‘I hear that the operation to gather information did not succeed.’

That made Cassandra jump up in the seat. She wasn't sure how long she had stared at the ceiling. Nor did she even care, only looking at the entrance to the building and its lack of automations peacefully walking out of it. She wanted to look at the vitals of the bastard, but the woman couldn't get herself to do it, fearing that the result would have worsened over however long she last saw it.

Instead of thinking about that topic, the woman looked back at the message that had brought her out of the previous trance. A message, not from Jules, Jared, or any other idiot that had a name starting with J. No, it was from Grunwald, the man likely wanting a quick update on how things were progressing. Not that the man actually needed an update since he would have very clearly realised how things were going due to the fact that one of the officers was currently in a very dangerous state, but that wasn't something the woman felt any safety in sharing.

‘Difficulties presented themselves faster than expected. It seems that they had access to more utility-based technology than previously anticipated,’ Cassandra sent back. With the message, she included footage of what had occurred in the altercation. She mentally hit herself for forgetting to send it before, having assumed the man would look at it by himself. Not that he could do that, her files locked from those grabby hands. She had a certain somebody to thank for that.

Some time passed by, the older man likely needing time to progress the video Cassandra had sent him. Which was fully understandable, the woman still not truly able to figure out just what had happened. Just what was that force field made of? It was possible to see through, possible to interact with, yet it had been stronger than anything else she had encountered. Even if it had been a momentary hindrance, it was still more effective than almost anything she had previously fought against.

‘This is not something I have seen before. The technology either isn't from this country or it’s been made just recently,’ Grunwald sent back, providing no information that truly shocked the woman. Cassandra would have known if a thing such as a forcefield had been created, the news was never able to shut up about it. The possibilities, the power behind it, and the fact that it had strong relations to science fiction would make it impossible for the main anchors to shut up about it.

Personally, Cassandra was guessing towards it being a newer addition to a line of force fields that had been created years ago. The small dot thrown at her was likely the perpetrator behind the prison she had been in. That much was obvious from the fact that the woman had been unable to harm the thing in any reasonable way, the small object harder than anything she had ever touched before. And the fact that it self-destructed the same instant the forcefield keeping her close got destroyed, it was clear that some direct connection was present somewhere.

‘I personally believe it to have been from another country. Our closeness to the border would allow some of the newer stolen tech to be a surprise for us,’ Cassandra commented, sure that her ideas had to hold some precedent. Back when things of note actually happened in the country, raids would sometimes be made on the government facilities. They were far and few between, with even fewer producing more than a small report detailing the government's triumph in their defences.

But… when it was the other way around, other messages would come out instead. When raiders were successful in gathering some kind of calcified technology, the military, the fire-fighters, and the police force would be notified of it, made to watch out for any clues. These actual descriptions of the technology were barely anything but a list of prominent features, but they usually made it possible to identify them. The functions listed were usually too peculiar to not be able to identify instantly.

Which was the reason that Cassandra thought it to have been taken from another country. If something like a forcefield had been stolen, the government would have surely notified the regular groups. Instead, no such thing had ever been mentioned. The country they sat by might have told their groups, but there was no chance they would ever willingly report the same to Cassandra and those she worked with. The chances of vital information being leaked due to it were much too large in an event such as that.

‘There is a high possibility you are right. While that further complicates this for us, it does give us some possible insight into who this group of thieves might be. There have been a few international criminal organisations that have shown capabilities similar to those displayed by the ones we have to deal with. While it would cause some questions to appear, a theory could be that this group is backed by international organisations or just one of them.’

The message from Grunwald was not truly comforting to hear. An international group having a sting operation in some random border town? While it might have been a little harsh to swear, Cassandra couldn't think of three fucking reasons for that to make sense. Why would they go towards the goal of stealing anything when they already had the backing of billionaires or even trillionaires? Money was not supposed to be a problem.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

‘If that is the case, what goals do you believe they might have?’ Cassandra questioned, needing to see the side of the man more. Things might not have settled the same way in her head, after all. Maybe there was some side she hadn't even thought of yet.

It could also be that the woman was mentally disoriented from the sight seen some time earlier, making it hard to think strategically, but there was no way she would accept that idea currently. For all intents and purposes, Cassandra thought of herself in an optimal state. Anything else would imply that she was being affected by a piece of metal getting a few scratches and gouges.

