OP Witchcraft

"And here I was hoping it'd be a quiet night." Aleksandra mused quietly to herself with a wry smile, sparing a moment to look out the window of their vehicle and out into the inky darkness before opening the door and slipping out.

The cool breeze wrapping lovingly around her form and whispered sweet secrets into her ear, inaudible to all but those who were born with the blessings of the wind. The Bosnian-Serb stilled for a moment and tilted her head, listening to both the incomprehensible mutterings of the wind and the reports from her team before she nodded, a rough outline of what might've been a plan of action already in place.

_____"Thoughts, TL?" Grace said, those lavender-colored eyes of hers glinting in the moonlight as she looked to Elyse and Aleks in turn.

Aleksandra nodded to Grace's words. Nothing she wouldn't have done herself, it was practically textbook. "They probably don't know we're here yet so we'll gear up and proceed on foot. Speed and aggression is the name of the game here, if we move in fast and hard then they'll have no chance to put up any decent resistance before we shut them down."

The Bosnian-Serb pulled out a small flashlight that she had appropriated from their vehicle along with a map of the area and rolled it out across the ground. The terrain was rugged and hilly with vegetation littering the area, advantageous for a defending force if they knew the direction of the opposing one, but for now? It would provide them with excellent concealment while they approached the schoolhouse and if they did this right, it wouldn't mean anything if they managed to breach the perimeter.

"The drones are our top priority when moving in. If possible, I want Charm to hack them or prevent them from transmitting any information while keeping them airborne and if not then Hex team can swat them out of the sky as Ward 0 suggested," The sylph nodded to her doppelganger before turning her attention back to the map. "It's one thing to make them think they've lost their signal somehow, it's another thing if they can hear their drones crashing into the ground but regardless of our course of action, I want them neutralized before we move in. If they spot our approach somehow, it'll make it that much harder to win the firefight."

"Once the drones are down, Hex team will hang back and provide sniper support. You're both professionals so I trust you'll pick a location that'll allow you to cover us as much as possible because..." Aleksandra reached out with a finger and tapped two areas, south and east of the schoolhouse. "... we'll split our assault team into three and take the first floor. I'll call in Excalibur to hold security while we cover the second floor."

Aleksandra paused in her briefing as she spread out another piece of paper over their map, a blueprint of their client-provided safehouse already with scribbles on it marking rooms and areas of interest. "When we approach, I want Ember to sweep for explosives in case they've managed to booby trap the perimeter then we'll split off from here. Ward-2, you'll take Ward-3 and Ward-0 to storm the front of the building. Charm and Ward-4 will be on the circuit breaker on the south side of the building, you'll be hitting the power first before going in through the window here at area 1C. If possible, Hex-6 or Hex-7 can cover your enty but don't be afraid to use a flashbang or even a ninebanger if you have to. That goes for all of you. Last of all, Ember is with me and we'll be hitting the exterior door at area 1K here."

Throughout her briefing, Aleksandra was making tiny scribbles on the blueprint. Small but legible markings that was to be their plan of attack and Aleksandra could only hope that it would survive first contact with enemy though perhaps that was a bit too naive of her.

"The signal to execute will be when the lights go out. Ward-2, Ward-0 and Ward-3 will move in and clear that part of the building. Ward-2, I'll leave it up to your discretion but you can either move in as one into area 1B or you can take area 1A as well as 1B simultaneously. There is a window leading into area 1A." Aleksandra nodded to her assault team leader before turning to face Allison and Matthew. "Charm and Ward-4, you're on circuit breaker duty but I want you in through the window and into area 1C, you should be able to enter into area 1D from that as well. Finally, Ember and I will be taking the exterior door and sweeping area 1F and 1K. We'll regroup in the hallway, area 1E, and proceed from there."

"The rules of engagement were to not engage unless they open fire first but... Mirror, confirm for me. The unknowns have breached the client-provided safehouse, that makes them valid targets?" Aleksandra glanced up from the map and blueprint of the schoolhouse, lilac eyes gleaming in the dark.

@Sushi @Unlucky Bibliophile @Project J @dryskim @NephyrisX @Reliable_2IC @Cmd. Frost @Kensai
 
Yates clamored out of the vic, slinging a messenger bag extra kit over his shoulder. It was tough to cram everything he wanted into a classy sports coat, especially stuff like grenades and medical.

As Aleks laid out her plan, he nodded along at the appropriate intervals and committed his part of the operation to memory. He wasn't too excited to be tangling with the paranormal or militia-types with AR-15s wearing soft armor and carrying just a Glock 19. He really should have found room in his bag for an SBR...

@AlphaD @Sushi

Yates threw his hand up, "Yo. This fence surrounding the structure - do we have the equipment to cut it? 'cause going through those gates is going to be a heck of a fatal funnel. No cover, no concealment, could get real nasty if the tangos have eyes on 'em."
 
"And here I was hoping it'd be a quiet night." Aleksandra mused quietly to herself with a wry smile, sparing a moment to look out the window of their vehicle and out into the inky darkness before opening the door and slipping out.

The cool breeze wrapping lovingly around her form and whispered sweet secrets into her ear, inaudible to all but those who were born with the blessings of the wind. The Bosnian-Serb stilled for a moment and tilted her head, listening to both the incomprehensible mutterings of the wind and the reports from her team before she nodded, a rough outline of what might've been a plan of action already in place.


Aleksandra nodded to Grace's words. Nothing she wouldn't have done herself, it was practically textbook. "They probably don't know we're here yet so we'll gear up and proceed on foot. Speed and aggression is the name of the game here, if we move in fast and hard then they'll have no chance to put up any decent resistance before we shut them down."

The Bosnian-Serb pulled out a small flashlight that she had appropriated from their vehicle along with a map of the area and rolled it out across the ground. The terrain was rugged and hilly with vegetation littering the area, advantageous for a defending force if they knew the direction of the opposing one, but for now? It would provide them with excellent concealment while they approached the schoolhouse and if they did this right, it wouldn't mean anything if they managed to breach the perimeter.

"The drones are our top priority when moving in. If possible, I want Charm to hack them or prevent them from transmitting any information while keeping them airborne and if not then Hex team can swat them out of the sky as Ward 0 suggested," The sylph nodded to her doppelganger before turning her attention back to the map. "It's one thing to make them think they've lost their signal somehow, it's another thing if they can hear their drones crashing into the ground but regardless of our course of action, I want them neutralized before we move in. If they spot our approach somehow, it'll make it that much harder to win the firefight."

"Once the drones are down, Hex team will hang back and provide sniper support. You're both professionals so I trust you'll pick a location that'll allow you to cover us as much as possible because..." Aleksandra reached out with a finger and tapped two areas, south and east of the schoolhouse. "... we'll split our assault team into three and take the first floor. I'll call in Excalibur to hold security while we cover the second floor."

