Hey bestknight32 here! srry for the delay i guess dont trust me with schedules lol. Before we begin i would like to remind everyone again so theirs no confusion that this "fic is going to a bit experimental" a line from chapter 3 authors note. I'd like to thank Dahliingg for making the base of the story and Tim Baril for making this chapter! You two are the best! Alright thats all until next time! ". .. . .- -.. / - ... . / -. . .-.. - / .. . ... .- ... - . . .."
The small briefing room was dark but for the glare coming from the rectangular computer screens on the wall behind Doberman, filled with names, maps, and numbers. And a smaller light from the tablet Kal'tsit had in hand at the back of the room where she leaned up against the wall next to the door, the tablet's glow lighting up her emotionless face as she poured over the data in front of her, fingers flying over the screen in a competent blur. Hayden wasn't fooled by her pretended nonchalance, though; her ears were turned their way, and she was keeping a close eye on the meeting. On him.
Doberman, strong and in command, as always, gestured to the map on one of the large screens behind her and spoke to him and Amiya. Her voice was clipped with a sense of urgency. "We were scheduled to meet up with Emperor and his people in a place called Forville, but not for another week. Unfortunately, Penguin Logistics has run into trouble, and we have to rendezvous immediately if we're going to have any hope of saving him and the supplies he's been putting together for us there."
Amiya, sitting next to Hayden, tilted her head in question. "What happened?"
Doberman sighed and shook her head with mild frustration. "Emperor being Emperor. He's always stirring up enmity with other gangs, whether through his business or his music. Looks like he went too far this time. Three other gangs teamed up to take him down. They've surrounded Forville and are looking for his head."
Hayden spoke up. "What's the location like?"
"Very small former city, not mobile. City's been evacuated multiple times but has only been hit by catastrophe once, so it's still mostly intact. That's good for us because it means good roads we can use to pull out our supplies. Trouble is, the gangsters have shown up in large numbers. Emperor only has a small crew with him because they weren't anticipating trouble. They think they can hold out for a while because it's a fortified position. But sooner rather than later, the gangsters will get their courage up and attack from all sides. Penguin Logistics will be done for. Therefore, our job is to get Penguin Logistics out while securing the supply delivery as well."
Hayden nodded, taking the data in and beginning to make a mental picture. "Info on the attackers?"
"Overwhelming numbers. No word on notable players; Emperor says it's mostly lowlife grunts, but there are a lot, a small army." Doberman moved closer to the screen and tapped the glowing red dot over Penguin Logistics location. "There is a huge cache waiting for us: food, raw materials, ammo, medical ingredients, bandages, and," her eyes locked on Hayden's, "over fifty field samples of originium taken from infected. Some are supposed to be noteworthy."
Hayden grimaced. "So we can't just rescue the people there. We have to get the goods out, too. How do we transport?"
"Too heavy for choppers. We'll need to truck it outside of the urban area and use a cargo plane."
He was surprised by that. "We have one?"
Amiya nodded. "We've already reached out to contract one for the job. It'll be onsite when we need it."
"And the trucks?" he asked.
Doberman gestured with her head at the screen. "Take them from onsite. You've seen the map, you know what we know of numbers, both Penguin Logistics and the enemy. Who do you want on the team, Doctor? I'll be leading our squad. But with Doctor Kal'tsit's permission, you'll be our strategist."
He consciously forced himself not to look over his shoulder at the top administrator for Rhodes Island. He picked up his own tablet and ran through names and skill sets. He'd already spent weeks learning about RI members and what they could do out in the field. Now it was a matter of putting together a team and a plan. "Adnachiel to scout. Ansel as our medic. Steward to pierce through their lines. Gummy and Cardigan for protection. 12F and Lava. We'll also need additional hands for transport."
She raised a fine brow but didn't question his choices. She gave a sharp nod. "Very well. Agreed. I'll include ten soldiers as well."
He bowed in acknowledgement.
Kal'tsit's voice intruded. "That's a very small team against an army."
