy, feeling the cold breeze brush against his skin.
Aster nodded as Jack continued.
"This is my meteorology," he said loudly over the aircraft's continually churning engines. Jack normally hated using that word – it reminded him too much of weatherman on the news who always predicted the forecast wrong. But he shook his head slightly and touched a section of the model to pull up PW for 'Prevailing Winds'.
Almost instantly, the colourful arrows indicating the wind patterns appeared in the modelled sky and above the miniature Gulf. They swirled around Petrov and the other five jets. Jack highlighted several winds curling around and through the coast in purple, yellow, and orange.
"I'm using the wind rose to track the dominant and westerly winds flowing through Naples...along with the land breeze coming off the coastline into the Gulf's water. I'm going to connect all three."
Several Elves bit down on their cheeks and said nothing – even Aster looked confused. But as Jack tapped the three winds again, he quickly drew a line of action between their current directions until they were connected for a small pocket of time.
"The Westerlies are the strongest in the Northern hemisphere and I have command over the colder breezes – this is my wind. So just so we're clear, you're gonna follow me through the wind tunnel while I'll steer a bit of its path over this particular point on the Earth's surface."
And he dragged the curve of the three winds right smack in the middle of the warehouse's rooftop.
"Uh...how again?" one ELF asked bravely.
Jack looked at him over his shoulder and snapped his wrist sideways.
Suddenly, a surge in Petrov's ventilation system blew through and the air pushed his hood off his head.
As he quickly put on his cowl again, the others smirked.
Jack turned back briskly.
"So you all better be listening one more time," he said through the complink's PA channel. "When we jump, it's because you're all landing in one part of the wind flow...then it'll be up to me to swing us down there."
And North nodded.
"Is less messy tactic, very stealth. No other way to break in without stepping foot onto coast," he added. "Alarms go off before break in, Pitch runs, we miss chance."
And Aster took a step forward.
"Which is why one of my guys is flyin' over right now with another egg scrambler to temporarily freeze their altitude sensors. If they catch you blokes fallin' within 500 feet, the alarm'll go off and fires will be shot."
Jack flit his serious gaze at him.
"So we're counting on you not to screw up," he muttered. And despite the mano-y-mano tension, Aster smirked and felt very reminiscent of the same words he said to Jack the night he left him with Tooth in Burgess.
"Or you!" he quipped.
"Or any of us!" North sighed and rubbed his wrinkling forehead again.
After Jack did one more sweep of the 3D projection for Naple's air pressure and water vapour levels, he snapped his fingers and the layout returned to the computer. It was a good thing Italy sat in the perfect place for a low-pressure system! Because if he needed to, he could call on the density of the temperature, dew points, and wind pressure to create a cold front...or worse (and he hoped it would never come to it), an extratropical cyclone.
But he wasn't scared. He'd done it before...
...and he was so ready.
"Drop off approaching in sixty seconds..."
North's high-ranking Elves from the front spoke on the PA.
"We're entering the Gulf, guys! 47, 000 ft below!"
"Oy Jack, you make sure you got those wind tunnels of yours liftin' strong! We don't need any men falling to their deaths!"
North glared at him – he didn't have to say it like that.
Jack shot him a dirty look too as the sirens in the aircraft's body started to blare loudly upon arrival.
"Which is why we're gonna play a game!" and he pushed his fingers to his ears, switching to the main channel again. "You guys know 'Human Chain?'"
And a vague memory flashed behind his eyes.
"Just stretch a little further, guys! A little further!"
"Ow!...Owowowow!"
"Hurry up, Jamie! My arms feel like noodles!"
"Don't worry, his friends are bigger! They should be here soon!"
So Jamie held onto Emma's hand and she held onto Pippa's.
Pippa stretched her long arms for a nine-year-old and gripped the twins', until Morty gripped Caleb's, and Caleb latched onto Cupcake's.
Cupcake then held onto another set of Emma's friends (one blonde-haired girl and a short dark-haired boy) until the last one gripped a birch tree and they stretched.
And at the exact same time, they all let out their frustrations.
"JACK! WE'RE GONNA KILL YOU!"
And he tried to laugh, but the water from the lake kept gushing into his mouth. Good thing Jamie's weird branch was pretty strong and kept his head above the surface.
The rip at the end of his jeans continued to snag on the branch and threatened to pull him under.