Aleksandra paused in her briefing as she spread out another piece of paper over their map, a blueprint of their client-provided safehouse already with scribbles on it marking rooms and areas of interest. "When we approach, I want Ember to sweep for explosives in case they've managed to booby trap the perimeter then we'll split off from here. Ward-2, you'll take Ward-3 and Ward-0 to storm the front of the building. Charm and Ward-4 will be on the circuit breaker on the south side of the building, you'll be hitting the power first before going in through the window here at area 1C. If possible, Hex-6 or Hex-7 can cover your enty but don't be afraid to use a flashbang or even a ninebanger if you have to. That goes for all of you. Last of all, Ember is with me and we'll be hitting the exterior door at area 1K here."

Throughout her briefing, Aleksandra was making tiny scribbles on the blueprint. Small but legible markings that was to be their plan of attack and Aleksandra could only hope that it would survive first contact with enemy though perhaps that was a bit too naive of her.

"The signal to execute will be when the lights go out. Ward-2, Ward-0 and Ward-3 will move in and clear that part of the building. Ward-2, I'll leave it up to your discretion but you can either move in as one into area 1B or you can take area 1A as well as 1B simultaneously. There is a window leading into area 1A." Aleksandra nodded to her assault team leader before turning to face Allison and Matthew. "Charm and Ward-4, you're on circuit breaker duty but I want you in through the window and into area 1C, you should be able to enter into area 1D from that as well. Finally, Ember and I will be taking the exterior door and sweeping area 1F and 1K. We'll regroup in the hallway, area 1E, and proceed from there."

"The rules of engagement were to not engage unless they open fire first but... Mirror, confirm for me. The unknowns have breached the client-provided safehouse, that makes them valid targets?" Aleksandra glanced up from the map and blueprint of the schoolhouse, lilac eyes gleaming in the dark.
Yates clamored out of the vic, slinging a messenger bag extra kit over his shoulder. It was tough to cram everything he wanted into a classy sports coat, especially stuff like grenades and medical.

As Aleks laid out her plan, he nodded along at the appropriate intervals and committed his part of the operation to memory. He wasn't too excited to be tangling with the paranormal or militia-types with AR-15s wearing soft armor and carrying just a Glock 19. He really should have found room in his bag for an SBR...

@AlphaD @Sushi

Yates threw his hand up, "Yo. This fence surrounding the structure - do we have the equipment to cut it? 'cause going through those gates is going to be a heck of a fatal funnel. No cover, no concealment, could get real nasty if the tangos have eyes on 'em."

"Wait." Ketch said stated as she finished assembling the rifle. Fucking Lt's.

"There's a fuck ton of windows and I'm a sniper, have the techie fuck with their drones while I do some scouting. Looks bad on my report if you breach into an ambush." Ketch says as she takes a quick look at the map before walking away from the group.
 
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@AlphaD @dryskim @NephyrisX
_____"Ward, discretion advised. The client would like any 'guests' to be escorted for 'questioning.'"

_____Grace's eyes scanned the minute details of the plain for several hushed minutes. Out of sight from the building and any occupants, it was a relatively discreet planning session. "No objections here. The faster we push the scene, the less time anyone has to prepare for us." She reached into one of several slender equipment bags in the truck bed and passed it onto Yates. The full-size boltcutters were a familiar weight in his hands and would make short work of any padlocks or fencing. Upon hearing their team leader's direction, the big contractor opened the lid on a tupperware-like box, revealing foam cutouts packed with slender miniature flashbang grenades. "I think this is all we've got, so be sparing."

_____Part of their equipment included several rolled up breaching charges and "manual entry" tools. Grace lifted a sledgehammer from the bed. "Plan B for that metal door out back? Might be quieter if we have someone big and strong smash it."
 
"Zero makes a good point, TL." Leah reached for a hammer as well, another old familiar feeling in her hands. "We can make entry from both sides, especially if Hex team can provide good overwatch from outside. If they can't for whatever reason and breaching 1F or 1K is less optimal, we can still cover central corridor 1E if one of us initiates entry through barricade. We can take the east rooms from there."

Leah eyed the main entrance through the schoolyard grimly. It all came down to whatever they needed to bulldoze through any resistance along the way - given the talent they had on hand she figured as long as they moved together at the right pace, they would be able to clear the building without too much fuss. "Of course, uh, the shortest path is a straight line, as they say - no objections to a fully frontal assault if you wish. On your word, Number One."
 
@AlphaD @Unlucky Bibliophile @Project J @dryskim @NephyrisX @Reliable_2IC @Cmd. Frost @Kensai
_____"Kill the lights." Grace press-checked her piece before stepping into the inky night. "Mirror, Ward, nine hitters on target. Standby for status."

_____It only took a moment for her eyes to begin adjusting to the pitch black. She released the switch for the radio and made a shallow wave, motioning for the others to scoot closer to earshot. "Chain's been cut on the gate. Front door of the school's open a crack. Whatever Charm saw earlier is staying away from the windows. Looks like those flying things haven't moved." The big woman took a knee by the edge of the brush. "Snipers got suppressors. We could swat those things out of the sky and make moves for entry. Ember can check for explosives, and we can do a sweep. Shouldn't be any ladders or exterior access to the second level. We could probably send someone around the back if we wanted.

_____"Thoughts, TL?" Grace said, those lavender-colored eyes of hers glinting in the moonlight as she looked to Elyse and Aleks in turn.
The lights in the van went dead as the interior and exterior went pitch black, with only the moonlight and illuminated icons on the dashboard cementing that they didn't fall into some godforsaken void.
_____It only took a moment for her eyes to begin adjusting to the pitch black. She released the switch for the radio and made a shallow wave, motioning for the others to scoot closer to earshot. "Chain's been cut on the gate. Front door of the school's open a crack. Whatever Charm saw earlier is staying away from the windows. Looks like those flying things haven't moved." The big woman took a knee by the edge of the brush. "Snipers got suppressors. We could swat those things out of the sky and make moves for entry. Ember can check for explosives, and we can do a sweep. Shouldn't be any ladders or exterior access to the second level. We could probably send someone around the back if we wanted.

