After a few moments, the Ghostwing lands, undoing its stealth at a makeshift outpost of the Wild Pack.
Bobbi, and Sage and I get out of the jet with Sable going down first.
Looking at Sable, I am surprised at how her whole demeanour changes when she approaches her group. I can see now the dangerous Silver Sable that people fear.
Her mercenary group looks well-equipped, and I can tell that they respect Sable. After having a talk with them and giving some orders, she returns to our group.
"We are ready. We will move into the valley in 10 minutes and start attacking in around 20," Sable declares with a serious look.
"Have these," Bobbi offers, giving her an earpiece. "We can stay in contact through this." She demonstrates its use to Sable, who becomes very interested in such a sophisticated product. She even starts asking Bobbi for multiple units for her team.
I just shake my head at her dedication to her group and approach her, taking Sable's hand in mine.
She looks surprised at my gesture, and even Bobbi raises an eyebrow at me.
"This will protect you, but you will still have to be careful," I explain as I slide a bracelet onto her wrist.
I smile at her confusion and go to the side to check on Sage, who is messing with her tablet.
As I walk away, I hear Bobbi explaining that the bracelet is not just a piece of jewellery but a Personal Forcefield Generator. After understanding it, Sable looks at me gratefully and tries again to get more of them from Bobbi for her team.
Soon, the Wild Pack, with Sable leading them, starts moving into the valley. The best timing for the attack should be night, but for me, the attack is secondary. Toni's rescue is the main objective.
Even if it becomes harder for the Wild Pack, I don't mind, as I want to find Toni as quickly as possible. For that, I need people inside the cave to come out so I can have an easier time locating Toni.
Bobbi, Sage and I get ready with our gear. We are all wearing bulletproof vests, helmets, combat knives, guns with multiple magazines, assault rifles slung over our backs, and, of course, the bracelets. Bobbi also has her signature batons with her.
Having the Fantastic Four alongside would undoubtedly have been beneficial, but this time, my objective isn't about heroics. It is about a ruthless retaliation against the terrorists who abducted Toni and subjected her to unspeakable horrors over the past month!
My blood boils at the mere thought of the torture she might have endured during this time. Engaging a mercenary group is the most pragmatic course of action here, for me.
I don't think I will have any problem killing these people. Honestly, I am itching to make them pay! Bobbi's no stranger to taking lives on her missions, and I am not overly concerned about Sage either.
Having witnessed the annihilation of her entire village, she harbours a reservoir of pent-up rage. Her training video in the VR scenario was particularly striking. The precision with which she dispatches adversaries is almost unnerving, to the point where I could create an instructional video based on her techniques.
I watch through the video feed from my Bio-probe as the Wild Pack reaches their destination. The valley has only one entrance, a narrow pass heavily guarded by sentries and weaponry. Inside, the terrorists have set up a sprawling encampment of tents, cars, weapons, and people, creating a formidable and dangerous base of operations.
Silver Sable signals the attack. A barrage of explosions erupts at the entrance of the valley as their heavy artillery opens fire. The terrorists scramble, caught off guard by the sudden onslaught. Screams and the sounds of gunfire echo through the valley as Silver Sable charges in, engaging the enemy in fierce combat.
While the Wild Pack keeps the terrorists distracted, my two companions and I prepare for the real objective.
The Bio-probes, small and mostly undetectable, have helped me map a significant portion of the cave area. Utilizing the video feed and D.A.I.S.Y.'s capabilities, my team and I have gone through multiple runs in VR training using these mapped spaces. Although I couldn't let the probes go much deeper inside to avoid detection, I have a good understanding of the cave layout.
I switch my view on the tablet to the Bio-probe currently in the cave. It is located in a secluded branch of the cave, at an empty dead end where no one is present.
I look at both of my companions one last time, who nod at me. Taking a deep breath, I activate my power: Earth Portal Creation.
First, Bobbi goes through the portal, then Sage follows her, and finally, I step through. I open my eyes inside the dimly lit cave. Deactivating my portals, I look at both of them.
Bobbi appears stoic, her batons ready in her hands as she looks ahead at the entrance. Sage, on the other hand, has a blank expression, concentrating as she scans the surroundings.
'Let's first find someone to check if this is the correct place' I talk to them in their minds while activating Telepathy.
I was surprised to encounter some resistance when entering Sage's mind. This is the first time this has happened, but since I am just projecting my thoughts, it is still easily manageable.
Next, I use my power, Invisibility, on all three of us, making us all invisible. While I can perceive both of them as translucent figures, they cannot discern each other or me. However, I am telepathically connected with them, so it will be fine.
