The Houston Squadron

|| Volume 1, Chapter 7 || ''A Dealbreaker''

The room was dimly lit with a red desk lamp. Smoke from the ashtray filled the air. The man was sitting in his chair, hands clasped together. A thug walked in. "Sir, she's here." he said, the man signaling to let her in. And in came a female, two sideguns and a knife inside of it's holster. 
"Sir, you called me?" she asked, the man looking out his window.
"Yes. Later today, there is a weapons deal my men will be going to. There's a buyer with particular tastes. It will be taking place in Settegast. And I want you to guard it." he explained, the woman scoffing. 
"I'm sorry, a weapons deal? Why do I have to waste time on that? All your previous weapons deals have never been interrupted before." she said, the man glaring at her.
"There's a new group in town. The Houston Squadron. First, they stopped my men from robbing the Bank of America. Then, they stopped Alva Gould from getting away with the robbery of Aster Robotics. And just two days ago, they stopped Sheldon Salvator from using the Mayor's daughter to force the Mayor into surrendering the city. I'm not taking chances, Sylvia. You go there, you guard that weapons deal. And if you see the cops, or that squad, you kill them. Understood?" the man explained, pulling a cigarette out of his mouth and stubbing it in the ashtray. 
"Understood, sir. Your weapons deal is as good as sold. Good day." the woman said as she exited the room. The man smiled, leaning back in his chair. 
"Nobody's taking this city away from me. Nobody." he mumbled to himself.

It was a beautiful day in Houston, specifically in Pleasantville. The market was bustling, as tourists and citizens alike shopped for food, items, and memorabilia. The agents were walking through the market, not really intending on buying anything, just browsing. "This is one of my favorite parts of living in Houston! Where else are you gonna find markets like this??" Aurora said happily, Barry lifting his finger. 
"Pretty much every other major city in the world?" he sarcastically remarked, Aurora rolling her eyes.  
"Well, I like it! It's a great way to meet different kinds of people selling different things." Kali said as they walked by all the stands. Argile gasped and walked over to one. The stand has a sapphire necklace with a silver chain, and Argile was mesmerized. "Uh, sir? How much is this?" she asked the seller, who chuckled. 
"Interested in the sapphire necklace, huh? Can't blame you, it's a hell of a find, especially in this part of town. I'd be willing to part with it for, uh... Twenty bucks?" the man said, Argile excitedly getting her wallet out and handing the seller a $20 bill. The seller handed the necklace to Argile. "Congratulations, ma'am! You're now the proud owner of the sapphire necklace! Good day to you!" he said with a smile, Argile walking back to the group smiling. 
"Could one of you help me put it on??" Argile asked, Barry sighing. 
"Give me the jewelry." he said, taking it as Argile turned around. With a clip of a chain, the necklace was on, and Argile was beaming. "You really like this thing, huh?" Barry asked, Argile nodding. 
"Yeah! They really don't have many like these that are this nice anymore. And for twenty bucks, too! A rare opportunity, I'd say!" Argile said, Kali smiling. 
"Eh, I prefer Gold, but whatever makes you happy, pal." Aurora commented. 

Just then, Aurora's phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the number. "Oh, hey, it's Thomas." she said, answering the call. "Hey, what's up?" she asked.
"Hey. I've got something to show all of you. Come to my office as soon as possible, please." Thomas said. 
"Oh, really? What's going on?" Aurora asked.
"I'm not sure how much I should say over the phone, but do you remember a month ago when you interrogated Victor about his boss?" Thomas asked.
"Uh, yeah, we heard something about a weapons deal." Aurora replied.
"Well, we may have a lead on that. Come to my office. I'll see you in a little bit." Thomas said as he hung up the phone, Aurora putting her phone back in her pocket. 
"Well, guys, it looks like we're heading for Thomas's office. He said he's got a lead on the weapons deal Victor was talking about." Aurora said, looking at the others. 
"Oh, really? I was wondering when we'd hear something about that again." Barry replied.
"Man, it feels like forever ago." Kali added.
"Well, I guess we'd better head that way, then." Argile said. And so, the squad left the market and started walking towards the DCI building.   