Not many of them went up there after that, except for the two Overland siblings.
It was also the summer Jack decided that he liked pants with tapered legs – having them fit closer around his legs (especially his ankles) made everything from moving, sitting, and running easier.
Which was a good thing too; because as a spy, it was one of the things he ended up wearing the most.
As the memory faded and the blaring from the alarm continued, Jack heard two Elves answer his question from the aircraft Drop Teams 3 and 5.
"Yeah, we know Human Chain!"
"Who doesn't?"
"Well, good. Because that's what we're gonna play."
"Drop off approaching in thirty-two seconds..."
Chizzck!
Immediately, the floor started to flash red and it opened. The other Elves disconnected for a brief moment as all their freighters' access ramps opened up too.
The minute the hull was opened to the night sky, the unforgiving winds slashed everyone in the face. Temperatures dropped like stones and cold air seeped into every uniform. And at nearly fifty-thousand feet, the drop looked suicidal, plummeting toward an Earth they couldn't see past the cumulonimbus clouds and piercing darkness.
It looked so far down...so impossible...
"GAH!" Aster choked and squeezed himself as close to the wall as possible. "N-Not on your Nellie!"
He really hated heights. Why else would he hole himself up underground?
But the ELFs held their breaths and clenched their jaws.
If North trusted Jack, then they'd trust him. And as he stepped toward the edge to let the death-defying pull of gravity take hold, Jack's team stepped back and walked toward North.
"It is an honour, sir!"
They all saluted.
North grabbed the hands of the two Elves next to him them and saluted the rest. He then pulled out one of his swords with the wreath-design on the hilt, and swept it over his men.
"Takzhe (Likewise). Never forget any of you, whether ELF or GUARDIAN, we are not separated by name or rank. You are one team, all fighting for same cause! Is not weapons and fight that defines you–
"–but what's in here," one ELF demonstrated by pointing at his heart proudly.
Jack felt nostalgia wash over him.
And North guffawed, his belly shaking in his gentle hold.
"Drop off approaching in twenty-four seconds..."
"Haha now shoo with your pointy heads!"
And they bumped fists with each other before they tightened their cowls over their eyes. Then they looked at Jack.
He nodded confidently under his.
"You boys ready?" he said with the powerful tone of a leader and the fire of a soldier just itching to get the party started.
"Of course."
"Yes, boss."
"Hell yeah!"
"Drop off approaching in nineteen seconds..."
Jack then walked the closest to the edge of the opening and leaned out. The second he did, the winds came back again and violently flew up to play with his white bangs and kiss his jaw. He blinked widely and breathed in the dry air...until it nearly choked him at the altitude.
North called out to him as he and Aster stood safely close to the cockpit with bailout oxygen masks over their mouths.
"Bunny and I will meet you on ground once you disable towers! Every ELF will. But we will do best we can from here to guide and follow you!"
"One last GUARDIAN reunion?"
And the stone in Aster's fingers split in two under the will and control of his gene.
"Damn right, Frost!"
"And men!"
And the hooded men turned to the Russian one more time.
"Remember to drop eggs at other sectors! Bunny needs rest of layout of Pitch's lair!"
"We all do!" he threw in hotly and the Elves nodded.
"Da, chief!" they promised together – even the ones now back on the complink, listening to his final remarks. Many of them weren't sure if they'd ever hear him again after tonight and it was just something each ELF was willing to accept.
"Drop off approaching in twelve seconds..."
Jack then whistled to the seven elite stealth agents and narrowed his arctic, blue eyes.
"Masks on!"
No sooner had he ordered the command, they each pressed one of Aster and the scientists' small, new device over their mouths until it activated and wrapped around their jaws. After it blinked for a moment then went seemingly dead, the built-in mics beeped to life.
As they did, the six other stealth teams all did the same from their aircraft freighters, and they listened in...along with the ELF bases listening across the world.
"Chzz! Voice module on?" Jack tested through the mask.
"Clear and crisp, boss."
"Everyone, remember to look out for each other. We're all one team!"
And Elves preparing globally shouted back words of encouragement to the masses.
"Ja! Laat niermand alleen!"
"Zhan zai yi qi, bu yao fen kai!"
"Drop off approaching in eight seconds..."
"Ey! Calma compadre! Nosotros te ayudamos, así somos aquí. Trabajamos juntos y nos protegemos como una familia. Y si alguien no piensa lo mismo, nos desaschemos del bastardo!"
