Parallel Vol. 6

Chapter 14: Mission Start!

10:25 pm

Deep within the clouds, Jade's heart pounded to a crescendo as she hurtled through the dark sky. Below her, the rugged mountain terrains loomed, brightly lit by a large facility that stood out like a sore thumb. As she descended, Jade's mind raced with thoughts of the mission. Her small team had spent the past two days studying the facility's layout, memorizing entry points and planning their approach. But now, as she hurtled towards the ground, all that training and preparation felt distant and hazy, overshadowed by the adrenaline-fueled excitement of the jump.

'Focus. You've done this a thousand times already.'

Jade's accelerating heart slowed as she recalled Suzuki's encouragement. That's right. She had done this a thousand times already. All she had to do was repeat what she learned. Finally collecting her emotions, Jade looked at the barometer on her wrist and began turning on the Rapid Descent Kit.

As Jade approached the ground, the Rapid Descent Kit slowed her descent. Eventually, she landed softly just outside the facility's perimeter and quickly looked around for signs of danger. Fortunately, none of the enemy's forces appeared in the vicinity, allowing the other three to land beside her without incident.

Jade switched on her Gladiator, removed the RDK unit and covered it with foliage to reduce the chances of detection. "Activating cloaked network." She waited a moment for the AI to give the all-clear and then sent a message to her teammates. "Network active. No one can tap in if you're thirty meters from me."

"Good work." Akiyo, in her dark green Berserker, stepped forward. She crouched and observed the facility seated at a slightly lower elevation. A large mast stood a few meters ahead of a small white building. Enemy Gladiators, which intel revealed they called 'Shivs,' stalked the few helipads and dirt roads leading up to the relay station. "Everything seems to match with the intel."

After confirming the base's layout, Akiyo turned to the others. "We have two missions. First and foremost, we must upload the daemon to the network to prevent the remote pilots from alerting the space station. Next, we must remove the mast to disable the aliens' long-range communications." She looked at Jade. "Jade, you and Kai will infiltrate the compound and upload the daemon. Kairi and I will take care of the mast once the daemon is active. Any questions?" No one indicated, so she said, "Move out, and good luck."

Following her command, four Gladiators blended into the dense foliage and approached their objectives.

****

10:32 pm

Elsewhere, Usman, in a dark-gold Berserker configuration, removed his RDK unit as he swam underwater. The water was murky, but Usman and the other trainees pushed on, their Gladiators allowing them to breathe and see underwater. The group swam in unison, their movements coordinated and precise.

The saboteurs reached the dam's base from both ends. They attached the charges to strategic points, ensuring they securely fastened the explosives. After securing the explosives, they quickly retreated and surfaced a couple hundred meters from the dam.

Usman walked out of the river and looked at his teammates gathered a few meters away from the bank. Being the odd one out of a team made of a single squad felt strange. Still, his underwater training proved invaluable in the past two days. His expertise helped them choose the correct explosives and plan the optimal entry and exit routes.

Usman shook his head and looked to the north. "Now, we wait."

****

10:35 pm

Further east, in the skies above the alien headquarters, Suzuki and Natsu attached themselves to the orbital elevator and surveyed the busy base below. Fortunately, the layout matched the intel. However, the number of guards was much larger than in their simulations. Still, while challenging, it was nothing Suzuki and Natsu could not handle.