_____"Thoughts, TL?" Grace said, those lavender-colored eyes of hers glinting in the moonlight as she looked to Elyse and Aleks in turn.
"Oh? We're doing this?" Anastasia's smile turned feral, her hands already gripping the Glock in her holster, "Things will get bloody tonight after all! What's the call, bos?"
Aleksandra paused in her briefing as she spread out another piece of paper over their map, a blueprint of their client-provided safehouse already with scribbles on it marking rooms and areas of interest. "When we approach, I want Ember to sweep for explosives in case they've managed to booby trap the perimeter then we'll split off from here. Ward-2, you'll take Ward-3 and Ward-0 to storm the front of the building. Charm and Ward-4 will be on the circuit breaker on the south side of the building, you'll be hitting the power first before going in through the window here at area 1C. If possible, Hex-6 or Hex-7 can cover your enty but don't be afraid to use a flashbang or even a ninebanger if you have to. That goes for all of you. Last of all, Ember is with me and we'll be hitting the exterior door at area 1K here."
In her life, Anastasia has only ever been in two camps; those who pull off their missions and live to see another day, and those who fucked up everything and live to see another day. The former only ever happens when there's a good head at the top leading the team like a pro, giving the right jobs to the right people like they've known the team since the day they're born. The latter is everything else. Anastasia has never been one to lead; she doesn't have the patience, talent or stomach for it, and she'd much rather be the one savaging the other guy and nothing else. Still, she didn't last this long without knowing a few things a leader ought to be, and so far she's liking what she's hearing right now.

"You want me on bomb duty? Ha, no problem," Anastasia replied, her free hand fiddling and checking the tools nestled in the side pocket of her vest, "Just remember to bring me along. The night's still young, and I'm real thirsty." Before anyone could so much as utter a word, Anastasia had already bolted from the vehicle, the brisk night air seeping into the truck like phantom as the ponytail blonde approached the gate with a smile on her face.
 
_____"Ward, discretion advised. The client would like any 'guests' to be escorted for 'questioning.'"

"Acknowledged Mirror, we'll be gentle." Aleksandra replied, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her lips at the way they seemed to dance around the topic. 'Guests', huh?

Well, far be it from her to disobey an order.

Leah eyed the main entrance through the schoolyard grimly. It all came down to whatever they needed to bulldoze through any resistance along the way - given the talent they had on hand she figured as long as they moved together at the right pace, they would be able to clear the building without too much fuss. "Of course, uh, the shortest path is a straight line, as they say - no objections to a fully frontal assault if you wish. On your word, Number One."

Aleksandra quietly studied the oni woman before turning back to study her plans, a small grimace growing on her face as her mind raced. What if? What if... What if...?

It was always a matter of "what if" that plagued her mind. What if it was a mistake to split her team's firepower like this? What if there was heavier resistance than expected when attempting to execute? What if they were noticed before they even reached the building?

"I see your point. I mainly want to use Ember's explosives as a means to disorient or wound any of our... 'guests'... in 1F and 1K, but a flashbang would do the job just as well. I would even argue that using any explosive on the more fragile, wooden door would be a better use as the shrapnel would hit anyone nearby... but I'll leave that decision up to our Number Two."

The Bosnian-Serb pulled out her marker again and quickly made the corrections on the blueprint. "Change of plans. Ward-2, I'm taking Ward-3 from you but I'll be leaving Ember in your care. Ward-4 and Charm should be able to assist us if we encounter more resistance than expected in area 1F and 1K and vice versa. On the other hand, because of the barricade then Hex Team will be the only ones you can rely on when we breach at least until we can take down the barricade and regroup so I'd rather have three of you on an assault team rather than two and I'm expecting the heaviest resistance to be near the front of the building anyway."

"The overall plan remains the same though. We hit them from multiple points of entry, fast and hard, and disrupt any attempts at an organised resistance. Ward-2 will be leading the frontal assault and she's my second so you'll defer to her if I'm absent or indisposed." Aleksandra capped the marker, idly spinning it between her fingers as she stared down at the messy but legible scrawls on the paper. She allowed the team to study the plans until they were satisfied before clicking off the flashlight. "Cutting the power will only further send them into disarray but aside from Hex Team's night vision scopes, we do not have any NODs. Only flashlights. You can see them but our enemies could also blindly fire back at where they think the source of light is coming from, therefore Hex Team is crucial to maintaining our advantage. Let them clear the room first, then double-check with them before entering and if they don't have line-of-sight, I trust in your skill and tactics over our enemies."

"Ember will take point from here. Now if there are no more pressing concerns... let's clean house, Kinetic."
 
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@Sushi
@NephyrisX

The Bosnian-Serb pulled out her marker again and quickly made the corrections on the blueprint. "Change of plans. Ward-2, I'm taking Ward-3 from you but I'll be leaving Ember in your care. Ward-4 and Charm should be able to assist us if we encounter more resistance than expected in area 1F and 1K and vice versa. On the other hand, because of the barricade then Hex Team will be the only ones you can rely on when we breach at least until we can take down the barricade and regroup so I'd rather have three of you on an assault team rather than two and I'm expecting the heaviest resistance to be near the front of the building anyway."

If she had any objections to the plan, she would have stated it. Instead, Elyse quietly absorbed the details of her objective as her eyes flitted across the map. Her mind took in positions, firing lanes, and entry points. The seasoned spec ops solider was well experienced with missions like this.

"Alright, TL." Elyse nodded, hopping out of the van. Her hands quickly went through some last minute checking of her glock, while she gestured for Grace to follow her. "C'mon, Ward-0. We can't let Ember get all the glory."
 
@Cmd. Frost @Kensai
_____The rifle weighed heavily on Ketch's back as she scrumbled up the trunk of a sturdy-looking tree. Without using a flashlight it was a murky and occasionally fumbling trek upward, until she found a limb wide enough to support her weight. Just as she got to the top, a twig broke beneath her heel; the sound echoed into the night, and the chirp of birds, the sound of wildlife took pause to notice. After a few moments, she was able to make it to the top without further distraction. The night-vision clip-on attachment sitting past the end of her telescopic scope hummed to life and cast the area in a pale green, turning shadows into light. Even pinpricks became little bubbles of diffused light and washed over the area around the structure until it looked nearly like daytime.

_____There was a sweeping of light from what seemed like the central corridor of the ground floor. Some lights flickered on and off; about half the place was lit up, perhaps intentionally so to evade the notice of prying eyes. There was a dim light upstairs that seemed to not move; from its placement a few feet from the nearest window Ketch could guess it was some sort of computer station.


@NephyrisX
_____The uneven lighting shining through the exterior windows made it easy to stick to the dark, and the quick, methodical rounds the sapper made uncovered little sign of any trapping; no disturbed dirt, tripwires. If it were trapped, it would have to have been on a level more complicated than the old stand-by pressure plates and tripwires. After a lap, she could see the other elements were in place to begin entries, just in time for her to join with an update to her boss...


@AlphaD @Project J
_____There was nothing save for the chirping of crickets to accompany the two slipping around the back of the building. They had climbed over a simple fence and moved by the unlit rear, ducking under intact windows and peering into the darkness inside. A few dull lights shined down halls and around corners, but they saw nothing incriminating on the way over, at least until coming across the room with the sturdy metal door and a boarded-up window. It wasn't uncommon to see doors like these in schools, fire doors intended to separate the building into sections during a fire, but the use of one to barricade a classroom was still conspicuous.