"Drop off approaching in seven seconds..."
And one ELF in Cairo laughed.
"Haha now that is what I like to hear!"
"Drop off approaching in six seconds..."
"Prepare to drop in five..."
Aster tossed Jack another set of his E-lenses. The blue-eyed gunslinger caught it and put it on his face.
"...four..."
Instantly, the empty sky below him illuminated with the stats from the computer and traced the paths of the winds for him.
"...three"
Jack pulled out his pistol (which North's scientists modeled after a sleek and sexy CZ P-07 Duty) and loaded a cartridge into its slider. Then he shoved it in to his belt again.
"...two–"
"Udachi, Jack!" North wished.
"...One!"
"Now!"
A steady pulsating heartbeat later...
Jack led the small run to the hole, lifting his fingers and flexing his pale digits. Then just as he went over the edge, the powerful winds that were resisting him split apart, giving him and his boys a pathway devoid of air pressure.
And he smirked behind his sleek respirator.
"Chzzck! You may wanna hold your breath."
Then he and the Elves dropped like rocks, leaving the Petrov behind.
"WooOoohoOoo!"
...
The ELF's loud whoop rung through the earpieces as the wind parted like the Red Sea, and sent them rushing to the Earth below.
Like eight bats out the cave, the Elves tightened their bodysuits against the air pressure and streamlined with the unyielding air currents. The rest – the other five groups of eight, free fell from other planes more to the east and soon the sky was darkened with 48 spies falling from the stratosphere!
And Jack led the descent, making sure to be one closet to the earth and with at least a hundred feet of distance between them.
He squinted his eyes, looking through his E-lens as he tracked the wind paths surging around him. As he did, his breath was stolen from his lips as gravity yanked them further and further down.
Jack gritted his teeth as he watched the electronic glasses trace the invisible wind flow with a purple tunnel just below him and up to one of North's aircrafts thirty feet away. Then he flicked his eyes further down, catching the yellow curve of another wind, and another, traced with orange. He memorized their bends, calculating where each would be closest to touch each other.
He flexed his fingers. It was a good thing the highest wind was directly in the paths of the other dropping Elves. And it was also a good thing every ELF had a respirator over their mouths, because altitudes this high were sure to cause deoxid–
"Jack!" one of the high-ranking Elves buzzed in his ear. "You seein' the wind path through the lens?"
"Yeah," he spoke into the gas mask, his eyes sharp and meticulous.
"Wind speed's at 29 knots. The Westerly's coming east and moving upward at 47 degrees towards the others, just like I need it to."
"This better work, frostbite!" Aster snapped, joining in the feed.
"Bunny, this is Jack's element!" North chided.
"Ebgwarfalawubgrum!" Phil suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Nyet, he has done this before! Get off feed!"
"What?"
"Really?" another ELF from Drop Team Five interjected into the complink. "Jack, you've seriously used the wind to direct the drop offs of so many guys at once?!"
"GUYS!"
They all stopped at Jack's bark.
"We're free falling 40,000 ft and our only shot is me controlling that wind as an air cushion! So unless you all wanna see us splat on the rooftop, shut up and let me focus!"
"Sorry!"
"Sorry, mate."
"Gruhb!"
"Izvinite!"
Then their lines went silent...except for one ELF who snickered at the stupidity of the whole situation.
But who could blame his giddiness? Or the others'?
All their work was set up for this auspicious moment...and Jack couldn't be more ecstatic to be a part of it, to be a part of something greater than himself.
He glared as the yellow wind tunnel approached and the resounding beeps of the other Elves above him fast approaching it too.
Never forget any of you, whether ELF or GUARDIAN, we are not separated by name or rank.
He felt his heart quake in his chest under his bodysuit.
What do you work in? Haha because you're half my age but your salary's quadruple what I make!
His bangs flew up under his hood and the cold air surged into his lungs, elating him to the core.
We love you, honey! We're so proud of you...
And he found his light again, the light in the dark.
Suit up, Spy Boy.
His fingers twitched–
"Entering the air pocket!"
"NOW!" a TI ELF shouted and Jack removed both arms from where they were tightly pressed at his sides and shot them out under his face. The wind flow sensed him, sensed his gene calling out, and its curve bent up to catch him.
He gritted his teeth.
