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Finnegan Larson -
Finn was suspended from his wrists by the chains that bound him to the ceiling. He was coated in blood and sweat. He refused to tell them where she was. He would never let the enemy know where she was. He would never put her in danger like that. The figure came in again the next day. Finn refused to talk. Finn was whipped again. On the third day, the figure came in again. Finn refused to talk. Although instead of the whipping Finn had expected, the figure himself took a surgical knife and hand-carved the word 'Seraphina' across the back of his shoulders. Finn screeched in pain and passed out once again before the figure even finished carving her name into his back. . The Officer -
The officer nodded. "We have 11 troops available for a mission here, and we have 2 ally camps north of us." the Officer explained. "I'll contact the camps and see how many troops they can send." |
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Sera crossed her arms, her gaze sharp as she listened to the officer’s words. They were running low on options, and every decision from here on out felt heavier than the last. She glanced at Finn, standing close by, his jaw set in that familiar way when things got serious. It was no surprise that they were pulling in every favor, calling in every possible ally for this mission. They couldn’t afford to fail. "Make it quick," Sera said, her voice steady but edged with urgency. "We don’t have the luxury of waiting." She turned back to the officer, meeting his eyes for a moment. "Let’s hope the camps can spare more than just a handful of men." |
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Finnegan Larson -
Finn hung from the ceiling by his wrists, unconscious. His own blood pooling beneath him. The lash marks on his back from the whippings had started to scab over, but the deeper cuts spelling out Sera's full name did not cease bleeding. . The Officer -
The officer sent the message around and in a matter of hours, they had 64 units ready and waiting for combat. He walked back to Sera and tapped her shoulder. "We have 64 units awaiting your instruction, ma'am," |
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Sera turned slowly, her gaze steady as she met the officer's eyes. She could feel the weight of responsibility settling in, but her expression remained calm. "Good," she replied, her voice firm but not unkind. "Have them ready for deployment in fifteen minutes. I’ll need full status reports on each unit—armor, weapons, and power levels. Make sure they’re fully equipped. We move fast, and we move together. Understood?" The officer gave a sharp nod, but Sera’s eyes lingered on him for a moment longer, ensuring he understood the gravity of her words. There was no room for error here—not with the mission they were about to undertake. |
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The Officer -
The Officer nodded. "Yes, ma'am" he saluted her. He then pulled out a map of the enemy base. "You have 15 units of fire, 5 units of silencers, 5 units of waters, 10 units of blinders, 15 units of air, 10 units of locators, and 4 immediate mixture units. Each immediate combatant is supplied with full armor and a weapon. All immediate combatants are at full power. Other side units have chest and head armor and a weapon, most are at full power, some lower." the Officer gave the report. "We have located Mr. Larson's holding cell. He is in cell D89. We know he will be in some kind of chain, or restraint, as all of the cells on the D floor are for torture. So 5 of your immediate combatants will be armed with various tools to get Mr. Larson out of his restraints." the Officer explained, pointing to the location of cell D89 on the map. "Lastly would you like to air-drop into the base, or utilize the jump triplets?" |
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Sera's fingers twitched involuntarily at the mention of fire units, the heat coiling within her veins, but she kept her expression neutral. It was important to stay focused. The mission was too critical, and if she let her powers get the better of her now, they'd be wasting more time than they'd save. "Air-drop," she said decisively, her voice low and steady. "The faster we get in, the faster we get out. Besides, if we use the jump triplets, we're too exposed on the way in. Air-drop offers more control. I'll cover our entry with fire. Keep the heat off of us when we're on the ground." She studied the map, eyes narrowing as she traced the path from the base's perimeter to D89. Her mind already calculating angles, exit routes, and contingencies. It was a standard rescue mission, but she knew better than to let her guard down. The enemy would be expecting something like this. "We'll need the silencer units on the perimeter, at least five on overwatch. And I want the blinders active as soon as we breach the compound—blind spots for the enemy, confusion in the ranks. Once we're inside, I’ll create a distraction and flush out any guards near the target. If I’m too hot for them to handle, they’ll focus on putting me down, leaving the rest of you free to get Finn out." She glanced at the officer, her gaze piercing. "How long until we make contact with the enemy's perimeter? I want our timeline locked down before we touch down." Sera exhaled, allowing the simmering energy within her to settle again. She wasn’t going to let this mission slip through her fingers. Not when Finn's life—and potentially much more—was on the line. |
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The Officer -
The Officer nodded folded the map up and put it back in his pocket. "Yes ma'am" he saluted her. "10 minutes till departure from base, 20 minute flight to enemy base." he informed her. |
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Sera gave a brief, sharp nod in acknowledgment, her eyes narrowing as she processed the information. She could feel the weight of the mission pressing down on her, but she kept her expression unreadable. Time was ticking, and there was no room for hesitation now. "Understood," she replied, her voice calm but laced with the quiet intensity that had become second nature to her. She glanced at the sky outside, mentally preparing for what was to come. The flight would be swift, but the enemy base... that was where things would get interesting. "Make sure the team is ready," she added, her gaze locking on the officer for a moment longer. "We move fast. No mistakes." She turned away before he could respond, heading for the nearby briefing table to double-check her gear and confirm the final details. Every second counted, and she intended to make them all count. |
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The Officer -
The Officer saluted Sera even though she couldn't see it, then walked back over to check on the troops getting ready. Soon enough everything and everyone was set and ready to go. |
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Sera stood still, her eyes scanning the horizon, the wind rustling through the grass around her. She didn't acknowledge the officer's salute — not because she didn’t appreciate it, but because in that moment, she didn’t have the space for formalities. The mission, the outcome, that was all that mattered now. She could hear the rustle of the troops getting into formation, the soft clink of weapons and gear. Everyone was set, as ready as they'd ever be. The tension in the air was palpable, thick with the weight of what was to come. Sera’s focus sharpened, narrowing on the task ahead. There would be no room for error. She gave one final glance over the field, measuring distances, positioning, everything. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, firm, carrying the weight of authority she didn’t need to show to have respected. "Move out." And with that, the quiet anticipation broke into action. |
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Bright Sunshine with a few High Clouds
