As Team Alpha moved further into the winding tunnels of the mine, the air grew stale and heavy with the scent of earth and dust— the area felt so dry that the agents began to sweat in their suits. The echo of their footsteps bounced off the narrow walls, their formations tightening as the pathways grew narrower.
Lily's senses remained as heightened as possible in this unit; she was suspicious of all of this, but she mostly didn't want to lose this unit.
She couldn't shake the nagging feeling that this mission was missing key information— why S.H.I.E.L.D. had been so insistent on the Brotherhood's threat level when all they'd encountered so far were unarmed miners.
Something felt fundamentally off.
"Ant, stay sharp."
The team leader's voice crackled in her earpiece, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"We're approaching the main chamber. It's likely we'll face heavier resistance here."
Lily glanced back, nodding slightly as she looked back ahead— the man was so sure that they would face danger ahead, and she was curious why.
Though her clone body lacked the full depth of her original self's abilities, she still retained enough strength and abilities to deal with most street-level threats that came her way.
She was here to observe, blend in, and— if need be— protect her cover.
As they reached the next chamber, a sudden shift in the air caught her attention, causing her eyes to narrow and her stomach to move.
A low, thrumming energy pulsed from somewhere up ahead, and Lily could feel the vibrations intensifying as they approached the chamber— but the vibrations weren't the only thing she could feel, hunger even through a hive unit.
The team leader held up his hand, signaling everyone to halt and she reluctantly controlled her instinct to keep going towards it.
The lights ahead of them were dim with flickering shadows decorating the rocky wall. They moved as silently as they could, approaching the opened entrance and taking cover behind the edged stone outcroppings.
They peered into the chamber ahead to see what was there— but Lily could already tell what was happening inside with her senses.
Inside, a group of Brotherhood mutants surrounded a peculiar piece of material.
It was unlike anything Lily had seen before— massive, sleek, and humming with a dark blue light that radiated in rhythmic pulses, it looked as if the mineral was alive, breathing.
The Brotherhood members were busy setting up what appeared to be a forcefield around the material, each mutant using layers of their abilities to keep the material from coming in contact with them.
"On my count."
The team leader murmured, hand gripping his weapon.
"Team One, focus on the mutants at the left. Team Two, provide cover fire on the right. Ant, you're with me— target that device."
Lily tensed at the command but nodded as she readied herself for the strike.
She knew the fight ahead wouldn't be easy given the number of mutants they had, not to mention the humans with guns, but it was the purpose of this material that intrigued her more than the battle itself.
The leader counted down, giving the signal to everyone to act at once.
"Three… two… one— engage!"
A flurry of movement erupted as the teams launched forward.
Team One immediately took the left side, their gunfire lighting up the chamber, and the Brotherhood mutants while suprised by the sudden attack, quickly responded with a barrage of powers— fire bursted forth in a wave and caused the agents to move back.
However they were able to kill some of the humans who couldn't react in time and didn't have the strength of mutants.
Lily followed the team leader, both of them cutting a direct path toward the material while ignoring everything else around them; both teams did their part to keep the hostiles off them.
Suddenly, a mutant lunged at her, extending razor-sharp claws toward her stomach but she was quicker to react, dodging to the side she delivered a swift strike to his ribs, with a crack ringing out the man staggered in pain.
But she offered him no mercy— following through with a final blow that knocked him out cold; her hand caving his skull into his head.
The team leader had reached the material and was setting up small, disc-shaped charges around its base; lily's gaze flickered to him, noting the tension in his jaw as he placed each explosive with precision.
"Sir, what exactly is this?"
She asked, her voice a low murmur as she kept her guard up; eyes scouting around her as she spoked.
"Classified."
He replied curtly, his gaze not meeting hers.
"Our orders are to destroy it, nothing more."
Lily's frowned as her suspicion grew even more. She wanted this material, she didn't know what it was but it had enough energy rippling through it that it made her hunger.
But trying something here would mean giving up this body; there was no way to make it out of this mission and get it unharmed. If she killed them all and took it then the higher-ups would get suspicious— not to mention they each had cameras on them.
The Brotherhood mutants seemed to realize the team's objective, and their resistance grew more desperate, intensifying their attacks with renewed aggression.
One of the mutants, a tall woman with blazing white eyes, shouted.
"We can't let them destroy it! That material is the key to our plans, kill them!"
Lily caught the words, her mind whirling with possible ideas; from what she knew about the Brotherhood they were all about mutant rights in a very violent manner.
But before she could have the chance to properly think about it, the woman raised her hands, and an intense field of energy expanded from her, throwing several agents backward.
Lily dug her foot into the ground, bracing herself against the force.
With a surge of energy, she activated her unit's enhanced reflexes, closing the distance and targeting the mutant woman. Her movements were sharp, and efficient— striking out and weakening the mutant's shield before taking her down with a final blow to the side of the head.
"Charges set!"
The team leader called, pulling her attention back.
"Everyone, fall back!"
Lily didn't hesitate, motioning for the others to retreat as they made their way out of the chamber.
As they exited the mine, the team leader hit the detonator, and a muffled explosion reverberated through the tunnels causing everything to begin shaking; the chamber with the material instantly collapsed from the explosion and slowly the mine was caving in.
The team had to run as fast as they could and regrouped at the entrance, dust, and grime covering their gear, but their mission was accomplished.
Lily's mind, however, was far from settled.
This 'raid' felt hollow, and incomplete; most of all she didn't get what she wanted from it. For now, however, she decided to focus on her main body— it was finally waking up.