Quickly with the strike of a cobra, he spun to face the Elves falling overhead and curled his hands in with a push to the left. As all the ELFs entered the wind tunnel, they were suddenly swept sideways and moving in a strange invisible arch. Then Jack forced the powerful North wind into a steady curve towards the next one below.
And it obeyed; because it was like a waterslide and he was the only one could twist it mentally with large, invisible hands.
How are you even capable of doing something like that?...Because this is the height of my gene.
Instantly like a violent surge, Jack and Elves were lifted and sucked into the wind path, riding its current in a fierce downward curve surging toward the next wind tunnel Jack was commanding to arch upwards. He also made sure that the third wind tunnel, the land breeze coming off the coastline would be their emergency net in case either of the two stronger winds experienced turbulence or grew weak; but he didn't have to worry about it.
Once both tunnels had made a highway for him and North's men to ride on, the prevailing winds remained constant and gave the men the twisting drop of a lifetime! Jack continued to guide the directional flow to his point of destination.
In his calm, cool collectiveness, the other 47 Elves started to adjust and trust the earth element.
They each quickly drifted close together and gripped forearms with their team members just as Jack had instructed them. Soon, there were six teams playing Jack's game of Human Chain above his head.
"We're all secure!" one ELF confirmed into the brunette's ear and he nodded even though no one could see him.
"Good!"
"Jack, you're at 20,000 ft and fast approaching!"
"Keeping sharp!" he reassured.
Not a moment later, a loud aircraft looking completely ordinary flew high over them – but the moment it passed, something faintly blinked blue, and plummeted towards the warehouse rooftop.
Aster spoke into the complink.
"That's my bloke!"
Upon re-entry of the regular atmosphere, it exploded just above the rooftop.
A weird screech passed through their connection. Then the Aussie clapped his palms once.
"Hah, I knew my scrambler would work! Now give that bugger thirty seconds to reset the sensors, then you guys'll be good to drop on that window undetected!"
"Thanks, Aster," Jack exhaled steadily and he sped up the free fall with a snap of his wrists until the wind pushed down on everyone's backs. They needed to break in now!
'Window' was code for entryway; whether it was a vent, door, or actual window. But in Pitch's case it was a lone warehouse with a creepy, little wooden bed logo sitting on the coastline. It seemed like a forgotten furniture manufacturer's business to anyone who walked by...even to the Elves and the Australian who'd scanned it a billion times before in the past.
But it turned out that after tonight, it really was one of many access points into a thirteen-level facility that housed warfare and pathogens beyond the world's nightmare.
And Jack was ready to break in just as the Elves were.
As he glared with his blue eyes through the visor, the stats on the warehouse from the egg suddenly appeared – width, length, what material it was made of, and its GPS code on the Internet.
"Hitting 9,000 ft, Jack!" an ELF confirmed.
It was everything he needed and didn't need but as he continued to guide the bend of the powerful wind tunnel, he shouted into the mic.
"Time!"
"Eight seconds, mate!"
And he blinked, suddenly he felt very reminiscent of the drop he made as a GUARDIAN once before.
You have fourteen seconds! Jack we're not dropping fast enough!...On it!
But this time around, he had more confidence and control than in his early years...
Jack flexed his fingerless gloves the wind picked speed.
"Prepare for impact, gentlemen!" North spoke into his ear. "And everyone, make sure mask is on! We do not know what airborne reactants float down there!"
Several Elves following Jack in the descent pressed their gas masks tighter to their face before they linked arms tighter with each other.
"Get ready!" Jack breathed into his and he shut his eyes.
"And in three..."
Go get em, son!
"–two!"
Chase your dreams, Jack!
"Let's rock this bitch!"
"–one!"
Jack snapped his eyes open, blazing and murderous.
A flourish of white spread through his blue irises like frost.
A cold touched his heart.
And just as an 'unlocked' alarm emitted from the warehouse and red lights lit up the sides–
He swiped both hands down in front of him in an X-shape and sent a mighty strip of the North wind snapping straight toward the warehouse's rooftop...and into the enormous grate.
The sheer strength and speed of the air pressure had enough force to hit like a tank and Jack watched with self-confidence as it destroyed the vent in a violent churn of steel and metal.
As it twisted and fell through, a dark cavernous hole gave way into the 'pretend' warehouse, showing the dark tunnel that dropped into an abyss. An ELF spoke in his ear.
"You are at 2,000 ft!"