In his office, Thomas was examining three photos, taken by the Investigation Squadron. "This isn't looking good..." he mumbled to himself. In one photo, a few men were seen unloading black crates from a car, which was barely seen due to the shot being interrupted by trees and leaves, while being supervised by a woman that looks to be on guard duty. Looking closer at the picture, he noticed she had a sidegun on her hip. Just then, the squad walked in. 
"Hey, Thomas. You called us about the weapons deal?" Kali said, Thomas nodding.
"Look for yourselves." Thomas said, as he pushed the images towards the agents. The first picture was of the men unloading black crates with a woman with a sidegun. The second was a withered, old gate that read, "Welcome to Liberty Park!". And the third was the trail that led to where the trucks were. "Behold: the weapons deal. We suspect those crates are containing a lot of firepower that we want to keep off the streets. We could call the police, but I don't trust them to handle a weapons deal of this size, especially not with that guard. I trust you guys to handle this." Thomas explained, the agents looking at the photos. "Don't worry, sir. We'll stop that weapons deal." Barry said, the others nodding in agreement. They started leaving before... "Hold on, Aurora." Thomas said. "I wanted to talk to you." he added. Aurora looked worried for a moment. 
"Uh, alright... I'll see you guys in a minute?" Aurora said, Argile nodding as they all walked out. 
"Take a seat, Aurora." Thomas invited, Aurora nervously taking a seat in front of his desk. 

He leaned back in his chair. "So... It didn't escape my attention how things went kind of awry two days ago, on your last mission." Thomas said, Aurora looking down. 
"Yeah... I'm, so sorry. I should've been on guard." she said shamefully, Thomas smiling. 
"I know, Aurora. And uh, Argile told me she had to calm you down because of how much it was getting to you. The Mayor told me to let the leader know that more training may be in order before he requests a job from you again. I hate to say this, you know. But, you're gonna be alright. I mean, hey, a month ago, you hated the idea of even being in a squad, and now look at you. I was even told you took the squad out for a day of hanging out at stores they liked?" Thomas said with an eyebrow raised, Aurora looking at him with a slight smile.
"Well... I figured since I'm gonna be stuck here, I might as well get to know them?" she replied, Thomas nodding. 
"That mission was a fluke, but you'll do better, alright? Just, be careful, alright? It seems whoever this boss is, he knows about you, and he's sent a guard to stop anyone from intervening." Thomas explained, Aurora nodding.
"Don't worry, Tom. We'll stop those guys, I promise!" Aurora said confidently, as she left the room. Thomas turned and looked out his window.
"I know." he said to himself. 

Daniel was driving down the road, heading for Liberty Park. "Man, I haven't heard anything about Liberty Park in years... You guys are sure that's the place?" Daniel asked, Aurora nodding.
"An abandoned park that hasn't been touched in years, the perfect place to have a weapons deal." Aurora replied, turning to her team. "Alright, here's what I'm thinking. When we get there, we use the environment to our advantage to get close to the trucks without being spotted. Then, we wait for the buyer to show up and then we ambush them, arresting them and securing the weapons. Then, we could interrogate one of the thugs to get more info on their boss, potentially get a name or location. Everyone got it?" Aurora explained, looking at the others. 
"Look, it's a fine plan, but what about the guard in the photo? Won't she be a problem? I mean, her whole thing is making sure people like us don't show up to interrupt the deal." Barry said, the others nodding in agreement. 
"Hmm, you're right, Barry. For once." Aurora replied, mumbling the last part, Barry rolling his eyes. "Oh, maybe we could lure her away by cracking a stick or something, and take her out silently as to not alert the others?" Aurora suggested, Barry nodding.
"Yeah. And if need be, we could split up and make noises on both ends, so she has to choose which way to go." he replied. 
"Yeah, sounds like a plan!" Argile agreed.
"Just tell me who to tackle." Kali said, Aurora smiling and turning back in her seat.
"Alright, plan made. Now, let's execute it." she said as Daniel continued driving.