We all start moving through the dimly lit cave tunnels, the distant sound of gunfire echoing around us. Soon, we come across two terrorists rushing towards the outside with guns in their hands.
Before I can issue any instructions, Bobbi and Sage charge forward with remarkable synchronisation. It is akin to witnessing a mirrored dance. They deftly sidestep the men, strategically placing their feet to trip them.
As the assailants stumble, Bobbi and Sage swiftly disarm them with well-placed kicks. Subsequently, they both move in swiftly, covering the men's mouths to stifle any potential outcry, before incapacitating them with precise strikes – Bobbi with her baton and Sage with the base of her gun.
I am impressed by their performance. While Bobbi's efficiency is to be expected, Sage, who was just an ordinary girl a month ago, displays extraordinary skill. I can't help but wonder how formidable she will become with further training.
Bobbi's target is knocked out, but the man Sage is restraining is still conscious, albeit held in a neck and knee lock by her. Before she can strike again, I stop her and approach the man.
Using mu\y telepathy, I crudely probe his mind, causing him to spasm in pain, but he still cannot move under my iron grip on his forehead.
Reading through his mind, I am disgusted by this piece of trash who has lived a bandit lifestyle, taking whatever he wanted and killing whoever he pleased. I am also surprised to learn that this is indeed a branch of the Ten Rings, with the main boss of their little base being a member of the organisation.
I also find out where Toni is. A peculiar expression overtakes my face as I feel both annoyed and relieved by another piece of new information I acquired.
We didn't have much time, so I quickly inform the girls telepathically that I know Toni's location. I knock the man unconscious and drag both bodies to a corner.
I place my palms over both of their hearts, whispering with determination, "No mercy!" Then, I activate my power, Metal Constructs.
Shing!
"Ugh" "Ughh"
They both die instantly.
My mind wasn't focused on how I had just taken the life of another human being for the first time, and two at a time at that. Instead, my thoughts were more on how awesome my new weapons were.
My new weapons were called Doom Blades.
They were small bracelets made from Doom metal that I wore around my wrists, and when I utilised my power, Metal Constructs, they could extend to become hidden knives like those from the Assassin's Creed games.
"Are you okay?" Bobbi asked softly from behind me.
'Yeah, I am fine,' I reply in their minds, retracting my blades and moving ahead.
The cave network was expansive, but now I knew exactly where we were going. Still, the dimly lit walls made it challenging, and I wished I had some night vision or thermal vision equipment.
Boom!
Just as we were going deeper into the cave, I hear an explosion from inside. The cave walls rattle from the force.
"What was that?" Bobbi whispers, her eyes scanning the shadows.
'I don't know, but we should hurry,' I speak in their minds and hurry inside, not caring if my steps make any noise. I want to reach Toni swiftly, as she might be in the center of whatever that explosion was.
I soon encounter my first resistance near the entrance to a large chamber. A group of heavily armed terrorists stood there, their weapons raised, their attention drawn by the sound of our footsteps echoing through the chamber.
Before they could fire at our invisible selves, all three of us drew our guns and opened fire. At this distance, we killed all seven people instantly, easily landing headshots. Sage had taken down three of them herself.
Now that our element of surprise was gone, I undid our Invisibility. It was hard to maintain it while firing and creating forcefields simultaneously.
As we were about to cross the large chamber, four more people arrived, one of them firing instantly. But Sage and Bobbi were faster, blasting holes in their heads with ease.
We move ahead through a narrow passage, but before we could proceed
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Someone started unloading bullets at us. I hurriedly created a forcefield and took cover while Bobbi and Sage had already taken cover.
As soon as the firing stopped, Bobbi and Sage took out their assault rifles and started firing back.
The firefight was intense. Bullets ricocheted off the stone walls, and the acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air. Despite the dim environment, Bobbi and Sage were deadly shots, silencing the enemy gunfire.
I created a forcefield just to be safe, as all three of us moved ahead, finding three dead bodies at the corner.
As we pushed deeper into the cave, the resistance grew stronger. The terrorists employed deadly weapons, from high-powered rifles to grenades.
At one point, a man hiding behind a barricade threw a grenade. I swatted it back with a small forcefield bat, and it exploded on him, killing him.
As we approach the heart of the cave network, the sounds of fighting from outside diminished. Instead, I heard something else—screams and gunfire, not directed at us. It was coming from deeper within.
We press on, moving quickly towards the source of the commotion. The terrorists were running, fleeing from something—or someone. We gun them down as they point their guns at us.
Rounding a corner, we came face to face with a towering Iron Mech.
"Luke?" I hear a surprised, muffled voice from the mech.
I freeze, recognising the voice immediately. "Toni?"
***
I give a heartfelt thanks to my new Patreon Supporter! :)
Gilb
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