Chapter 37:
Form Up
Having been made fully aware of the urgency of the situation, Grant, Nameless and their girls made good time and arrived at the rendezvous location outside Algrade late in the afternoon; the hope being to avoid tipping off their quarry by having a number of Aegis personnel flood the city.
There they met up with Lilly and her pack, some two dozen hungry eyed Wolfen, who had practically sprinted to Algrade from parts unknown when Miranda contacted the Aegis a few days prior.
Along with the pack there were nine other Aegis operatives and their monster girls, pretty much every agent that was close enough and experienced enough had been summoned to take part in this operation.
Once they had all arrived Miranda whistled to get their attention.
“Listen up! You’ve all been briefed by the council, but here are the finer details. You’ll all probably remember when Booker’s Undine got burned and Yana skewered the one responsible? Well it turns out the bitch survived. Bethany Sinclair, alive and kicking.”
Nameleess’s jaw fell open at the startling revelation, but someone else spoke before he fully processed the implications.
“Not if I have my way. If my sister knew she yet lived...” Kala trailed off for a moment as dark thoughts filled her mind, finally she drew in a breath and finished her thought; “I will slay this wretched coward on her behalf.”
“Or take her alive. You know, like we’re supposed to. Whichever.” Jan remarked drily.
But Kala didn’t look dissuaded in the least so her bond-sister gave a shrug.
“Cross that bridge when we come to it I suppose.” The Wolfen muttered.
Miranda largely ignored the exchange, choosing instead to concentrate on continuing her briefing.
“As I said, our target is Bethany Sinclair. Believe it or not the sneaky bitch has been using her real name as an alias for her operations abroad. Within Algrade she goes by ‘Carol Reindel’. She grew up in the slums, so she knows the underbelly of this city better than any of us.”
She took a beat to look around and make sure everyone was paying attention.
“She’s operating out of a sketchy machine shop on the edge of one of the shanty towns. The location is remote enough that I don’t expect a lot of people to be around that don’t belong there, but all the same watch out for civvies once the fun begins. We’ll be linking up with a Hornet hive and a few more of our people in the city. Remember, our goal is to not let this shit-storm spill out into the slums or the city proper! But these fuckers nearly cooked me and mine back in Oakridge so don’t doubt they’ll be willing to do the same here.”
She had to take a second to draw in a steadying breath when she got to the next part.
“We also have someone on the inside. A Lapine courier, her name is Rebecca and she is one of the best people I know. She’s just a regular civilian that stepped up, which makes her one of ours. We found her roommate dead this morning. Since she wasn’t with her we have to assume her cover was blown and she was taken. We extract her at all costs. Benjamin, I want your team on that.”
One of the agents in the field, a sturdy-looking man with salt and pepper hair who was flanked on either side by a pair of pointy eared Spriggin, nodded in affirmation.
The elfin monster girls adjusted their bows on their shoulders in agitation as their master acknowledged their role.
A distant cousin to the Dryads, the four foot tall Spriggin were quick, with supernatural reflexes and unerring aim with their little arrows. Unlike their cousins, the Spriggin wore clothing, simple tunics in forest hues.
They observed the world faster than everybody else, even now their eyes were darting around like hummingbirds while they took in their surroundings, as such they could survey a room and zero in on their targets before anyone had a chance to even see them.
If anyone could spot a lone Lapine in a crowded machine shop it was them.
Miranda continued, if anything her words more dire than before.
“These people have been linked to Jonathan Pym and the Chimera Evadne, so keep an eye out for Tenebrae. Take them alive if possible, get them to Volka and Cadet Armstrong.”
She nodded her head to gesture to Nameless and the Valkyrie, at which point there was a bit of shuffling and rustling as most everybody in the clearing turned to look at them.
More than a few frowns greeted the attendance of the white-uniformed tainee in such an important operation, so Nameless did his very best to look like he belonged beside the ancient warrior angel.
Whatever concerns they had were quickly put to rest by Volka’s serene presence and once their curiosity had been satisfied they turned back to Miranda.
She looked around at all the solemn faces.
“The ones we are up against are highly organized and armed to the teeth. They will have no compunctions about putting any one of us in the dirt. Nina, where are you?”
Nina lifted her arm in the air, but was simply too short to be readily spotted in the crowd.
Miranda rolled her eyes.
“Just stand on a stump or something would you?”
The Gigas let out a few curses but did as she was asked, putting her hammer on its head and hopping on top of it so that they could all see her.
Miranda pointed to the diminutive Gigas and the assorted Aegis personnel again turned to look at her.
“Nina is the tip of the spear, or more of a brick really. She goes in first, hard and fast to get their attention. Once the shooting begins, and make no mistake people, there will be shooting. Go lethal on anyone holding a weapon once she announces us. We give them one chance to throw down arms. If they ignore that chance, be fast and don’t hesitate. She can take the hits, you can’t.”
There were grim nods from everyone, and more than a few eager growls from Lilly’s pack.
With her briefing mostly finished, Miranda took a few seconds to gather her thoughts, her eyes trailing over the grim Wolfen faces.
“We’ve lost people because of these fuckers. They’ve bled us. Now it’s time to return the favour. Check your gear, we move out in ten minutes. Cadet Armstrong, a word?”
Curious, he made his way through the crowd to her side.
The grey-haired woman gave him a long look.
“Uniform suits you.” She admitted grudgingly; “But are you ready for this kid?”
“Yes ma’am.”
She snorted.