"Yes," he allowed, "but it's the right people for the job. A combination of precision and wide-area effectiveness."
Her voice turned arch. "And if you run into more than you initially planned for?"
"Then a small team has a better chance of running and escaping than a larger one."
That seemed to satisfy her.
Amiya awarded him with a big smile of encouragement. "Good luck out there. I'm sure you'll do great."
"I'll try. I mean, I will."
Doberman headed for the door, all business. "Let's go."
Hayden caught Kal'tsit's eye as he passed by, leaving the room.
She flicked the tablet off and hugged it to her chest. "Be careful."
He felt a flush of excitement at her acknowledgement. "Always."
The Rhodes Island stealth helicopter flew low over the ground, skimming the oft-ruined landscape before letting them down behind a copse of trees just outside the perimeter of Forville. The team jumped out and hid in the trees while the chopper quietly lifted off again and departed.
Hayden's heart thumped in his chest as he watched their ride leave them behind. The mission was officially on, and there was no turning back. From this point on, his decisions would be instrumental, and lives would be in his hands. The responsibility was almost tangible. He turned and followed Doberman further into the trees. Mimicking others, he stayed low, as the cover was somewhat thin.
Doberman crouched behind a tree and studied the city ahead. "We'll wait and see if we were noticed. Give it ten minutes."
Hayden waved Adnachiel over.
The young man hastened to his side, a game grin on his lips. "Doctor."
"Adnachiel, you're up first. Find us the best possible route in and out. Mark routes for sizeable trucks, if you can."
"Will do." The scout saluted. He turned to the soldiers spread out around the group and gave a signal.
Three soldiers stepped up to the tree line and threw a half dozen small, black drones into the sky. The little devices caught the air, lifted high overhead, and then whirled towards the city.
There was a suburb in front of them. Adnachiel waited until the drones were over the first houses, tracking their cameras on his personal device. Seeing nothing on the screen on his arm, he looked at Doberman for the ok, then dashed across the open. Luckily, no shouts of alarm or shots rang out. No Arts greeted him. He disappeared between houses.
Doberman waited several minutes, then waved the rest of the group forward. "Tight group. Stay quiet, so they don't know we're sneaking up on their rear. I'll range ahead and sniff out lookouts."
They followed her into the open.
Doberman's long, lithe legs carried her easily across the grass. She moved cautiously, eyes everywhere, but stayed well ahead of the group, occasionally moving out of eyesight as they traversed the suburb. Her tall black ears twitched as she listened for movement. She carried her coiled whip in one hand, ready to lash out at any moment, and her other hand rested on her sabre, keeping it in place as she moved, yet just as ready to draw it.
Hayden glanced around as he hustled after her, the rest of the team in a tight formation around him and Ansel, the regular soldiers and the two guards, Gummy and Cardigan, acting as shields for the strategist, medic, and three Arts users.
The streets were quiet. A few heads appeared in windows that were quickly draped shut. As the team moved into the more commercial downtown, they spotted more people around. One look at their group and most folks quickly got out of the way, heads down and very wary of trouble.
After some time, at the edge of an industrial area serving downtown, Doberman slowed and hid behind the corner of a furniture maker. She took a quick look around the corner of the concrete building, then pulled back. She waved the team to the side to take cover behind her.
Hayden felt a vibration and checked the device on his arm. An alert had come up. He punched the button and saw a map with a route laid out in red. He glanced up at Doberman as he arrived. "The extraction plan. It agrees with the one we planned at headquarters. Looks like we can come out where we go in, then go west to get out of the city."
She looked serious. "The plan?"
Hayden didn't hesitate. After all, they'd already gone over this once, and they were just double checking there was no reason to change anything. "Steward is our surgeon. He'll quietly cut through the ring. The rest of us will follow. Soldiers, cover our sides. 12F and Lava will remain behind in hiding, waiting for us to come back out and to secure our exit from pursuit."
