Now, just like we talked about, Syd, Ryan sent, trying to keep his own misgivings out of the mental transmission. Part of being a team leader was projecting confidence, regardless of your personal feelings. You remember how to activate your Abilities –
Yeah yeah, Syd cut him off, I remember. Jeez, it wasn't that long ago. All I need to do is think really hard about what I want, then yell the magic catchphrase, right?
...vocalize the activation trigger, right. In this case, it's Prowler Mode.
Got it. Should be a piece of cake. Watch this!
"I am a ninja. A magical girl ninja," he heard her muttering softly to herself. "I am the night."
Syd's eyes narrowed to slits in concentration, then snapped open.
"Assassin Time!" she shouted, striking an awkward pose with one hand on her hip and the other held against her forehead.
Come on, quit messing around... Ryan began, the words trailing away as he realized that, against all common sense, the Ability had engaged anyway. Syd's figure flickered, her outline becoming hazy, and she gradually faded into the surrounding shadows. Ah. Well, okay then. I suppose that works too.
Ability Name: Prowler Mode
Rank: 2
Requirements: EL2, Decoy
Effect: Improves the user's low-light stealth capabilities. A blurring effect partially conceals the user's form when in dark areas. All sounds produced by the user are dampened. Light amplification and infrared vision settings are added to the user's visor display. Each rank increases the benefits provided by the camouflage effect.
Restrictions: At-will. Consumes Stamina to activate or deactivate. If the user performs an attack or receives damage while the Ability is active, it will immediately deactivate, and cannot be reactivated until the next transformation.
Theoretically, he knew, the activation trigger wasn't strictly necessary to engage an Ability. Speaking the words out loud acted as a conceptual aid, intended to help new users properly align their thought patterns in a way that the Changer's neural interface would recognize. He'd heard rumors that some elite Enforcers could omit the vocalization step entirely. Still, a new user picking up such an advanced technique so soon after her very first transformation seemed... unbelievable.
Even though he'd watched it happen in front of him.
Ryan resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands.
Good work, he finally conceded. Alright, Amy, we're in business. Everything ready on your end?
Ready and waiting, came the policewoman's immediate reply. Let me know when it's time to move out.
As they jogged along the alley, Ryan pulled up his Implant's area map again, verifying that the Changer icons marking the members of the hostile Enforcer team hadn't moved too far from their previous locations.
Five white dots representing enemy Blasters were arrayed in a loose arc, spread around the front of the largest storage building and presumably trading shots with the government agents who had just loudly announced their presence. Inside the building, he saw another pair of Blasters, and...
Perfect, Ryan exclaimed. Okay, team, listen up. The bad guys called in a support type. He's holed up in a riverfront warehouse, away from the action, but close enough to respond if needed. Amy, Syd, I'm marking a series of waypoints for you two to follow. Once you're both on station, we'll take him down quick and then make ourselves scarce.
Support type? Amy asked. What exactly are we looking for?
Not another giant monkey, I hope, Syd said, her tone a little too sincere for the comment to have been a joke.
Ape, Amy corrected her.
No, he promised, no giant apes this time. You're looking for a Savant, a transformed human in a suit like yours, only blue. He won't have much in the way of offense, but he's got two Blasters with him as bodyguards, and he'll have Abilities that can increase their combat effectiveness. You'll want to focus on him first.
Roger that, came Amy's terse response. On it.
Let's roll, Syd added, breaking into a sprint. Following the path Ryan had laid out, she vaulted onto a nearby windowsill, then grabbed the overhanging edge of the roof's eaves and effortlessly pulled herself up. This is so f – she began, pausing when she seemed to remember that she was sharing the channel with Amy, – err, freaking cool.
Don't forget, you're not invisible, he cautioned her, just less visible. Stay low, watch where you step, and be careful.
This isn't my first time sneaking into some place where I'm not allowed, she scoffed. I'll be fine.
She dashed off, her faint silhouette almost immediately disappearing against the dark backdrop. Ryan's vision was better than most, but he was still human. Without the overlay the Interface projected to show him where his new teammate was, he'd already have lost track of her.
Pushing himself at full tilt, Ryan was barely able to keep up, paralleling her rooftop route at street level. With every step he took, his flip-flops threatened to come off. Sweat began to bead on his brow as he ran. It was an unpleasantly-warm night, made worse by the rising humidity, and all signs pointed to the storm rolling back in soon.
He wiped his face, reminding himself that this was what freedom felt like. If he'd wanted to be comfortable all the time, he could have stayed in his climate-controlled cell.
So, Ryan, Syd sent, what kind of games do you play?
Games? he asked, thrown by the sudden change of subject.
Yeah. You were using a whole lot of gamer words to explain how things worked. Which really helped, by the way. I was just wondering, y'know, are you a console or PC guy? What games are you into?