_____A quick check showed it was locked and the hinges weren't accessible from the exterior; meaning it was an inward swinging door, ideal for a breach with a shotgun or sheer, blunt force.


@Unlucky Bibliophile @NephyrisX
_____Grace took a knee and waited for Ember to make her return before moving. In the few moments she exchanged quiet gazes with Elyse. After a moment, her eyes darted down to the small lever on the slide of Elyse's sidearm, and Grace cracked a small grin at the sight before turning back to the door. Truth be told, the lighting conditions were perfect for someone like her, and she could make out the slight out-pouring of residual light while the power was still on to see that the front wasn't quite closed. "Ward 1, Zero, be advised primary entry is already open. I'm going structural."

_____She moved soundlessly along the wall and then broke off to "cut" laterally around the entry point. Grace turned to her two teammates and gestured for them to move closer. "Entry's clear. Barricade about halfway down the hall, tables, chairs. There's an office on the right with an open door, looks like administration."


@dryskim @Reliable_2IC
_____The slight snips in the fence were invisible from more than a few feet away, and more importantly, the entire entry had been noiseless. The boltcutters sat snug in a bag on Yates' back as the two of them moved on the building's circuit breakers. One thing became obvious right away: Unlike the rest of the somewhat dilapidated building, the utilities were recently updated, and the steel cage designed to protect the access panels had solid welds from top to bottom. However, it looked like the precious lock had already been cut by someone else, leaving the cleanly-labeled switches open to their uses...

_____That was when Allison found a wireless repeater tucked behind the cage, its antenna taped along the wall a foot or two upward. The signal seemed to match that of a mobile hotspot; presumably used to control the commercial drones in the yard. Taking out the repeater wouldn't necessarily keep the drones down, but now she had the exact frequently to jam in order to render them blind.

_____With the two staged at their point, entry nearby, the raid was ready to commence on the flip of a switch.
 
"There's a fuck ton of windows and I'm a sniper, have the techie fuck with their drones while I do some scouting. Looks bad on my report if you breach into an ambush." Ketch says as she takes a quick look at the map before walking away from the group.

"Friendly gal," Yates quipped as he received the bolt cutters from Grace. She picked up a breaching hammer, but with the ease she hefted it he wondered if she could just take down that door with her hands. As the others hashed out the nitty-gritty details, he tucked a couple nine-bangs into his pockets.

"Now if there are no more pressing concerns... let's clean house, Kinetic."

@Reliable_2IC

Yates glanced over at his cyborg partner with a grin, "Guess that's our cue."

He led the way around the back of the building, cognizant of where he put his feet even after Ember finished her lap. In her eagerness to get to the bloodshed, she might've missed something, that nagging paranoia in the back of his head whispered.

By the time he'd clipped through the fence and escorted Charm to the breaker box without incident, his sapper senses were telling him to breath a little. A little. This was still a complex breach, in the dark, no rehearsal, with less than adequate kit and a squad he didn't fully trust.

Fuuuuck, when did he become such an over-thinking little bitch?
 
"The overall plan remains the same though. We hit them from multiple points of entry, fast and hard, and disrupt any attempts at an organised resistance. Ward-2 will be leading the frontal assault and she's my second so you'll defer to her if I'm absent or indisposed." Aleksandra capped the marker, idly spinning it between her fingers as she stared down at the messy but legible scrawls on the paper. She allowed the team to study the plans until they were satisfied before clicking off the flashlight. "Cutting the power will only further send them into disarray but aside from Hex Team's night vision scopes, we do not have any NODs. Only flashlights. You can see them but our enemies could also blindly fire back at where they think the source of light is coming from, therefore Hex Team is crucial to maintaining our advantage. Let them clear the room first, then double-check with them before entering and if they don't have line-of-sight, I trust in your skill and tactics over our enemies."

"Ember will take point from here. Now if there are no more pressing concerns... let's clean house, Kinetic."

"Copy, TL."

Leah looked more than a little ludicrous moving along the walls of the building as the rest of the team shifted to their positions, stooped low to reduce her profile amongst the grass. Glock in one hand and the neck of her sledgehammer in the other, she kept an eye out towards the trees, spotting Hex shooters moving to their roosts. Another eye she kept along the windowsills - watching for any potential movement before she slipped by.

Soon enough she found her way around to the other end of the building without much incident, left side up against the wall. She holstered her handgun for the moment as she quickly surveyed the lock on the door with a quick pulse of her flashlight. Pretty solid metal frame. Inwards swing. No drop bars or locks besides a basic handle. Looks like it's beat to shit - god willing, I should be able to fork through this, even if the frame sits on concrete. Beats drawing attention to myself over the others.

She made a mental note of the flashbang clipped to the waist of her ballistic vest as she brushed it with her thumb, ready to toss it upon breaching the door. I should ask Ember for pointers the next time we have to deal with this.

She paused as she thumbed her radio. "Hex team, do you have eyes on interior? Will confirm breach if overwatch is good."
 
The rifle weighed heavily on Ketch's back as she scrumbled up the trunk of a sturdy-looking tree. Without using a flashlight it was a murky and occasionally fumbling trek upward, until she found a limb wide enough to support her weight. Just as she got to the top, a twig broke beneath her heel; the sound echoed into the night, and the chirp of birds, the sound of wildlife took pause to notice. After a few moments, she was able to make it to the top without further distraction. The night-vision clip-on attachment sitting past the end of her telescopic scope hummed to life and cast the area in a pale green, turning shadows into light. Even pinpricks became little bubbles of diffused light and washed over the area around the structure until it looked nearly like daytime.

Damn, need to do more climbing. Should take the kids hiking again. Actually fuck it, we'll go camping after this job. Ketch thought to herself as she started sweeping the area with her rifle.

_____There was a sweeping of light from what seemed like the central corridor of the ground floor. Some lights flickered on and off; about half the place was lit up, perhaps intentionally so to evade the notice of prying eyes. There was a dim light upstairs that seemed to not move; from its placement a few feet from the nearest window Ketch could guess it was some sort of computer station.

Tch, so much for making it easy on us.

@AlphaD @Project J @Kensai @Unlucky Bibliophile @dryskim @NephyrisX @Reliable_2IC @Kensai
"Hex 6 to all, due to lighting I can't spot any hostiles. Possibility of someone sweeping the central corridor from the stairs, active computer station on the second floor. Possibility they know we're coming, expect ambushes. Suggest an entry from the second floor to deal with the terminal before cutting the power, if anyone else here can climb." Ketch stated quietly into her mic as she continued searching the house from her perch "Anything to add 7?"
 
