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Rook didn’t want to be impressed but he was. As an Allagi, she could be anyone, look like anyone. Ditching a blown cover showed she hadn’t gotten this far on sheer luck. She was smart and her tech skills proved she had a decent grasp on how to completely create or destroy a persona.
Only she must have changed her mind and reactivated the alias. After being captured, she had to know they’d flag this identity and set online seeker bugs for any movements she made.
Unless, she planned to go hunting one of Jarad’s men again under this guise.
What are you up to, Tempest?
A chime sounded down the hall. The single bell tone kept him from pursuing the conversation with Dorian further. He turned as Hahn and Kjar stepped off the elevator and walked toward them from the opposite direction. Both wore their mech armor as well for today’s session.
Before going in, he eyed their suits. Live weapon fire would be used during this practice and required quick reflexive responses from their armor. They couldn’t afford for any of the suits to malfunction from not being worn properly.
Rook twirled his pointer finger in the air at Hahn, who obligingly turned in a full circle. Chest plate seated perfect in the center, shoulder latches locked and the metallic blue body suit silent as he pivoted. “Good.”
He pointed at Dorian though he’d watched the other man suit up in the locker area with him. Rook didn’t take any chances with the men under his command. He might keep his distance from them as Kyele implied but he would never risk their lives or safety with a careless error.
“Good.” He nodded at Dorian then waited for Kjar to complete his turn.
The other man had the front half of his white hair in a top knot and left the rest out to flow down to his waist in the back. Loose hair was a disadvantage in the field but because of Kjar’s Volvian nature he had to let it free occasionally or suffer debilitating headaches. His sentient hair was as much a part of him as his other senses. Restraining it was a cultural taboo and one he endured for reasons he didn’t disclose with any of them.
Kjar’s suit appeared fine. Unlike the others, he didn’t have a face helm to wear. Kyele would make sure the AI’s didn’t take any head shots though.
The strands on the back of Kjar’s head lifted and jabbed in the air at Rook. Kjar lifted an imperious eyebrow and said mockingly, “Now you, Team Leader.”
Grimacing, he held his arms out to his sides and did a slow turn. He could put the suit on blind folded, something Kyele had made them do on more than one occasion, but that didn’t mean he’d risk injury by being cocky.
Kjar slapped him on the shoulder and grinned. “You’re good to go, Hunter One.”
“Quick review of the mission,” Rook said, dropping his arms. “Two adult female hostages. Three armed targets. Mission goal: eliminate targets, save hostages with no loss of life on either side if possible.”
Confirmation nods all around. They’d received the file on the training sequence this morning with only a few hours to memorize the details. It was as close to simulating what they typically experienced in the field as you could get. Rarely were they given enough time to do more than respond to an ERS call out for support. Rescue hostage missions under them required finesse.
Ghost Unit was reserved for kill orders, tracking killers and eliminating key figures without any blow back on the Alliance. Tempest’s retrieval was a special case due to the Jarad Oolun connection.
“Weapons out,” Rook ordered and tugged down his helmet guard to protect his face.
The familiar whine of lasers powering filled his ears. Adrenaline pumped through his blood and he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He forced his thoughts to focus on the training segment and nothing else. No Tempest. No worries.
At the door, he signaled Dorian to enter first. Hahn would follow Dorian with Kjar and Rook in the rear. Once they crossed the threshold, they’d be in active status mode and the holo program would initiate and not stop unless Kyele shut it down from his end in the observation deck above or Rook used the emergency stop sequence on his vambrace.
“On three,” Rook whispered. He held up his gloved fingers and counted it off.
Three.
Two.
One.
Dorian burst through the door and rolled to the right. Hahn went in to the left and Kjar shot straight ahead with Rook behind him. Aisles created to duplicate the narrow streets of a city center branched off into tighter alleyways.
Down the middle a corridor housed a row of buildings. The last one on the end was their objective where the hostages were held.
Hunched low, Rook continued after Kjar and tapped his ear comm. “This is Hunter One, no signs of targets. Report.”
Two taps from Dorian and Hahn in the negative. Kjar paused, held up a hand and darted to the right. Rook mirrored the move, pressing his back against a wall. Ahead, he could make out streams of white hair flowing in the air before settling about Kjar’s shoulders.
“Targets spotted,” Kjar murmured through the comm.
Rook stared and noted the building. Lights were on in the second window from the right on the lower level. He tapped a button on his helm and activated the infrared scan. On his face plate, the outline of three bodies glowed in an ominous green color. “I see them, Hunter Three and Four, assume positions from above.”
