The next morning, Von woke up feeling a bit sore from his sparring session with Ace the day before, but he was still full of energy. He knew that today was the day Operation Ember would go into effect, so he had to be in top shape.
Suddenly, one of the nurses walked in, smoking a cigarette. "Hey, I see you're awake," she said with a smirk as she approached and examined his body. She appeared older than the other nurses—probably around 22 to 25—but she was nonetheless attractive.
"I saw your sparring match with Ace yesterday. Not bad for a newbie; you certainly have potential," she said, licking her lips as she stepped closer. "Hey, it looks like we have a few minutes until the meeting. How about we have our sparring lesson, huh?" She smirked and leaned in with a seductive smile. Von was caught off guard by her sudden change in approach. "Uh, I'm sorry, but we can't—well, I mean, I can't," he stammered, his cheeks flushing a deep red as he fidgeted, clearly flustered. "Come on, sweetie, don't be shy now."
Just as tensions were about to boil over, Ace burst into the room, his eyes widening at the scene before him. "Hey, Von, are you still injured? Because this meeting is about to start... Ace's eyes widened at the scene before him, narrowing at what was happening. "Vanessa, what did I tell you about preying on our recruits?" Ace's eyes widened at the scene before him, narrowing at what was happening. "Vanessa, what did I tell you about preying on our recruits?"
Vanessa chuckled and gave Von a playful wink as she left the room. Von was in shock at what had just happened, and his face was still a bit flushed. Sorry about Vanessa; she always does that. I'll make sure to give her a talking to, alright, but for now, let's go to the meeting; it's about to start.
The war room was silent—too silent.
Maps, diagrams, and reconnaissance photographs littered the table like a battle plan. Von stood shoulder to shoulder with Ace and Marco, amidst Resistance officers and squad leaders.
At the head of the room, Marco was standing with his arms crossed, the holo-display behind him shining with a top-down view of the city and the facility below.
This is it," Marco said. "We move at dawn.
Von's heart pounded in his chest. This was it. The mission to rescue Justin was finally underway.
Marco went on, crisp and concise:
We'll go in via the sewer lines under Sector 5. We've charted the paths—unsecured, neglected. Once we're inside the city, we part ways.
He indicated two red lines on the map.
THE PLAN
Team Disruptor: The primary Resistance force.
Objective: Create havoc all over the city.
Tactics: Disable power grids, detonate diversionary explosions, and obstruct troop movements.
Rule: No civilian casualties.
Your task," Marco told the flank teams, "is to make them believe a full-on assault is taking place.
Team Emberfall: The infiltration team.
Members: Von, Marco, Ace, and three top Resistance agents.
Objective: Infiltrate the lab, free captives, and demolish Rhane's data servers.
Route: In via the tunnel, out via hell.
Ace leaned over the table and added, "The window's tight. Once the chaos hits, we'll only have about thirty minutes before Rhane's full response force mobilizes."
Marco nodded.
"And that brings us to the problems."
He tapped the screen once more.
Three portraits materialized:
Primary Targets
Bullet—B-tier enforcer, the government's iron fist. Ruthless, nearly unbreakable.
Expect him to be close to the lab. If he appears, we either evade him… or outmaneuver, and if that fails, I'll fight him.
Dr. Rhane—A-Tier (suspected S-Tier), awakened scientist and mastermind. "His skill is still a mystery. He doesn't engage in many fights, but our research indicates that he utilizes the air in some manner, so exercise caution.
Scarlett, the Sniper Witch—ex-military elite. User of Clay Body. Lethal at a distance.
Her picture appeared: crimson hair, sharp eyes, flawless skin, and a crooked smile. Her sniper rifle was visible behind her shoulder—black, sleek, and reinforced with custom augments.
"Scarlett can turn hardened clay from her own body into high-velocity ammunition. She can shoot from miles away and hit a moving target through smoke."
Von swallowed hard. "That's… insane."
Ace smirked. "And she's deadly gorgeous. Don't let that distract you."
Marco rolled his eyes at Ace's comment. "She's probably at the perimeter wall or up high close to the lab," Marco continued. "Our path must remain below her line of fire until we're in."
Marco glanced around the room. Nobody spoke.
And he said:
This mission is risky. People may not come back. But if we pull it off, we destroy Rhane's whole operation. And we rescue captive people.
He shifted his focus to Von.
You've trained. You've survived. Now it's time to lead.
Von inhaled slowly.
No more running.
No more secrets.
He gazed at the radiant map—at the trail, his foes' faces, and the silhouette of the laboratory where his friend remained captive.
"Let's bring Justin home."