‘I have none, currently. A larger group of people could perhaps have been hired by the opposing government to cause unrest, but these thieves clearly aren't intent on things like that. Another theory could have been that they’ve already succeeded in their tasks longer inside this country and were just about to leave it but was stopped by somebody getting hurt, forcing them to remain in the same position for a longer amount of time. It would explain their relative passiveness while also giving a worthwhile excuse for their extremely advanced arsenal.’

Oh, the man was clearly perusing the edges of his mind now, Grunwald laying it all out in clear words. Cassandra had half a mind to lay back down on the seats, knowing that it would continue for a while.

‘And I feel it might be worth it to note down their augmentations as well. I believe we can note down the other thief we met at first as being somebody definitely having an endurance-based augmentation. With the strength-based augmentation, things are beginning to seem like a standardized set of individuals meant to back up everybody’s strengths and weaknesses. If there are any other people in this group, I would not doubt that they are either a master of speed or dexterity. This should be the last sign we need to switch over to ranged weapons entirely since they might just be the last safe choice we have during engagements.’

There! The man repeated the woman’s earlier thoughts about the group, though he went more in-depth with it. Cassandra was glad to see some form of ideas that both of them had sprouted, though they had been made at different times. Still, though… The same interpretation of a set of data must have meant something positive.

‘Going forward, caution is the most important trait we have on our side. With the technology seen, I will be repeating my request for reinforcements. Even with the other cities having events like ours, I believe the size of damage and thieves might prove to sway our favour. We might even receive priority ranking from the news getting closer and closer.’

Cassandra was beginning to imagine the man needing to send a certain amount of words per second, lest he would die of lethal injection. It made the reality in front of her much more humorous, the actual situation likely closer to a bored man sitting in a car with nothing to do.

‘I believe we will need to inform Jared of these changes when he is available for work again,’ Cassandra commented, feeling the need to make some form of input into the conversation. Or, was it even a conversation at that point, when only the person was actually talking most of the time. It was closer to a presentation than anything. One that was boring as hell to be a part of, most of the facts already portrayed in some manner before.

‘We will need to do so, indeed. However, I do believe that we will need to wait a day or two before we make the man enact the policies as well,’ Grunwald sent back. Though, it took less than a moment before an additional comment was streaming in. ‘From what has been gathered, the man is too good at stressing his weakened body, causing a negative feedback reaction that lands him on the bed again. If we send him out again at the first sight of strength being retained, I’m sad to say the man will be put back down within a few hours time. He’ll have to wait a few days for the healing to cement itself, no matter what Jared says about it.’

‘I take it that he has awakened?’ Cassandra questioned, feeling a small itch to check the time. It wasn't close to getting dark, yet the buildings were making it hard for her to estimate the time with the help of the sun. Not too many hours could have passed since the man was made to rest, at least.

‘He was briefly awake and talking. Without a fever even, though it did come back in some form after the initial minutes of profusely making apologies for some things said to the automation,’ Grunwald answered. Even through the text, the woman could feel the mirth the man felt.

‘Do you have any idea what those words might have been?’ Cassandra asked, slightly curious about it. There was half a thought to peruse Nero’s footage to see it first-hand, yet the idea brought negative attachments with it.

‘I have no clue, to be fully honest with you. For the apparent mental health of the man, his automation deemed it a necessary action to censor what had been said from the records. Though, from the context they were in, I do not believe they were entirely professional in nature.’

The woman had no problem guessing from that point. Cassandra might even have laughed at what she knew to be a solid gold comedy, if not for her chest hurting a little. Maybe she was a little stressed.

‘Has the cleaning of the street gone well in my absence?’ Cassandra said, changing the topic before it became serious.

‘I believe we will be done by the end of the hour. All the windows have been boarded up, and the shards have almost been removed from the street entirely. The place isn't close to what it had been last week, but it will be good enough for the cameras.’

That was good news at least. The woman had been wondering-

‘Oh, and you might be able to take my role away from me as the overseer. I believe my automation will be calling you in the next second or two.’

The woman barely had time to open the door before she bolted right out of the car again. The waiting was killing her.