@NephyrisX
_____The uneven lighting shining through the exterior windows made it easy to stick to the dark, and the quick, methodical rounds the sapper made uncovered little sign of any trapping; no disturbed dirt, tripwires. If it were trapped, it would have to have been on a level more complicated than the old stand-by pressure plates and tripwires. After a lap, she could see the other elements were in place to begin entries, just in time for her to join with an update to her boss...
To any other sapper, the night sky is a boon and an even bigger hindrance. The cover of darkness is the perfect camouflage against an un-augmented MK I eyeball that's unsuited to the pitch dark environment. On the other hand, the engineer themselves also suffers from this, and it's worse for the guy 'cause they have to do the fiddly and delicate bits, and it's no fun being blown up because you're blind to what you're doing. So, human engineers (cyborgs exempted, of course) have to compensate with pocket lights and extreme light discipline in enemy territory, and anyone in the profession can tell you that it's still a shitty workspace.

Good thing Anastasia isn't human.

The compound standing in front of the Belarusian was a muted and dreary place, with only the yellowed florescent lights and dimmed directory signs dotting the building displaying any life in the area. Anastasia could picked out the overgrown grass and the brown layers peeling and flaking off the gate like a rotting onion, a testament to the dilapidated state of the school.

Well, currently formerly dilapidated, and eventually recently dilapidated if she had anything to say about it, but she's getting ahead of herself.

Bestia initiated a preliminary check of the ground before her and the compound beyond the gates. Any signs of disturbed dirt, overturned grass, fresh tracks, wires, the works; whatever the night sky could conceal were null and void before her vision. Just one of the many perks Anastasia gets to enjoy with one foot on the way to a blood-sucking abomination.

A cursory scan of the area revealed nothing to her, not so much as a single speck of dirt on anything remotely suspicious. Either the guys stationed here just got her and didn't prepare any traps like the amateurs they are, or they somehow have the tech to go deeper than the old standby claymore. The Belarusian called dibs on the former.

With a shake of her head and a lopsided smirk on her lips, Anastasia strolled back to the van. She could see, listen, the other elements of her detail at work. It's going to start at any moment, and she couldn't wait. But first, her boss. Aleksandra, was it?

@AlphaD
"Oi, bos," Anastasia whispered to the diminutive figure before her, "just checked the place. No traps or wires. I don't think they're expecting us. We storming the place soon, yeah?"
 
"Oi, bos," Anastasia whispered to the diminutive figure before her, "just checked the place. No traps or wires. I don't think they're expecting us. We storming the place soon, yeah?"

"Yep. Plan's the same," Aleksandra muttered back to her new demolitions expert as soon as she rejoined the team. "Four and Charm hit the power box, we storm in. You're grouping with Two and Zero over there to storm the front so get your war face on, draga."

With the perimeter cleared of booby traps and the troop raring to go, the Bosnian-Serb quickly ordered the troop to move. Their advance onto the compound was quiet and without incident and their subsequent splitting into multiple assault teams was just as boring which was just the way the troop leader preferred it. She would have enough excitement in... oh... about a minute or two from now.

"Hex 6 to all, due to lighting I can't spot any hostiles. Possibility of someone sweeping the central corridor from the stairs, active computer station on the second floor. Possibility they know we're coming, expect ambushes. Suggest an entry from the second floor to deal with the terminal before cutting the power, if anyone else here can climb." Ketch stated quietly into her mic as she continued searching the house from her perch "Anything to add 7?"

"Copy all, Six. Ward Two, the central corridor's your responsibility so I'll let you deal with it. Hex Team, keep an eye on that computer station for me if you can. Could have something useful on it but I want you to prioritise the assault team's safety first and foremost. I won't send anyone to the second floor as we're already spread out as it is. Over and out." The sylph muttered into her radio, releasing the button as soon as she had finished speaking.

Aleksandra shuffled on the spot, waiting patiently as the oni checked the metal door over carefully with her flashlight. Idly, the half-fae slid the magazine out of her issued Glock 19 and examining it before sliding it back into the weapon with her finger resting outside of the trigger guard. Not that she didn't mind a good Glock but she wished that the rest of the team was armed with some... heavier implements

"The door's metal but nothing you can't handle right? You're a big and strong gal," Aleksandra said with a small smile, the not-quite present glow of her lilac eyes betraying her nature as a fae. "You focus on getting the door open and I'll handle the flashbang part."

One hand reached into the carrier she had hastily thrown on over her suit, caressing the flashbang that she had taken from Grace lightly. She wished that she had gotten to work with her new team in a couple of training simulations before they actually hit the field, let the new members click with each other first before moving out but the troop weren't rookies fresh from selection, they were already blooded and experienced soldiers. In that context, Aleksandra could trust Leah to be right behind her when they moved in.

"And it looks like Hex Team is almost in position..." She mused quietly before reaching up to press the button on her radio again. "This is One and Three, we're in position. How are the rest of you looking?"

@Unlucky Bibliophile @Project J @dryskim @Sushi @NephyrisX @Reliable_2IC @Cmd. Frost @Kensai
 
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@NephyrisX

@Unlucky Bibliophile @NephyrisX
_____Grace took a knee and waited for Ember to make her return before moving. In the few moments she exchanged quiet gazes with Elyse. After a moment, her eyes darted down to the small lever on the slide of Elyse's sidearm, and Grace cracked a small grin at the sight before turning back to the door. Truth be told, the lighting conditions were perfect for someone like her, and she could make out the slight out-pouring of residual light while the power was still on to see that the front wasn't quite closed. "Ward 1, Zero, be advised primary entry is already open. I'm going structural."

_____She moved soundlessly along the wall and then broke off to "cut" laterally around the entry point. Grace turned to her two teammates and gestured for them to move closer. "Entry's clear. Barricade about halfway down the hall, tables, chairs. There's an office on the right with an open door, looks like administration."

"And it looks like Hex Team is almost in position..." She mused quietly before reaching up to press the button on her radio again. "This is One and Three, we're in position. How are the rest of you looking?"

Elyse waited, eyeing the windows and the other points of contact. She almost expected to see the glint of a muzzle or shuffle of movement. Yet, nothing. If it wasn't for the detection of the drones, she would have thought the building was empty. It made her feel uneasy. Still, Elyse kept her discipline and walked in as Grace gave the gesture to proceed into the building.

Elyse looked around, trying to get her vision to adjust to the darkness. Not for the first time she lamented not having replaced her eyes with a cybernetic replacement. Although, having to replace your eye seemed like such an unsettling prospect at the time.

Elyse thumbed her communicator, saying, "Ward 2, Ward 1 and Ember confirming in position. Ready to move in on your command."
 
Yates glanced over at his cyborg partner with a grin, "Guess that's our cue."