Finally, they arrived at Liberty Park, the once popular spot now lay in ruins after years of abandonment and withering. Kali seemed uneased by it's unwelcomingly appearance from the outside. "So, when did this place, you know, get forgotten?" Barry asked. 
"From what I've researched, it just wasn't getting a lot of visitors. And I guess the cost of maintaining a park with no visitors just wasn't worth it." Argile replied.
"Well, I suppose it's time to do this." Aurora said, walking over and pushing the ridged and old gate open. They started walking up the trail, and for an abandoned park, it wasn't too terrible. After around ten minutes of walking, the agents spotted the trucks and the thugs with the weapon crates unloaded. They crouched down and hid behind some logs. "Alright, guys, this is it... We gotta get as close to those trucks as we can. Kali, you got our weapons?" Aurora asked, Kali nodding and holding her bag up.
"Wait, wasn't there supposed to be a guard here? The chick with the sideguns?" Barry asked, the others looking to see she, in fact, wasn't present. "Hmm... That's weird, but it makes our job easier, right?" Argile replied, Barry looking at her. 
"You don't think that's, I don't know, a little weird? We were warned about her and she's just not here?" Barry added, Aurora thinking.
"Two times in a day, huh, Barry? He's right, stay on guard, guys. She might know we're coming." Aurora replied, Barry nodding as they all started slowly and quietly moving towards the trucks.

"Toby, those crates ready?" one of the thugs asked the other, who nodded. 
"Yep, all ready, Timothy." Toby replied, looking around. "Hey, uh... Where's the guard? Wasn't she supposed to oversee the deal?" he asked, Timothy shrugging. 
"I don't know, man. We don't need her, anyway. Who's ever thought to cross our boss before?" he asked, Toby nodding. 
"Yeah, but the boss seems really freaked out by this 'Houston Squadron' group. I mean, cops have stopped a couple of our gigs before, but they've never made the boss consider sending a guard like her for security." Toby said, Timothy looking at him. 
"Yeah, but don't sweat it. The buyer's almost here. Soon, the deal will be done, we'll have our money, he'll have his weapons, and we'll go back to the office and drink 'til our heads explode." Timothy replied, Toby smiling.
"Ah... Yeah... Man, I could use a drink." Toby agreed. Just then, a man wearing black clothing walked up to the duo, carrying a briefcase. "Hey. You the guy?" Toby asked, the man nodding. 
"Yes. I have the money we agreed to right here." the man replied as he handed the briefcase to Toby. Toby opened it to find $50,000 cash. He smiled. 
"Well, it looks like we got a deal. Let us show you the weapons you and your men will be using. These are some big game shooters." Toby said as he showed the man to the crates. 