Lava, whose goth-style skirt and boots were purple to match her hair, had a book in one hand and a dagger in the other. She'd given Hayden the impression of being the anti-social type and her file warned that she didn't always work well with others. But she was also adept at taking on large forces.
12F, all in black like the regular soldiers, moved like the seasoned mercenary he'd once been before joining RI, quiet and focused at all times, his narrow eyes missing nothing. His face and head were dragon-like, with spikes protruding from the back of his skull, his skin hard and the colour of bone. Despite a stern facade, reports said he was always an asset and could help smooth out an operation when personalities conflicted. Like Lava, he was adept at dealing with numbers and would be crucial to the second stage of the mission.
Doberman glanced at 12F and Lava, giving them a wait gesture, then eyed Steward. "All good?"
Hayden's gut tensed. So far, he and Steward hadn't said anything to each other either before or during the mission. Yet the young man hadn't objected to being picked for the team and had come along without question.
Steward hesitated, then looked at Hayden. "I await your order."
He felt his spirits rise. It looked like Steward was giving him a chance. "After you then." He then waved Gummy and Cardigan forward.
Gummy, dressed in a black jacket and red stockings, hurried up. Cute and energetic, she seemed far too small to carry all her gear, yet somehow managed it. "Hey Doctor, you hungry? I heard your stomach growling a mile away. It sounded like thunder. I'll get you a snack soon." She cheerfully raised her weapon of choice, a frying pan, and the vault door she'd turned into a shield. "I'm ready to go!" A bag swung from one shoulder. It was filled with emergency rations and healing aids. She'd be assisting Ansel with medical.
Cardigan bounded up, as full of energy as ever, her big shield on her arm. She pulled her goggles down over her eyes. "Wahooo! It's my turn now, Doctor!"
Hayden looked both guards and Steward in the eye. "You three are the tip of the spear. Pierce the ring surrounding Penguin's team. But do it quietly. We'll follow."
Cardigan saluted. "Understood! I will protect us all!"
Hayden and the others glanced at their personal devices. Between the drones and Adnachiel out there somewhere, positions had been marked for two dozen enemies. There had to be at least two hundred or more out there, surrounding Penguin's hideout.
Steward moved his device to show Gummy and Cardigan. "Here. We'll take out, this one, this, this and then this one."
The other two nodded in agreement.
"Remember," Hayden reminded them, "limit casualties if you can. As long as we can keep anyone from noticing us coming through." He wanted to avoid deaths if possible but would prioritize his people and non-combatants over the enemy.
Together, the three moved toward the destination.
Doberman allowed them a head start, then waved for the group to follow.
Hayden wiped his palms on his pants: nervous sweat.
Despite his trepidation, Steward was excellent, using his Arts to meticulously down select gangsters in the cordon. It was almost easy given that all faced towards the warehouses where Penguin was holed up and had their backs exposed. Gummy and Cardigan, normally quite vocal, moved quietly at his sides, protecting him, on the lookout for anyone they might have missed.
Something fell out of the sky next to him, and Hayward jumped.
Weapons instantly trained on the object.
It was a body. And it wasn't moving, lying face down on the pavement.
Hayden looked up.
Adnachiel stood on the edge of a short office building with a cocky grin. He winked and then vanished.
Hayden let out a breath. That guy was good. The drones hadn't spotted that lookout.
Luckily, there were no more surprises. The team pushed through the circle of gangsters.
Alerted by a message, a door in the side of a fat gray warehouse opened, and a head cautiously looked out. A hand waved them forward.
Steward and the others went over, checked inside, then waved the all-clear.
The team sprinted across the street and dove into the warehouse.
Inside, they breathed easier. The door clicked closed behind them. It turned out to be a heavy thing, far more secure than it looked from the outside.
Hayden surveyed the place. The warehouse was dingy in many respects and well-used. Yet the walls were large brick, and the doors were thick steel with cutouts that could be opened so weapons could be aimed outside. A large truck was parked inside with a bunch of pallets waiting to be loaded. He grunted in appreciation. It would make things much easier if transport had already been secured.