"Remember my egg!" Aster chimed for the last time before he cut all communication to let Jack and the stealth teams have the channel to themselves. "That hole runs eighty feet deep, so be ready for whatever fun's down there!...And find Tooth!"
Jack narrowed his eyes.
"Don't worry, cottontail!" he promised. "I'll keep bringing this place down until I do."
Then he, and North's 47 stealth agents, fell straight into the hole on the back of the wind.
Fwoooom...
For a while, it was dark and cold with the air whooshing into all their faces and making it impossible to hear or even see.
But then–
Beep! Beep!
"Warning: Security breach at Sector 13. Warning: Security breach at Sector 13."
Jack's visor lit up in the dark the same way it did when Aster used it to drive in pitch black with a Nightmare on his ass. It gave an approximate layout of the ground coming fast below him – a landing platform was waiting in total darkness, but the tunnel systems and grid-like expanse of Pitch's thirteenth sector spread out like a spider web. It vanished into different hallways and pockets for hiding.
The Elves behind him braced themselves team upon team ready to hit the concrete hard...and Jack was their only chance at making a safe drop.
Beep! Beep!
Beep! Beep!
"On you, Jack!"
Beep! Beep! Bee-Beeeeep!
"Security breach at Sector 13!...It is time to play."
And the ivory-haired GUARDIAN bared his teeth.
As the ground came (along with the bone chilling arrival of twenty different ranking Nightmares), one of the Elves pulled out a device, alert and prepared.
"Turn off your link!" he shouted into everyone's ear and they all pressed their complinks off. He then whipped the device down just as some of the Nightmares raised their guns. An earsplitting screech ran through their Bluetooth signals, momentarily stalling them.
Jack didn't skip a beat.
He curled himself into a tight ball for one frontal spin, then spread his limbs out. As he grabbed the wind like two whips in his hands, he let a breathy exhale escape his throat.
"This ends tonight!"
Jack skillfully tucked the wind under his knees to cushion his fall, and the second he touched the concrete floor, he yelled out and released a powerful blast of air in all directions.
The seismic gust blew all the Nightmares back against the walls, their guns and weapons askew.
As many collapsed slightly in the bone-shuddering impact, the wind then surged upwards to create a dome high over Jack's body...and a bubble under which the Elves broke their falls.
One by one, all of North's Elves slid/flipped down and around Jack with the help of the powerful current. They dropped safe on their boots and spread out quickly, shooting quickly at the Nightmares with their automatics and shotguns before sprinting off (team for team and partner for partner) into different corridors and hallways.
Soon, it was just Jack left with his team of seven.
He bent his head up from his crouch and stood up silently but slow. In the wake of his destruction, he gripped his fists and rolled a shoulder.
Jack took his off E-Lens and shoved it into his weapons belt.
"Merry Christmas, boys," he breathed cryptically and snapped out his staff violently. Then he sprinted at a new blockade of Nightmares alongside his team of Elves covering his back.
With his gene aflame and his adrenaline spiked, the frigid wind trailed behind, like an invisible demon licking at his fingers...
...and with the first strike, the war began.
Chapter's soundtrack: "Remember the Name" (Clean) – Fort Minor If you have never heard this song, what are you doing with your life, lol listen to it NOW. And read the lyrics because Mike to me is North, Tak is Bunny, and Ryu is definitely Jack! Also yeah that's right. Jack knows his atmospheric sciences. What up? Also if you're into classic rock I also think "Undivided" and "Hook Me Up" by Bon Jovi were good tracks to play (offered by an anon).
*Language thank you shouts again to Springflake (Dutch:Yes! Don't leave anybody to fend for themselves!), trumpet-geek and Rose-Stefanys-Strigidae'31 (Spanish: Ey! Relax pal! We help you, that is how we are here. We work together and we protect us like a family. If someone doesn't think the same, we undo the bastard!), and iris9093 and anons Cat and Meow (Mandarin:站在一起，不要分开！Stand together, do not separate!). You didn't think I forgot about all that you guys gave me did you? Haha I still have a few left to use. Also special mention to trumpet-geek for all the fanart you've ever drawn me over the course of this story. I never properly acknowledged you before so thank you for everything! (You can check her out her collection on aetgart at tumblr) And thanks to all you guys really for every gift you've shared with me too! I've loved each and every surprise. (: Now hang on for a little while longer!