The squad hid behind one of the trucks. Aurora turned to Kali and nodded. Kali then pulled four handguns out of her bag, giving each member a handgun. Aurora then held her fingers up, making a gesture for a countdown. Three, two, one... Just then, they jumped from behind the truck, holding their guns at the men. "FRE-" Aurora tried shouting before someone grabbed her and took her gun, throwing her against the truck. Barry tried to shoot them but they quickly moved out of the way and grabbed him as well, snatching his gun and throwing him into Argile and Kali. They took their guns and tossed them into a nearby bush. Aurora stumbled to get up, looking at them. The others got up, to see the woman standing in-between them. The man backed up as the woman looked at the agents with a grin. "Ah, it's the guard..." Aurora managed to get out, getting her bearings. 
"Yeah! It's the guard!" the woman said happily as she took Aurora's arm and threw her to the others, who caught her and helped her stay up. 
"The name's Sylvia, and let me tell you, I've been so excited to meet you guys!" Sylvia said as she approached the squad. 
"Gee, it almost seems like we should've been more alert of the guard that mysteriously disappeared." Barry remarked as Sylvia laughed. 
"Yeah, I'm pretty sneaky, aren't I? You guys fell right for the trick and didn't suspect a thing!" Sylvia announced as she pulled out her knife. "You know, I've heard a lot about you guys. You're this grand new team of wannabe heroes, taking out criminals throughout the city. But you really don't look like much!" Sylvia said, Aurora scoffing.
"Yeah, well, I'd rather be an FBI agent than a run-of-the-mill thug." Barry replied.
"Oh, trust me, I'm not a thug. I'm an assassin! The first and last one you'll ever deal with." Sylvia said threateningly. 
"Are you sure you want to do this? There's always a more peaceful way to handle this." Argile suggested, Sylvia laughing.
"Save me the therapy session. My mind is trained not to care about my targets." Sylvia replied.

She slashed at the agents, who jumped out of the way. The agents grouped up again, facing Sylvia. Aurora glanced over and saw the men frantically loading the guns on the trucks. "Not today." she mumbled. Aurora ran up to Sylvia and looked at her team. "Guys, I have this! You need to secure that weapons deal! If they get away with those, we'll never hear the end of it!" Aurora yelled, the others nodding and running towards the thugs. Sylvia grinned and tried chasing after them, as Aurora grabbed her by the arm as she ran past her. "Oh, no, ya don't!" she exclaimed as she threw Sylvia into a tree. 
"Ow! You... You just..." Sylvia readied her knife. "Heh. Alright. This is gonna be fun." she said with a toothy grin, as her and Aurora ran towards each other. Aurora and Sylvia went at each other, Sylvia trying to slash her with her knife and Aurora dodging it swiftly and laying hits where she could. Against an assassin, any opening is too much to give. "You know how to fight! Impressive! Who's your mentor? I'd love to meet 'em!" Sylvia said as Aurora swung her fist at her. 
"Years of FBI training. What about you? Most assassins I meet are just hired guns off the street!" Aurora replied as they continued fighting. 
"Oh, you know. Not all of us have the 'honor' of joining a crime-fighting team of FBI agents. Some of us have to FIGHT for our place in the city!" Sylvia said as she swung her knife at Aurora, who kept dodging it. 
"You think just 'cause we're agents means we're on easy street? Every mission we go on is a day we might not return! And, if I were you, I'd rather risk my life helping people than hurting them!" Aurora yelled, Sylvia laughing.
"Oh, don't lecture me, Miss Hero! You can't save everyone! And honestly, I've grown to LOVE killing people! You aren't the first agent I've killed, and you won't be the last! But one thing's for certain: you are the next." Sylvia said as they continued making hits towards each other.

"Hurry! While they're distracted!" Toby shouted as they loaded the weapons. Just then, Barry grabbed his wrist and forced him against the truck.
"No, you don't. You boys aren't going anywhere." he said, Toby grunting. 
"Let go, you whack job!" he shouted. Kali got the man buying the weapons and Argile got Timothy. 
"C'mon, we're just doing our job here!" Timothy yelled, Argile chuckling.
"Yeah, well. So are we." Argile replied.
"What about me? I haven't ACTUALLY bought anything yet..." the buyer said, Kali smiling.
"Yeah, tell it to the judge!" she called out, cuffing him up. She looked at Barry. "Man, I always wanted to say that..." she whispered, Barry chuckling. They cuffed the men up and sat them by the trucks. "How do you think Aurora's doing?" Argile asked as they all turned to see Sylvia with Aurora pinned against a tree.

