Tension had reached its highest point on board the Cloud Chaser, one of the BEO’s dedicated arks. Such large war machines were granted to the organization by the Radmir Union military to be used in case of large scale conflict, but for years no one thought they would be put to use.
The fact that it had been brought out showed that Operation Wolf Slayer was shaping to be a much broader incident than they have anticipated. Having attended all the meetings leading up to this day, the members of Silver Wind were well aware of how things were going to play. That didn’t stop anxiety from wrecking them, even if they tried their best to remain calm.
"Alright, everyone! It is time to invade!"
Being the leader of the team, Beatrice stepped forward cheer her team up. Donning her costume, a pale silver tunic held by an emerald green sash wrapped around the waist, along with a headband type mask, she became the hero known as Night Gale. Just as she was about to start a quick pep talk, someone made a disgusted guttural sound.
"I feel sick..." Kafka said, hunching over the armrest of his chair.
"Pretty sure you can’t get motion sickness on this ship." Said Merry.
"I don’t think this is motion sickness." Wolf added, his voice trembling.
The girls seemed perfectly fine, but their male teammate looked like a nervous wreck. Their costumes differed, with Kafka donning a white cloak, using its large hood to cover his head. Just like their leader, Merry escaped the fate of other female superheroes, but for entirely different reason. Her curvaceous figure was far too dangerous to be flaunted in in public, which is why she wore an orange poncho that hid most of it, in addition stetson hat of a lighter shade. Unlike many other heroes, she did not wear a mask, letting her radiant smile illuminate the darkness in people’s hearts.
Wolf’s costume was the simplest of them all. Since his powers involved transformation, he wore simple tight pants, a black shirt, and a blue jacket. Of course, with his canine ears and fluffy tail, it still felt like he was wearing a costume.
"And what are you getting nervous about?" Merry, Sunray, asked with a frown. "We call it Operation Wolf Slayer, but it’s not like we’re going after you."
"I wish they gave it a different name, though." Werewolf sighed.
"Alright, time to focus." Night Gale clapped her hands and blew a gust of wind through the waiting room. "Remember our objective. We have to be quick and decisive, no holding back. You can stress about it all once everything is over. For now, just get in there and do your job."
"You need to work on your pep talks." Said Kafka.
"Hm? Did you say something, White Arrow?"
"Good. We got no time waste so-" Slapping her hands once more, Night Gale smiled as the cold breeze washed over the others. "Let’s get going!"
The order to dispatch came at that exact moment and the four headed to the hanger where an aerial vehicle was waiting to deliver them to their entry point.
The members of Silver Wind didn’t go through the roof like the rest of the invading force. Instead, they were going to slip through a hole that had been blasted through the side of the building.
Since the floors from the thirty to fifty didn’t have the usual glass exterior, and were instead wrapped in layers of alloy and reinforced concrete, the shortest shortcut they could come up with was infiltrating through the fifty first floor.
Just as the aerial vehicle approached opening, an alert blared from its control panel. At the same time, each of the hero’s received a message on their comms.
[We lost control over the security system. Hurry up and get in there!]
The command came from none other than the Commissioner Evans, who was leading the operation from aboard the Cloud Chaser. No sooner had they received the massage than the entire building seemed to shut down, with alloy panels quickly sealing everything.
Before that could happen, Wolf jumped from the aerial vehicle, his body morphing in the air. In a fraction of a second, his arms grew to double their size, stretching the fabric of his jacket. His hands enlarged as well, and his face warped from the fangs growing out of his mouth.
Landing at the edge of the opening he raised his arms and caught the alloy gate just as it came down to block their entry point. The first impact alone caused his joints to groan, but as the pressure continued to mount, his muscles began to protest.
His teammates were already following after him, leaping though the opening. Once the last one was in, he finally let go and fell on his back, feeling cold sweat drench his fur as he heard the loud bang of the gate shutting.
"Good work, Werewolf!" Night Gale walked over and slapped him on the shoulder. "That was some quick thinking!"
"That thing..." For a moment there, he forgot to breathe. "It could’ve snapped me in half..."
"Hydrolic press." Said White Arrow. "It would have crushed your bones."
"But why did the building lock down?" Sunray tilted her head as she asked. "I thought we had control over its security systems..."
[It seems we have a third party messing around the hotel’s network.] The Commissioner’s voice came again. [Raven Heart will be dealing with them. In the mean time, the four of you must find a way to your destination.]
"Are you serious?" White Arrow grimaced behind the mask covering the lower half of his face.
[We do not have a choice. We will work on providing you with backup as soon as possible. Until then, you must proceed on your own.]
That seemed to be the end of the transmission, and as the silence lingered, the four heroes knew they had to come to terms with what needs to be done.
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