12 Chapter 12

Across the warehouse where the detective was being held, a rather dilapidated apartment complex stood. Its location proved to be convenient as Hale now used it to stake out the warehouse. On his way here, he saw his friend and co-worker, Steve. It was quite a chore to lay him off him. Steve believed that he was off to have fun and insisted on taking him. It was only when he promised to buy him drinks the next weekend that he finally left him alone. Now, here he was biding his time. He would periodically check on the warehouse and so far, there was no change in the activity. On the outside, it still looked like the typical warehouse, innocent to the public eye. However, he has already spotted some guards. So far, his estimate on how many there would be didn't exceed his expectations. "Just a few more hours, Sarge. I'm almost there." He said to himself. It was the only thing he could do to keep him from losing focus.

The afternoon continued to pass. Even as the final rays of the Sun began to fade, the people of Capital City of Lightspire never seized their activities. It was like the capital city never knew rest. Soon, the Sun began to set, coloring the sky wih warm hues. If one would take a minute, one would say that it was a magnificent sight, a final gift from the Sun before it bid good bye for today.

Finally, the Sun has set. Night fell and blanketed the city in its dark embrace. This was only for a brief moment though since lights from numerous buildings flicked open, illuminating the entire city. It was an amazing view to behold, making the city look like it was coming to life. To some, this marked the end of the day. The hour that they've been waiting for so they can clock off from their day jobs, go home and rest. To others though, the night was just the beginning of their day. This much is true to the members of Squad S who were now getting ready to deploy.

"Every one clear on the plan?" Flare asked as he looked at his team. "Yes, sir." They responded in unison. Flare nodded. He can not see their faces right now but he has worked with them long enough to know that they were indeed ready for this mission. They have trained themselves the entire afternoon for this encounter. They've covered every possible angle the mission may went. They have addressed every issue and opening in their plan and have made adjustments to it. Now, they have a strategy that would guarantee the success of this mission. "Alright. Now, I'm not one who'd count their chicks before they hatched but you know what's waiting for us at the end of this mission. If all goes well, our squad will have a division in the military that would be under our command. The number of high profile missions we'd undertake would now decrease since we'll have our own troops which would mean that we'll no longer live in anonimity. That would also mean a great deal to our fellow deviants. So, let's do our best out there, Sqaud S." He said which was responded with enthusiasm and cheers from his teammates. "Squad S. Report to the briefing room immediately." Siegfried said through the intercom. "Alright. This is it. Let's go team." Flare said as they headed to the briefing room.

In the briefing room, the people responsible for the VANGUARD were already present. At the head of the table seated Siegfried Doron; CEO of Doron Industries and Director of Deviant Response Force. On his right was Lucille Adineatha; CEO of Adineatha Innovations Corporation and soon-to-be Director of VANGUARD. Seated on his left was Dr. Bryce Arimanius; Chief Scientist of Doron Industries. On the other end of the table were the government representatives. Serving as liason was General Dubois and the one who sanctioned this project was Defense Secretary Albert Ortiz.

Soon, the five members of Squad S arrived at the briefing room and then sat at the vacant seats. Wasting no time, Siegfried began the briefing. He then pressed a button on the table's built-in panel. The lights dimmed and then a hatched opened at center of the table. A projector device came out and then showed the images needed for this briefing. "Alright. Let's get to it. The woman on the screen you see is Eliza Forte. She's a Category One deviant and volunteer for this operation." Siegfried introduced. "Category Ones have heightened senses and perception. Her abilities in particular is that she can discern intentions through visual perception. Through this, she'll know the target's upcoming intention, enabling her to react accordingly and then lead it on. The demon is known to use its charisma to charm women. In this situation, Eliza would be the one leading the flow." He said. "If you doubt her capabilities, rest assured that she can get the job done. She has an excellent track record so her confidence is not misplaced." Siegfried reassured when he sensed doubt from the government representatives.

Next, Siegfried moved on to the next point of topic and showed the overhead image of a building under construction. "This building that is currently under construction is the nearest venue from the restaurant where Eliza and the target would meet. It also fits the target's criteria on where it takes its victims after meeting with them." He said. He then directed his attention to Squad S. "Squad S. You'll be waiting here. I leave the on-site planning to you, Flare." He ordered. "And don't worry about causing some damage. The stay-in construction crew has been moved." He reassured. "And the collateral damage will be paid by me. Don't forget." Lucille chimed in. "Right." Siegfried agreed. "That covers our briefing. Your cleared to deploy now, Squad S. Go eliminate that demon." Siegfried said. "Yes, sir." Squad S responded in unison as they stood up. They then left the room, leaving the delegate behind. "People. Please accompany me to the Mission Control Room. We'll monitor the mission there." He said. The delegate then stood from their chairs and left the briefing room.

****

The Missiom Control Room was located at the center of the facility. Here, all activities outside the headquarters were monitored and delegated. There were over forty operators in this room. All of them were in charge of maintaining communications, monitoring progress and providing assistance and instructions. The Control Room was divided into three sections. The lower sections were in charge with squad missions of rank B and C. These were usually emergency responses that were too much for local authorities. Majority of the operators were assigned here. A Rank missions go to the middle sections. These missions require more coordination since they usually deal with local crime groups. Despite this, the operators delegated here were fewer than the lower section but they have more experience. And finally, the S rank missions were monitored by the top section. These people assist, monitor and delegate Squad S solely. The door at the far end of the room opened and in came the VANGUARD delegates.

"Begin sequence." Siegfried commanded. The four people making up the top section typed furiously on their keyboards to bring the necessary data in view. "Communications?" Siegfried checked. "All parties are patched in and communications are clear." The person in-charge of communication responded. "Vitals?" Siegfried checked next. " The person in-charge of monitoring Squad S' vitals showed the squad's current health status. "All green, sir." They responded. "Current sit-rep of the field?" Siegfried asked. The person in-charge of field monitoring showed a live feed of the building under construction through a drone's camera. "Site is empty and I'm constantly diverting traffic." They said. "And lastly, is dispatch clear?" He checked last. "Back up support are on stand by and ready to deploy at any moment." The dispatch person in-charge answered.

"Then we are good to go. Patch me through Eliza Forte." He ordered. The person in-charge of communications patched him immediately. "Eliza. Are you there?" He asked. "Yes. I'm at the venue waiting for the target. There's still three minutes before our appointed time of meet." She responded. "Good. Make sure to always keep your camera on. You know what to do. Good luck." He said. "Yes, sir." She responded.

After checking in with the volunteer bait, Eliza Forte, Siegfried ordered to be patched through Squad S. "Status?" He asked. "We're en route, sir. It's currently the rush hour so ETA would be delayed by 45-60 minutes." Flare answered. "It's still within the time frame. Report once you've reached and secured the site." Siegfried said. "Yes, sir." Squad S responded in unison.

The operation has now started. The players were now in the field. All that was needed now was the target to arrive so that the game could truly begin. Tonight, the City of Lightspire would finally be rid of its deadly predator.