Date: Tuesday. 09:13:2043

 

Time: 3 AM

 

Location: Horizon Military Highschool private student dormitory zone.

 

Mission Code Name: Operation Takedown.

 

My team is quite fascinating. All have powerful abilities, and the friendship they built after two days of interaction surprises me. But they are not ready for our first mission. At least not for a month. They don't have experience, and I don't want them to act mercifully in a kill-or-die situation. So until I slowly forge them into shape, I can at least handle some work to be sure the first job goes smoothly.

 

Operation Takedown is the name I give to our first job. We are after a man named Sergei Čosić, an arms dealer. His men scavenge battlefields, steal whatever they can then sell them to people willing to pay. He is not a big fish but will do a good start for rookies.

 

Usually, ones like Čosić wouldn't be at the top of my strike list, but his file in the UDC criminal database got an update. I don't know how higher-ups missed this, but I think he is dealing with Crimson Cultists. Now that is unacceptable. Cultists are parasites of our society. When the Red Mother, the goddess of destruction and rebirth, sends her seeds to this world, some people get affected by it and lose their minds.

 

After that point, their only concern is doing whatever they can to help Crimsons conquer the planet, so they can get one step closer to something they call Reign of New Gods. While this divine gibberish is terrifying when you think about it, I wouldn't be surprised to know Crimsons are after a galactic conquest, if not a universal one. My computer must have a root.

 

But the actual size of this space bug armada is a story of the future and hopefully a very far one. One that our planet may never see. Back to the problems of today. Cultists. 

 

Red mother is a mysterious figure since her worshippers are too good at keeping their mouths shut, no matter the pain of their torture. The only information we got in the last fifty years is about Red Mother's existence and some of her teachings. We are dangerously low on intel against this being we never saw but think about after our suffering. But thanks to this lack of information, we can do something else that is equally important, keeping her existence secret from the general public. If people knew a god-like being was after the attacks, most would lose their faith and surrender. We cannot let this happen.

 

Lucky for us, there is not much to worry about that. UDC does a pretty good job keeping some secrets away from civilians since this organization not only controls earth defense, but when needed, it's politics and media too.

 

Known by your average joe or not, the Cultists still pose a massive threat to humanity. A cult ceremony can cause a rift to open, which, if it appears in a populated metropole area, I don't even want to think about the consequences. It will be the battle of 2020 all again, but without any Blackwings to stop it.

 

That's why I sometimes take matters into my hand. But even I alone cannot do this, maybe for long. Between the ages of 12 and 15, I tried to handle some alone. I designed and built most of my advanced weaponry in that time frame. But even my secret to public models is not good enough. I need an actual team, but my concerns are not only about ability. Loyalty is my main concern, and those seven idiots are my best candidates.

 

"Is it time to go?" Father asked. He is waiting behind a tree and holding an unlit cigarette. He is trying to cut the amount he is smoking, so he tries to extend the time between each one.

 

"About right. I finished the preparations earlier, so we even have spare time." Today's mission will use equipment to kill, not to make a show for some jury members and school staff. I won't put my head on the line using stupid battle armor. My robots will do it for me. "I prepared the vehicle beforehand. Our target is to stay on a private island. It is a little away from the city's shores. We go there by submarine and land with equipment."

 

"What about security? Ones like Čosić won't go to an isolated place without extra protection. Checked for sonars or any radar?"

 

"Already taken care of that headache, but we are not after Čosić." You go to speak to them in a language they would understand. "His daughter is there with some of her friends. They do the usual rich kid with criminal parents stuff like drugs, alcohol, sex, and all to an extreme degree. I had the chance to dig some conversation and guess what, Čosić loves her daughter, more than anything, so it is better to hit him from where it will hurt."

 

Father pulled out an electric lighter from his pocket and lit his cigarette. He says that he liked their esthetic more than gas ones. "Can't say I am okay with your methods, but even if I say no, I cannot stop you. Still, there should be a better way."

 

"Perhaps, but I wouldn't risk armed cultists summoning a rift middle of this city just because of some morals."

 

"I see." His face is soulless. I understand why he is not supporting my method. I admit that what I do is morally wrong, but there is no mercy for the people working with Crimson, at least in my book. If anyone wants to play the hero and risk the lives of millions, go on. "It would be good if we don't wait any longer. I have classes in the morning."

 

                                        *****

 

For a place where a girl who spends hundreds of thousands on parties lives, the island is quiet tonight,

and except for the guards holding positions, I don't think there are many people in there. 

 

Well, the smaller the numbers, the easier for me to handle the situation. I already hacked their communication systems the second I got into the range to do it. I have them in my palm. Yet, that doesn't mean I can act carefree. We are still in hostile waters.

 

My father and I are only human operatives. My machines will carry out most of the mission. To decrease the risk of failure, I didn't bring any Sentries, Walkers, or any other toy in this one. They are nothing but things I show to the public to keep attention away. Instead, I have my actual weapons, designed for the mission with the risk of death with me.

"Ready for the job, and what your lunch bag has today?" Father asked while tapping a screen on the submarine's command module. "Can't read the damn thing. Are we close to our target?"