He led the way around the back of the building, cognizant of where he put his feet even after Ember finished her lap. In her eagerness to get to the bloodshed, she might've missed something, that nagging paranoia in the back of his head whispered.



By the time he'd clipped through the fence and escorted Charm to the breaker box without incident, his sapper senses were telling him to breath a little. A little. This was still a complex breach, in the dark, no rehearsal, with less than adequate kit and a squad he didn't fully trust.



Fuuuuck, when did he become such an over-thinking little bitch?

_____The slight snips in the fence were invisible from more than a few feet away, and more importantly, the entire entry had been noiseless. The boltcutters sat snug in a bag on Yates' back as the two of them moved on the building's circuit breakers. One thing became obvious right away: Unlike the rest of the somewhat dilapidated building, the utilities were recently updated, and the steel cage designed to protect the access panels had solid welds from top to bottom. However, it looked like the precious lock had already been cut by someone else, leaving the cleanly-labeled switches open to their uses...



_____That was when Allison found a wireless repeater tucked behind the cage, its antenna taped along the wall a foot or two upward. The signal seemed to match that of a mobile hotspot; presumably used to control the commercial drones in the yard. Taking out the repeater wouldn't necessarily keep the drones down, but now she had the exact frequently to jam in order to render them blind.

_____With the two staged at their point, entry nearby, the raid was ready to commence on the flip of a switch.

Allison nods. "Let's move."

Following Yates' lead, Allison takes a moment to consider what she thinks of her team so far. They seem reliable, and no issues have cropped up yet. She'll reserve judgement out of caution, but her bias towards them is the default rather than suspicion.

The fact that the seemingly abandoned structure had renovated utilities was suspicious. The left open circuit breakers were even more so. Maybe whoever's inside will have the answers. Putting those thoughts out of mind, Allison starts to move towards the circuit breakers.

As she approaches the circuit box however, the receiver catches her eye. What a nice opportunity to blind the enemy even further. First things first though. Turning the main breaker off, she then moves over to the receiver and begins the process of jamming it. "Give me a moment, this shouldn't take long."
 
@AlphaD
_____As the operation came together in dead silence, a little feeling came over Aleksandra. Nothing so typical as a churning gut or cold sweats. It was easier to describe it as a sudden throbbing of dread, a cold veil tossed over her shoulders in the half-second before the operation kicked off.

@Reliable_2IC @dryskim
_____It was strange.

_____The cyborg felt her skin crawl when she grasped the switch of the main breaker. Just a bit of built-up static electricity? It moved with hesitation, finally pushing to OFF with a muted hum and the flicker of building power... and momentarily, the chirp of her handheld radio restarting. It was then she realized that the control signal for the drones had gone out entirely, as well as the transmissions of the little fliers themselves. Her jammer didn't even respond to her attempts at activating it, but for the moment, their enemy was blind.

_____Yates had made short work of the simple locking mechanism on the window. A bit of light still emanated from within the office; it seemed like a principal's office judging from the framed certificates and trophies. A simple tea candle on the desk offered some ample light to illuminate the room. A desktop PC was still plugged in with the monitor tilted slightly askew on the desk.

@Kensai @Cmd. Frost
_____Enma squeezed the Mk. 12 into the pocket of her shoulder. For her purposes, it was really an oversized M4 carbine instead of a proper sniper rifle like she'd been accustomed to. At these ranges, though, it was more than enough, and the muted thump of the suppressor was swallowed by the bushes as the subsonic cartridges silently nosed through the air. Enma had to cycle the bolt between each shot, but both drones were felled in just a few seconds, leaving their perimeter secure.

_____As the power went out and the upper level flickered, both Enma and Ketch saw their rifle-mounted night vision sputter and shut off, leaving them staring into pitch black. After several seconds, the clip-on devices came to with a hum, but they could see the persons they saw snooping around the upper levels were nowhere to be seen.

@Unlucky Bibliophile @NephyrisX
_____"Did you fuckin' feel that just now?" Grace shivered. "Zero, going structural." The broad-shouldered woman moved with an agility that defied her size and slipped soundlessly into the doorway, turning sideways to squeeze into a space that seemed to small to allow her. Her pistol swept into the right hand corner for a beat, then her head swiveled left. In the dim light, her amber gaze scrutinized every bit of hostile ground. She squeezed her microphone.

_____Nothing.

_____Grace turned and peered over her shoulder at Elyse. The cyborg woman could see the lupine's eyes gleaming like liquid gold. Angry. "Comm's fucked. Move up." As the two followed in her wake, the big lupine pointed with a finger down the hall at a small mountain of chairs and desks blocking access. A thin layer of dust had settled upon them. With a deliberate motion, she pointed at Elyse's eyes, then the corridor: cover us. ... and then to Bestia. She swirled a fingertip in the air. On me.

___
 
Ketch begins sweeping the house again as soon as the Night Vision turns back on. To all appearances the house as been abandoned in seconds.

Wait, is...

Though the ground floor seems empty, there is what seems to be a flicker of movement toward the north end of the hallway directly adjacent to the room closest to her.

Sneaking fuckers.

"Hex 7 to all, I've lost visual on targets. Looks like they all hid when the power was cut. Possible movement at the north end of the main hallway."

Ketch takes another look through her scope before continuing. Hell with it.

"Ward 1, I can't see shit from here. Permission to re-nest?"
 
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@NephyrisX
@Sushi

Grace turned and peered over her shoulder at Elyse. The cyborg woman could see the lupine's eyes gleaming like liquid gold. Angry. "Comm's fucked. Move up." As the two followed in her wake, the big lupine pointed with a finger down the hall at a small mountain of chairs and desks blocking access. A thin layer of dust had settled upon them. With a deliberate motion, she pointed at Elyse's eyes, then the corridor: cover us. ... and then to Bestia. She swirled a fingertip in the air. On me.

Elyse felt a chill travel down her spine.

Elyse tried to turn on the radio as well when Grace tried hers, only to find it unresponsive. She frowned, but otherwise didn't comment further on it. For the moment, they would just have to do this without radio support. While it was inconvenient, Elyse was trained on how to respond when cut off from support. She was sure that the other members of the squad knew what to do as well.

Elyse peered into the darkness, trying to look for any signs of movement. However, she saw nothing. Still, she kept her guard up and weapon trained down the corridor.
 
The low hum of power fizzled out into silence, a fraction of a moment before Leah drove the fork end of the sledgehammer through the door frame with a grunt. She felt the familiar give of the lock mechanism splintering into a mangled mess of steel and brick dust as it popped out of the other side of the wall, and in a swift motion her gun was training forward before the hammer she discarded hit the ground.

