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While Kage and Riv suited up, the gunship winged over the glittering city, heading towards the warehouse district to the south.
Mirage’s dulcet voice spoke up. ‘Using the information I found in the Rinnax servers, I’ve narrowed the location of our corvette to a components factory two to three klicks away. It’s a large industrial structure comprised of rectangular concrete and steel buildings. We need to land you both at warehouse 2, on its flat roof. The space inside is divided into goods and materials storage at one end. On the other is our corvette, pointed nose up, which is how we need it. In addition to the storage space, you’ll need to watch out for bogeys exiting the complex’s other facilities and amenities, such as offices, loading docks, and restrooms. Also, the warehouse has a fairly robust sec system.’
‘Scan for any loopholes, please,’ Riv requested. ‘Let’s see what they’ve invested in their security - from electronic locks to monitoring systems. They could destroy the corvette and their intel to prevent us from getting it. Regardless we need to deploy fast enough to limit any defensive approaches from below, and work quickly to raid the warehouse, collect what’s ours, and extract.’
After a beat, Mirage have them a sitrep. ‘Looks like there’s a central sec control. All guards have wristbands with position transponders. When an alert on the motion detector coincides with a transponder position, it is ignored. Except that the software has a vulnerability. We’ve got the hacking capability - so let’s play their sec set-up like a fiddle.’
Kage grunted in approval. ‘Good. Can we use those wristbands to disarm or neutralise the guards and disallow escapees?’
‘Should be simple,’ Mirage said. ‘But my knockout hack will only affect the external guards. So you’ll need to neutralise any internal bolos by yourselves.’
‘Also, drones on standby?’ Kage asked.
‘All ready. They’ll cover all exits of the building at ground level.’
They came to a hover high in the skies above the warehouse. The location was a remote industrial area, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. The structure was large and imposing, with high walls and heavy doors.
Mirage patched the first set of close-up images from the warehouse. The external guards, about nine of them, seemed a tough and professional team. They carried a range of weapons, including handguns, lasers and rifles. They wore bulletproof vests and helmets and looked prepared to use force if necessary. ‘I’ve tapped into their manifest. It seems the guards work shifts, patrolling the facility around the clock. They’re from Litton Security, a mob in Alloria. I’ve heard of them. Not half-bad operators. They’re skilled at surveillance and detection and know how to monitor their surroundings.’
Kage nodded. ‘In other words, they can be a formidable force, so let’s be careful.’
The two Riders activated their meta suits. Kage unleashed his meta-materials, and his body disappeared into stealth mode. While Riv didn’t have the same abilities, his shape-shifting powers tapped into his meta suit, trapping light in a fractal-shaped pattern producing a dark black hue that, like Kage, could reflect light along a specific path—making him appear transparent when viewed from all angles, up or down.
They exited Glimmer’s cargo hold in a highly precise drop, enabled by their meta suit’s thrusters.
Kage held his lethal-looking Ccyth sword rifle at the ready. Riv followed, his gun held in a point-shoot stance.
As they descended, they watched the guards patrolling the perimeter, looking for any signs of trouble. They worked in silence, their movements carefully coordinated. Kage nodded to Riv.
Their suits lowered them to the warehouse roof using their mini jet packs’ micro thrusters and gentle manoeuvres guided by Mirage.
They floated quietly, their boots lightly touching down on the roof surface. Then, they switched to speaking aphonically via their nodes.
Nice landing. No one’s seen us yet, Riv noted.
Good, added Kage.Coming in stealth should limit the time personnel manning the warehouse can enact any burn order. Mirage, you’ve got the inner cordon drones ready?
Naam, Shadow, Mirage said, using Kage’s call name for ops and missions.They’re focused on preventing any escape from the building.
The exterior covered too?
Weapons are on standby to prevent reinforcements from entering the perimeter. I’ve also positioned Glimmer’s rail guns to cover the front and side and more drones to cover the rear. All are set, so their fire arcs don’t crosscut each other.’
We are GO, Kage called out.
The warehouses’ external cameras died a small death.
Almost instantly, he watched bemused as the guards received a jolt of unexpected energy through their wristbands. They fell to the ground, twitching, as did the roof and gate personnel.
Kage and Riv moved to the surface. Both men were invisible to sensors.
They landed on an open car park paved with asphalt and surrounded by a perimeter fence with secure gates and barriers to control access.
With the downing of the guards, the place now had a sense of emptiness and isolation, with only the occasional flyer passing. In the distance the sound of revelry and fireworks floated up from the centre of the ever-partying city.
The car park was illuminated by streetlights, casting a diffused light over the area. The Riders worked in silence, moving from one unconscious guard to another, tying them up and carting them to the back of the building.
Later, video surveillance would only show eight limp forms piled rapidly into a heap by unseen forces. However, their stealth infiltration hadn’t entirely gone unnoticed.