"Ugh... Do you have any... non-violent hobbies?" Aurora asked weakly. 
"Hmm. Well, I do love fishing sometimes!" Sylvia exclaimed with a grin.
"That sounds... nice?" Aurora replied.
"Yeah! The power over life and death excites me!" Sylvia said happily.
"... Less nice." Aurora added, struggling to breath. 
"And, don't worry, Aurora. I'm sure whoever your boss is will make a nice little shrine to remember you guys when you're dead and gone. Because, news flash. We're here to st-" Sylvia lectured right before being interrupted by Barry kicking her in the legs, causing her to lose balance. He punched her right in the jaw and she fell to the ground. Aurora fell and Argile caught her, letting her catch her breath. 
"Thank you..." Aurora muttered as she looked at Sylvia, who got up rubbing her jaw. 
"Ha! I like the necklace! When I kill you, I'll put it on my beside table to remember taking you out." she said as she drew her knife. She ran towards the agents, swinging her knife left and right. Aurora ducked under her and Barry punched her in the gut. "Oh, really? WANNA TEST ME?" Sylvia shouted as she swung her knife at Barry, who dodged it just barely. 
"Yeah, you could say that." he replied with a smirk. Argile ran up and grabbed her wrist as Kali grabbed her other wrist. 
"Hey! Let go!" Sylvia shouted as Argile took her knife and Kali took her sidegun. The two then backed away as Sylvia turned to the squad. "You think I need those to kill you??" she called out as the squad stood in front of her. 
Aurora ran to Sylvia and kicked her in the face, Sylvia landing against a tree. She looked at the squad, who surrounded her. "It's over, Sylvia. The deal's been stopped and you're outnumbered." Aurora said as Sylvia laughed faintly. 
"Ha... You should know an assassin's work is never done... I'll get you next time, Houston Squadron... See you in our rematch." Sylvia said as she held her stomach. She then pulled a ball out of her pocket and threw it at the ground. Upon impact, it exploded and a cloud of gas covered the area. 
"Get back! It could be toxic!" Aurora called out as the squad backed away. A few seconds after, the smoke lifted, and Sylvia was gone. Aurora sighed. "Man... She got away." she said with disappointment, Kali nudging her shoulder. 
"It's okay, Aurora. She got away, yes, but hey...! We got the thugs and stopped the weapon's deal! So, that counts for something, right?" she asked, Aurora smiling. 
"Yeah... Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's get these guys sorted." Aurora said as the squad approached the thugs sitting by the trucks. 

Aurora got her phone out and texted Thomas to send transport teams to Liberty Park, and he replied with a thumbs up emoji. Argile opened one of the crates and saw a military-grade sniper rifle along with hand grenades. "Man... This is serious firepower. Whoever's selling these must know what they're doing." she said as Aurora looked at the thugs. 
"You guys wanna spill the beans now? Or are you gonna make us wait until we're in an interrogation room?" she asked, the thugs glaring and staying silent. "Alright, your choice." she added. 
"What are we gonna do about Sylvia...? I mean, she's a dangerous assassin. What do we tell Thomas?" Kali asked, Barry sighing. 
"We'll tell him that we weren't expecting to go up against a friggin' assassin. I mean, up until now, the most threatening guy we met was Sheldon." Barry said, Aurora looking at him. 
"I, uh, think I do need to apologize to you, Barry." she said, Barry looking at her with a confused expression. "You pointed out that it was weird that Sylvia was supposed to be here and wasn't, and I said we'd keep an eye out but clearly, I didn't keep my guard up enough. So, I'm sorry for not heeding your speculation enough." she continued, Barry shrugging. 
"It's alright, Aurora. I didn't see her coming either." he replied, Aurora nodding and walking around to the front of one of the trucks. She noticed a logo, a tiger holding a box, with the label "Porto's Shipping Service" in cursive letters. She waved Argile over. "Hey, could you jot this down? We might need to check this place out if it's involved." Aurora said, Argile nodding and pulling her notebook out. 
"You got it, Aurora." she said as she wrote the name down. Argile and Aurora then returned to the others to wait for the transport.