With her other elbow levering the door further ajar, Leah barrelled into the room with a purpose, eyes every which way scanning its corners in a single breath. The torchbeam from her gun swung left, back right, cut through the inky black with practiced precision. Her free hand relaxed away from the flashbang still attached to her vest, but -

Despite the obvious emptiness of the room, the breath Leah normally exhaled upon room clear did not release. Her training, her logical mind informed by logical eyes, told her the room had been deserted. Was deserted, dust visibly greying the floorboards and stacked classroom desks they had settled upon. And yet, her hackles raised as the muscles in her jaw clenched hard enough to snap cable steel and set the sound of blood pumping in her ears, free hand bracing the gun in her right.
There was an utterly inexplicable feeling of wrongness against all reason that Leah wrestled with as she quickly forced herself to breathe through flared nostrils, digging into the training in her subconscious as she pushed forward a moment later along the wall, towards the only untoward item in the room - a brand new, heavyset steel locker.

Fair quality for what intel says are a bunch of 'hillbillies'. She took a quick glance at the sides and back of the locker, propped up amongst the stacked desks, but saw nothing out of place that suggested foul play at hand. After a second of deliberation, Leah backed out to the pried doorway to retrieve the sledgehammer she left outside. She had a distinct gut feeling that whatever her team was up against could use a bit of extra force (if there was anything of value to use).

As she picked up her hammer, she palmed the switch on her microphone to at least report her status - nothing. Her jaw clenched again in frustration as she went back inside, and set the tip of the sledgehammer fork against the padlock, bearing her weight and the hammer down until its shackle yielded with a loud pop.
Bad fucking energy all around, and they hadn't even encountered anything yet.
 
@Unlucky Bibliophile @NephyrisX
_____"Did you fuckin' feel that just now?" Grace shivered. "Zero, going structural." The broad-shouldered woman moved with an agility that defied her size and slipped soundlessly into the doorway, turning sideways to squeeze into a space that seemed to small to allow her. Her pistol swept into the right hand corner for a beat, then her head swiveled left. In the dim light, her amber gaze scrutinized every bit of hostile ground. She squeezed her microphone.

_____Nothing.

_____Grace turned and peered over her shoulder at Elyse. The cyborg woman could see the lupine's eyes gleaming like liquid gold. Angry. "Comm's fucked. Move up." As the two followed in her wake, the big lupine pointed with a finger down the hall at a small mountain of chairs and desks blocking access. A thin layer of dust had settled upon them. With a deliberate motion, she pointed at Elyse's eyes, then the corridor: cover us. ... and then to Bestia. She swirled a fingertip in the air. On me.

___
@NephyrisX
@Sushi



Elyse felt a chill travel down her spine.

Elyse tried to turn on the radio as well when Grace tried hers, only to find it unresponsive. She frowned, but otherwise didn't comment further on it. For the moment, they would just have to do this without radio support. While it was inconvenient, Elyse was trained on how to respond when cut off from support. She was sure that the other members of the squad knew what to do as well.

Elyse peered into the darkness, trying to look for any signs of movement. However, she saw nothing. Still, she kept her guard up and weapon trained down the corridor.
Anastasia observed her two compatriots fiddling with the buttons and knobs on their radios, only to be met with sullen expressions and hardened eyes. Puzzled, the Dhampir checked her radio. Nothing.

Well this bodes well.

Acknowledging the lupine's signal with a nod, Anastasia replaced the Glock in her holster and disengaged the safety, trailing behind her superior as she did so. The pitch darkness enveloped the building like a miasma, contrasted with the blinding, sickly fluorescent light, but Anastasia was no stranger to poor visuals. If anything, it felt normal and comforting. A trait shared by vampires, she presumed, but that's another thought for another day.

Her pistol at the ready, Anastasia hugged the wall as she covered her superior's flank, her senses sharpening in the dark and ready to pounce on any opfor dumb enough to give away their scent.
 
Aleksandra was only a fraction of a second behind Leah, the bright beam of her torch lighting up the dusky room alongside Leah's. Where her new partner went in one direction, she went the other and the two cleared the dusty, dark room in a manner that implied years of experience. Her Glock swept left, then it swept right. Then it swept left again, double-checking all of the ratty corners that she had already cleared the first time but if Aleks was expecting anything different, then she was about to be disappointed.

No goblin hiding in these corners.

It took a moment for Aleksandra to realise that she was gripping her Glock tightly, too tightly, and forced herself to relax her hold on the weapon. A small part of her was loudly berating the rookie mistake but that small part was largely overshadowed by the much larger part of her mind incoherently screaming at her that something felt wrong. A shiver of dread crept up her spine, like little spiders running along her back.

She was no stranger to the stress and anxiety of a combat scenario but it had been years since she had last let her nerves control her like this. This feeling of cold, of trepidation, was much more familiar and one she had been exposed to recently, it felt like...

Screams echoing on the wind. Someone is walking on my grave.

... like Belgrade.

Her team.

Aleks' hand flew up and pressed down on the microphone. "Kinetic, report." She said tersely.

Silence.

"Hex One, Hex Two, do you read? Mirror, do you read?"

Silence.

As she picked up her hammer, she palmed the switch on her microphone to at least report her status - nothing. Her jaw clenched again in frustration as she went back inside, and set the tip of the sledgehammer fork against the padlock, bearing her weight and the hammer down until its shackle yielded with a loud pop.
Inside, there's several pelican cases: Remington 870 shotguns with top folding stocks (Think Terminator 2), MP5A5s with Surefire handguards, a handful of M67 fragmentation grenades inside their storage tubes, a box of M18A1 Claymore mines, and particularly, a SPAS-12 with steel folding stock. There are at least 8 of each long arm, except the singular SPAS, and enough explosives to arm a whole team.

The stillness and darkness of the room suddenly felt much more foreboding and oppressive to the half-sylph as she quietly rejoined Leah by the neatly stacked pelican cases in the room, the only standout items in a place that otherwise looked like it hadn't been tampered with for some time if the layers of dust and grime were to be believed.

... Only AR-15s and handguns, huh?

Aleks shared an indecipherable look with her oni partner before a small, cheeky smile grew on her face. The smile looked so natural, so real that it was difficult to believe that the silver-haired woman had a thunderous expression on her face only moments before. "By right of conquest, this is free loot~" Aleksandra sang quietly as she reached into a case to take out an MP5A5 and several magazines, tucking away her Glock 19. While she was at it, she also began to take several of the M67s as well.

"We'll redistribute this among the rest of the team as well. Take whatever spoils of war you want and let's rendezvous with Charm and Four." She said, sliding a magazine into newly stolen acquired MP5A5 and lightly slapping the charging handle where it slid forward with a satisfying 'clack!'