 

"Vehicle is parking itself to the island's dock, and in two minutes, I will release the machines, then boots on the ground." This part of the island looks deserted, even though her private yacht is there. I wonder why.

 

"Good, back to the first question."

 

"Yes, and Dancer MK3, plus, if anything happens, Minotaur for backup."

 

"Didn't know Dancers had any more modules. Didn't you make them for UDC specifically?"

 

"The one I gave to that woman was nothing but an old prototype. That model can blend to the environment by moving its parts and taking shapes of some basic objects, but MK3 has a stealth module that allows it to go invincible." 

 

Father moved to another room and got back with a metal suitcase in hand. "Any other major differences that I must know." He opened it and pulled out two long gloves with mechanisms over them.

 

Prototype 44, or with their code name, Strike Gloves, are pairs of metal wear designed to increase their user's strike power. It's an experimental technology designed to increase the combat ability of CQC specialists' chances against Crimson.

 

"Larger, faster, deadlier. I used MK3 in the field before. They cleaned out an entire warehouse of thugs in ten minutes. In stealth mod. But I don't recommend carnage mode since they will most certainly hurt our VIPs."

 

Submarine stopped. It is time for us to exit.

 

"Before we go, let me get our insurance because Čosić would do anything to protect her daughter, including filling an entire island with soldiers."

 

Island has one mansion in the middle owned by Čosić. Other than that, there aren't any other buildings. But to stop an attack from rivals, our guy has a man position on places where enemies can land.

 

Good thing I sent some scouts beforehand and learned guard positions. That will save my Dancers some time. After all, know they know where the thing they must kill is.

 

"Dancers, activated, changing sight. Right now."

                                                                                                                           ***** 

Ah, this ability I gained thanks to those ruthless bastards who call themselves scientists. After a short static, I got connected, and now I can see what my weapons see. For now, it is the sight of a pack of MK3s going toward two unsuspicious guards. My craft has four legs and four hands, with curved blades instead of limbs.

 

Tick, tick, tock. They are dead. Two Dancers jumped at the guards and skewered them from their throats. Mk3's blades made a cross after getting in and cleaved away the guards' from their necks when they pulled them back.

 

"Two down." My hunter pack is consistent with twelve Mk3's. These are enough numbers to clear out some significant amounts of the enemy. Like these patrols of four moving through the beach.

 

Same story. Dancers lurked in shadows and dashed to their targets, and before guards, armed to the teeth, managed to see the threat, their heads got chopped away. "Only thirty-two left.

 

Most of these guards are armed mercenaries, people not trained to use their powers much but to use their weapons. After all, most of the population has a gift, but only a small group has one strong enough to challenge guns.

 

Father tapped my shoulder. "When are we out."

 

"Autopilot activated. Kill all armed people, but do not enter the mansion." My eyes fazed a bit after I cut the connection, but it's okay now. I learned to recover fast from it. "Right after you, but don't forget this." I swept my hand in the air.

 

With my command, a storage compartment hidden in a wall opened. Inside there are six armors. "Don't be shy when picking one, and don't worry about me. I already wear something else." I moved by hand in front of my face, and an energy barrier showed itself. "I love these."

 

"Good, but what those second-grade ones can do."

 

"Stealth, but still able to protect you from most small arms fire. One downside is that they have one hour of usage, and you cannot move if their powers run out.

 

"Can't fix the battery problem."

 

"Why when I have no such?"

 

"You will grow up and see your wrong one day, but this is no time for a lecture. You go first. I come after wearing it. This suit doesn't come out easily."

 

I left the room and moved out of the submarine. We are right next to the dock, so it's easy to get out. "Father. Have you seen the Minotaur, my front-line combat robot?"

 

"No, I only heard about it when you were talking once. That's how I know its existence, but I never saw it in a picture, let alone in person."

 

"Huh, it was on the open inside the submarine, maybe on the back of the storage zone, but I thought you would see it. Then I suppose you are not a fan of looking through my stuff."

 

"Engineering on your level, despite that I love you are highly skilled in that area, is too much for my head. There is also that side of yours who likes to hide things."

 

"Really? I think I am usually pretty open about it. But you could be right. After all, we got disconnected after I began hopping through facilities." Ah, those good times when I had the chance to work with the most brilliant lead engineers in the world. They know how to make good weapons.

 

"Now, where is your friend."

 

"Look." A hatch in front of the submarine opened, and a four meters tall robot got out. Its design looks human, except for the ax head. Other than that, it is a powerhouse. It can lift to sixty tons, take tank shells like they are nothing, and punch strong enough to shatter reinforced steel.

 

"For the love of god." He jumped to the dock and moved closer to the robot. "When?"

 

"I had my free time. Want to see what it can do? I think you do. But you gotta wait." I heard a click, a notification from Dancers. "Almost all guards outside got killed. We have a short time before they think something wrong and go all crazy." I snapped my fingers. Two masks hiding our faces got out from our armors, one in front of father and one on me. "Keep your identity secret."