The transport team finally arrived at Liberty Park. The buyer was brought to the nearest police precinct and the thugs, along with the weapons they were attempting to sell, were taken to the agency, so they can potentially track down the original owners and return the guns. The thugs were taken to the interrogation room for questioning. Toby and Timothy sat in the interrogation room, with their arms crossed and blank expressions. Aurora and the others were watching them through the window. "Not sure if I'll be able to break these guys. Why don't you give it a shot, Argile?" Aurora asked, Argile smiled.
"I mean, I'd be happy to try. They aren't the toughest brutes I've had to word my way through." she commented as she entered the room. 
"Uh, Aurora... You sure you want to send Argile into a room by herself with two thugs that could jump her?" Barry asked with concern, Aurora nodding.
"That's what the cuffs are for, and even if those don't work, I doubt they'd make such a risky move in a place like this." Aurora replied, as they all looked through the window. Argile sat in the seat across from them, laying her hands on the table. 
"So, you guys know why you're here. You were trying to sell dangerous weapons. We just want to know who your boss is so the city can be safer." Argile explained, Toby scoffing. 
"We ain't telling you anything. Why would we, anyway?" he asked, Argile smiling.
"Because, it feels better to help the city than hurt it, trust me." she replied.
"Please!" Timothy exclaimed. "The city's never done anything for me except lock me up and torment me. I tried going clean and people still treated me like a monster! So, I might as well commit to the role." he said with a snide expression. Around thirty minutes of this pass, Argile has tried tactic after tactic to convince the thugs to speak about their boss. 
"I promise you, you could get a vastly reduced sentence if you just talk to us." Argile said, the thugs looking away. 
"I ain't saying anything, you're wasting your time." Toby said.
"Me neither! Look for someone weak-willed." Timothy agreed. Argile signed and got up, leaving the room, joining the others.
"Well, I don't know. They seem deadset on keeping their mouths shut on this." she said, Aurora sighing. 
"Alright, guys. Guess we're heading home for the day. We'll let the agency hand these guys off to the cops." Aurora said as they all began leaving the interrogation area. 

The agents got home and all sat in the living area, speculating theories about this big bad boss they keep hearing about. "So, okay. First, he had thugs robbing banks around the city, and then he organizes a weapons deal, and has an assassin on speed-dial, apparently. This guy must mean business." Aurora said, Kali nodding.
"Yeah, but we'll get them in the end, I'm sure. There's only so long you can go without someone coming clean. We're lucky as got as much out of Victor as we did. If not for that, we might not have even known about the weapons deal's location in the first place." Argile said.
"Yeah, but if he really feels that threatened by us, why not try to take us out themselves?" Barry asked, Kali looking at him.
"Uh, maybe we shouldn't give the criminal mastermind ideas...?" she said, Aurora and Argile chuckling.  

Sylvia walked into the office, her boss turning around in his chair. "Sylvia. I've been waiting for you. Do tell me you have the heads of those agents." he said, Sylvia sighing. 
"No, sir. I failed to kill the targets at the weapons deal. They... were more skilled than I anticipated." Sylvia said, the man's expression shifting drastically. He got up and approached Sylvia, holding a gun. 
"Do you understand the penalty of failing me, Sylvia?" he asked, Sylvia nodding. 
"Yes, sir. But don't worry. I have a plan. I'll track them down. Study them, watch them. Learn their weaknesses, their strengths, their methods. I will get them next time. I've always come through for you when it comes to targets, and this will be no exception, sir." she said, the man thinking. 
"... Alright, Sylvia." he went back to his chair and sat down, putting his gun back in his desk's drawer. "You have one last chance to get those agents. Do. Not. Fail. Me. Again." he said with a glare, Sylvia nodding. 
"Don't worry, sir." Sylvia turned around to leave the room. "I'll get those agents." she said with a grin, leaving the room. The boss then slammed his hands on his desk, knocking over his glass.