Two women in white jackets, part of Penguin's crew, stood there, facing the newcomers.
One saluted them. She had maroon hair that shone like wine under a halo floating above her. Wings made of glowing shards of golden-white light floated behind her back, bathing the area around her in a mood that naturally lifted spirits and instilled precious hope. She smiled wide, and it warmed the heart to see it. "Locked and loaded, ready for action! What's the objective today, Rhodes?"
Doberman stepped forward and shook hands with the angel and the other woman. "We're going to get you out of here." She half-turned and gestured to Hayden. "This is our strategist. Share what you can with him. The more he knows about what your team can do, the better our chances of getting out of this unscathed."
He, too, offered his hand. "I'm Doctor Hayden."
She was boisterous. "You can call me Exusiai. I'm nothing like this Lupo ice queen." She teasingly elbowed the woman beside her. "I'm always down for some fun!" She beamed at him.
Her chipper tone and appearance made him laugh. "What's your combat specialty?"
She raised a unique-looking gun. "Sniper. Great at taking out airborne enemies. Not so much heavily armoured ones, though, like tanks. But, hey, that's what he's for, right?" She winked and pointed at Steward, evidently knowing him.
Hayden couldn't help himself. Are you an angel?"
She gave him a sly look, teasing. "Is that a pickup line? You think I'm cute, huh?" She laughed. "Ha ha, just kidding. Yep, I'm an angel. The wings are cool. But I wish I could find someone to turn off this light over my head. I mean, do you know how hard it is to get to sleep with your own personal nightlight on all the time? And anytime we do night work, I have to wear a hat."
The other woman, with a much quieter demeanour, spoke up. "She wore a chef's hat one time, and the light shone right through. Her head looked like a light bulb." The woman wore a white jacket to match the angel and had long gray hair and a fluffy tail, reminiscent of a gray wolf.
Exusiai snorted. "Very funny. The only reason Texas here lives so carefree and swagged out is that she's got me watching over her. That's the obvious truth, right?"
Hayden cocked an eyebrow at the gray-haired woman. "And you are…?"
"Code name Texas. I'm responsible for driving, moving cargo, and keeping our people safe. Try to get the mission briefings as concise as possible, please."
He felt amused by her straightforwardness. "How long have you worked for Penguin Logistics?"
She sighed and looked into the distance. "When did I start...? I don't even know how long it's been."
"What's your combat role?"
"Vanguard. Crowd control. I use my Arts to stun enemies in a wide area."
Exusiai clapped a hand on Texas's shoulder. "She usually doesn't talk much. Don't let her quiet nature put you off. Texas is a handful. Even when she lets you get close, she won't spare more than a few words. It took me a long time to figure out whether we were cool or not." She gave her friend a teasing look. "Anyone trying to be her friend is in for a reckoning."
Texas replied with a flat stare. "Exusiai is my polar opposite. She seems to get along fine with anyone but lets very few people close to her. Also, she's an annoying chatterbox."
"Hey, that's not…entirely untrue, I guess. Ha! But that's just because I'm too busy living my best life. Hey, Doc, after this, let's throw a party. We can play some hip-hop and eat apple pie. The best life is the party life. No party, no life."
Hayden smiled. They certainly seemed upbeat despite being pinned down. He took that as a good sign. Right until Penguin arrived.
The bird man zipped over from a far doorway, looking anxious. "We gotta go, yo! Right now."
The good mood in the room melted away, replaced with anxiousness.
Doberman gave him all her attention. "What's the urgency?"
Emperor wiped his brow with a fin. "Reunion's been rapacious lately, snatching up all the supplies they can get their grubby hands on all over this region. In fact, it made putting this shipment together even more expensive than usual. Word is something big is in the works; dunno what. But someone just messaged me that Reunion knows about this place, and they're on their way here—in force. Right, now."
Thanks for reading!