“Should’ve known better than to ask, you always did have more heart than sense. I want you and Volka on standby, if there are any Tenebrae to be found in there I’ll need you two to move fast. Keep Milly and Jez with you as well, together they’ll be enough to overpower and restrain any of the girls they might unleash on us. But I’m not going to be responsible for the deaths of the last Valkyrie and Empath on the same day, so you four only engage if I give the signal, Jez will know. We clear?”
He nodded his understanding, having no illusions that she would let him into a warzone.
Despite his selfless nature, he at least knew how important his life was by now.
“Good. Have Ophelia link up with the medics once we’re in the city, they know their stuff so I’m not going to micromanage. And kid? Don’t die. I’ll fucking kill you if you die.” She finished gruffly before turning to pass on some more orders at some of the others.
“You too.” He mumbled, too low for her to hear.
He had to swallow a surprising lump in his throat; he had missed the brusque woman and her gravelly voice.
A few minutes later and they were just about ready to leave, though Miranda had one last set of orders to give.
“Erica, where are you, you dirty- What the fuck are you wearing?!”
In anticipation of the coming fight the Katje was wiggling into her sexy death-suit, complete with knives bristling all over.
“It’s my battle dress.” The Katje answered sullenly; “You’re throwing my bond-sister into a fight Miranda! So don’t you think for a second that I’m not-”
Miranda raised her hand to forestall the coming tirade.
“I was just going to say, I’m sending Jan with Lilly’s girls, so I need you with me and Kala. You know her moves so you can watch our backs.”
“Oh.” Erica sniffed; “Right. Sure.”
It was clear she was surprised so Miranda explained, as patiently as she could.
“We’re understaffed. And even I’ll admit how good you are with those knives. Don’t be weird about it.”
Erica sniffed again.
“Bitch.” The Katje muttered under her breath.
Miranda pursed her lips, hiding her amusement.
“That’s the spirit. Now do you two need me to rustle up some lube so you can squeeze your ass into that getup?”
Erica gave one last heave to pull the skin-tight leather over her shoulders before she pulled the zipper up.
“No. But if you can, find me some anyways? I’m running low.”
Miranda rolled her eyes as she stalked away.
“Fucking cats.”
The sexy Katje watched her as she walked away then turned to Milly’s worried expression.
“I think I might almost not hate her anymore... almost.”
“Erica, when you’re in there-”
“I’ll be careful. Don’t worry lover. It’s not like I’m gunna run out of knives!”
__________
“I’m not staying behind.” Cordelia declared with a scowl.
Oldeera’s eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips.
“This is going to get messy, and I want you well clear of it.”
The Hornet queen was leading her hive into battle and as such her usual demeanor was set aside as she mentally prepared herself for the coming violence.
“I’m not saying I want to be in the middle of it! I just want to be close in case-”
Suddenly she couldn’t finish.
A lump had formed in her throat and she felt the stinging prickle of tears in her eyes.
“In case?” Oldeera murmured.
Her bond-mate turned her face away, hurriedly wiping away a few tears as she found her voice again.
“I jumped in with both feet.” She said seriously; “I bonded to a warrior, and I won’t sit all by myself in the hive waiting to hear whether she’s coming home or not.”
Silence stretched between them, broken only by the nervous buzzing of Hornet wings all around.
“My Queen… We will return to you.” One of the Hornets promised.
“Nothing, not even the all-consuming hunger of entropy, would keep us from doing so.” Another swore.
Oldeera said nothing, her Hornets having articulated her thoughts for her. Instead she merely quirked one eyebrow, her matching antennae dipping low to meet it, as she waited on her bond-mate’s response.
Cordelia looked all around, the faces of her Hornets greeting her with serene smiles of reassurance.
“I’m coming.” The brunette said again, this time with finality; “Whatever you need to do to make that happen. I’ll keep Muffin with me, she can’t fly with you anyways.”
The wingless Hornet’s antennae twitched nervously, unaccustomed to the new name, particularity since it was so silly.
Cordelia had given it to her a couple weeks prior, since she was the only Hornet in the hive other than the queen that she could recognize on sight.
It was a long time before Oldeera spoke, a long time where she stared directly into Cordelia’s hazel eyes, measuring her resolve.
Finally she drew in a deep breath, her shoulder lifting and her breasts swelling in her chitinous armour.
“You will keep her with you… and five others.” Cordelia’s mouth opened in protest but the Hornet queen’s hand came up to forestall any of her objections; “Five of my sweets will make little difference in the coming conflict, but will do much to ease my concern for your safety. I was planning on leaving at least that many with you in the hive anyways. Or did you think I would leave our home undefended?”
Cordelia closed her mouth and drew in a deep breath of her own, then threw her arms around her Hornet and pressed her face into her breasts.
“Promise me you’ll be careful.”
Her tearful words were muffled by Oldeera’s cleavage, but the Hornet caught them.
“I will, and I will find Rebecca and keep her safe as well. You don’t need to worry so much honey! This is what I was born to do.”
The shorter brunette snorted out a half-laugh, then sniffled.
“I was born to bake cookies, so forgive me if I’m not used to seeing you off to battle yet.” She said plaintively, her words still muffled by tit-flesh.
Holding her worried bond-mate tighter, Oldeera let out a chuckle of amusement.
“And such sweet cookies you make, honey. I will nibble on those later… right after I nibble on you.”
As she finished her sentence one hand drifted down Cordelia’s back and gave her bottom a healthy squeeze.
“But for now, we need to leave if we are going to link up with the taskforce on time.”