@Project J @Sushi
 
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@Sushi
@Unlucky Bibliophile

Being a half-vampire brings about a certain perspective on life. Mix-bloods generally don't live very long because they're seen as a product of shame from a bestial point of view, and are considered abominations by the human populace. Most are killed in their infancy. The lucky ones get to suffer a life of isolation and contempt from others. Getting past that turbulent phase requires a combination of will, desperation and a desire to fuck fate over. Or maybe it's just her past talking, but eh, it's not like she met many hybrids to begin with.

Still, being a dhampir isn't all bad. Anastasia can still function within society like any bland human, but more importantly, she gets the powers of the vampire without their crippling sunlight weaknesses.

Powers like her scent.

Humans has always been the most delectable food for vampires, and it's no different for dhampirs. The sweet and succulent scent of a healthy human is always so rich, like taking a whiff of a glass of wine before partaking in its flavour. It's just that half-vampires can rein in their hunger better, because their human halves help to soften that impulse with food alternatives.

Not here though. No bread, animal meat or even grain to be seen or smelt in this abandoned complex. But the scent of humans, oh they were unmistakable, and they're definitely here in the building.

Tapping the shoulder of her lupine superior, Anastasia met the gaze of Grey and hovered her hand over her nose before pointing her hand in two separate directions, her lips mouthing silently: enemy.
 
The stillness and darkness of the room suddenly felt much more foreboding and oppressive to the half-sylph as she quietly rejoined Leah by the neatly stacked pelican cases in the room, the only standout items in a place that otherwise looked like it hadn't been tampered with for some time if the layers of dust and grime were to be believed.

... Only AR-15s and handguns, huh?

Aleks shared an indecipherable look with her oni partner before a small, cheeky smile grew on her face. The smile looked so natural, so real that it was difficult to believe that the silver-haired woman had a thunderous expression on her face only moments before. "By right of conquest, this is free loot~" Aleksandra sang quietly as she reached into a case to take out an MP5A5 and several magazines, tucking away her Glock 19. While she was at it, she also began to take several of the M67s as well.

"We'll redistribute this among the rest of the team as well. Take whatever spoils of war you want and let's rendezvous with Charm and Four." She said, sliding a magazine into newly stolen acquired MP5A5 and lightly slapping the charging handle where it slid forward with a satisfying 'clack!'

@Project J @Sushi

Leah nodded curtly in the affirmative, looking over the cabinet with slightly more trepidation than her colleague. The distinct unease she felt still nagged at the back of her mind, and the information she processed in her mind didn't help things either. Even the mere suggestion of a chemical or biological threat would change the scope of their mission far beyond what they were initially here for. And the hardware they were packing - she was no expert on explosives but even the setup and organization, the 'mise en place' so to speak - it seemed far too professional, too trained to be merely the work of a ragtag militia.

Her intuition suggested to her that something else could be at play. It wouldn't surprise her that Excalibur was underestimating the strength of their opfor, but if Meridian were as well...
But would they? Or is this some kind of twisted game they're playing on us?

Shaking away the more fanciful speculation from her head, Leah quickly pulled herself back into the moment and reached for a gas mask. Not a far cry from the FM53s she normally used, she ran a quick operational check on the filters and valves, adjusting the fit on her head with practiced finesse. God willing, they would never come across a need for it.

The SPAS-12 caught her eye - a quick rack of the bolt later, she found it to be satisfactory and loaded a brace's worth of shells, racking it again to load one ready in the chamber. After clipping a pouch of shells to her belt, she thumbed the button on the foreend to check the manual action on it - not that she doubted that a setup like this was going to be using underpowered loads, but it was simply caution (for now) taking up a gun and ammunition that wasn't theirs, on the fly.
She had qualms about taking up any of this at all, but if this was the kind of equipment they would be coming up against, Glocks and flashbangs were not going to cut it by a long shot.

Leah wordlessly moved to the entrance door of the classroom, palming the radio in anticipation. Still nothing. Gritting her teeth, she edged up against the door, slowly turning the handle and letting it drift ajar. Against the flaked, white paint, she pulsed the flashlight on her handgun in basic Morse as she rounded the corner into view from the corridor, watching out for the rest of the team coming out from theirs.
 
@Cmd. Frost @Kensai
_____Ketch felt her phone begin to buzz as the teams got to moving, just a few minutes after their radios had dropped off. She saw the number was one of several that their hiring agency had provided "just in case" things like these had happened.

@Unlucky Bibliophile @NephyrisX
[1-E]
_____"There's someone in front of us," Grace said. "No, two. I think it's Charm." The big woman looked to Elyse before pushing the door open, her footfalls fast-paced and soundless in the musty, sleepy office. The beam of her flashlight swept across the walls in short, measured actuations.

@Reliable_2IC @dryskim
[1-E]
_____Their shoes softly touched the floor of the office. A slight breeze came in through the cracked window and made dusty paperwork flutter atop the desk. Yates could feel the slight warmth coming off the computer monitor, which had likely been turned on until the power had been doused just a few moments ago. He and Baughman made their entry as they saw the lumbering shape of the lupine emerge from the dark of room 1A. "Friendly," she said, before pushing into the adjacent hallway.

_____Grace pointed to her eyes, then down the hall, at the furthest classroom door. We saw someone. Then she pointed to Yates and Baughman in turn, and the stairs to their front. Hold the second deck. She squeezed Anastasia's shoulder and gave her a tap, urging her to continue with the lupine on her heels.

@AlphaD @Project J
[1-F]
_____Leah saw a familiar arm wave at her. Moments later, the shapes of Anastasia, Grace, and Elyse emerged from the dark, moving toward the far end of the hall with a purpose. Grace took a look into the room and whistled, faintly. She and the dhampir pushed to the last room, leaving Elyse and Alex to the arms-room with a chance to catch up.

_____From where they were standing, the team leaders could see that their force had more or less infiltrated the exterior and arrived to the central area intact, and without issue. Yates and Baughman were holding the stairs after their entry, Grace and Anastasia had pushed for the far tend.

_____On one hand, the armory spoke of some sort of prepared defense, but the lack of counter-attack, or the presence of people in general was something that gave pause. The "feeling" about the place was very much that it had been abandoned some time ago. But there was some lingering sense of wrongness that stuck to Alex, and that feeling only grew as she saw her troops standing by to enter the stairwells and clear the second deck...

@NephyrisX
[1-H]
_____The scent got stronger and stronger as they moved down the hall. There were a lot of things a dhamphir could tell about someone by their presence or scent. What stuck out to her was the... immature, almost adolescent nature of it. It wasn't the sort of thing she'd come to associate with mercenaries or even cultists. Either way, she had become reasonably assured there could only be one person in room 1H. Grace reached out and gave the doorknob a probe. Locked.

_____Grace looked to Anastasia with a grunt. "I'll kick it. You ready?"
 
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