All the ones I like are at least five years old. Probably nothing that you're playing now.
Ha! That figures.
I spent the last five years in alien prison, Syd. They didn't give us a lot of opportunities to check out the latest releases.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Oh. A moment of awkward silence followed. You're serious?
Serious. I broke out earlier today.
Shit. Err... sorry?
Don't worry about it.
The channel went quiet. Ryan glanced up at a passing street sign, consulted his map to verify it was the correct intersection, then turned the corner.
...I was going to ask which anime shows you were watching, since you knew Ultraman from Kamen Rider, Syd commented after a minute had passed, but I guess you're not caught up on those either.
Syd, please, this is serious, Amy cut in. Could you at least try to pretend you're focusing on the mission?
Tch. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. Fine.
***
Syd dropped down from above, landing in a silent crouch behind the boxy shape of a rumbling ventilation duct. She moved to a spot where the objective was in view, creeping slowly along the corrugated-metal roof, then turned and flashed a double thumbs-up in Ryan's direction.
Overhead, the open portal hung menacingly, its wavering turquoise light casting long shadows across the surrounding warehouses that shifted and jumped unpredictably.
I'm all set here, Syd sent, and I can see the target. Three guys, Ryan, just like you said. One blue, two white.
Okay, that's good. Your job is to be the backstop, in case they try to make a break for it after Amy and I go in. Ryan gave the team status display a concerned look. Amy, what's your situation?
Almost there, Amy responded. Stand by.
The number beside her icon didn't have much time remaining. This was going to be close.
Beneath Syd's vantage point, the alien invaders continued exchanging fire with the federal agents in nondescript suits who had surrounded their position. The chaotic, close-range nature of the fighting made it difficult for him to determine which side held the upper hand.
Shots sparking off his white armor, an Enforcer went down in a hail of gunfire. Clouds of steam rose from the figure as his Changer overloaded and shut down.
"Central, this is team three lead, tango down!" one of the nearby agents barked into the handheld radio he was carrying. "Classification is Mark-I, ranged-type. We're still taking heavy fire from the northeast. Requesting fire support. Over!"
"Copy that, team three lead," a man's gruff voice squawked back. "Just sit tight. Team seven is en route with heavy weapons –"
"No, no, no!" Another voice yelled, talking over the previous speaker. "Disregard that order, team three lead. Your priority is to move in and secure that Changer immediately!"
As if to punctuate her statement, a plasma beam tore through the air, forcing the agent to duck.
"Doctor Chen," he began hesitantly, "With all due respect, I don't think..."
"The agency pays me to do the thinking around here, not you!" the woman on the other end of the walkie-talkie conversation snapped, cutting off whatever he'd been about to say next. "Get off the line, and go get me that Changer!"
He shared a disbelieving look with one of his nearby subordinates.
"Contact!" came a shout from further down the street. "Multiple contacts inbound! They're flanking us!"
"Shit," the team leader swore, releasing the radio to dangle on its strap so he could dig into his jacket for his own handgun. "Campbell, Garcia, we're falling back! If she wants that Changer, she can come out here and grab it herself."
Firing wildly, the government team retreated down the street, scurrying from cover to cover with the eerily-silent Zorvax troops in hot pursuit.
Syd, do you think you could...
Already on it, she replied before he could finish the thought. She slipped over the edge of the roof, coming down beside the fallen Enforcer. Ignoring the mumbled protests of the alien foot soldier, who had reverted into a naked but otherwise ordinary-looking human, she rolled him over and pulled the belt-like device off his waist. Mine now! she crowed. I can't use two of these at the same time, can I?
A moment later, she'd shimmied her way up the building's exterior siding and was back in her perch.
They waited, listening to the sounds of battle receding deeper into the industrial park.
I've got eyes on the objective, Amy finally sent. Going in.
Understood, Ryan replied. Good hunting.
He'd almost told her good luck instead, but he didn't think that she would need it.
Probably.
"Intercept!" the Juggernaut's voice rang out, followed by a bang as she went hurtling through the warehouse wall that stood between her and the enemy Savant.
Ryan kicked open the side door, a less-impressive entrance, and followed her into the building.
"Energy Shield!"
Golden illumination filled the dark space as the Ability engaged. Over Amy's left forearm, a glowing, transparent disc of solid light spiraled into being. Nearly the size of a truck tire, it hovered unsupported less than an inch away from the yellow bracer of her suit, precisely following her every movement.
Her timing couldn't have been better. Even as she brought the shield up to chest height, a sizzling plasma blast slammed against its slightly-curved face. The impact transferred enough energy to rock her back on her feet, but otherwise proved harmless.
"Oh, you're gonna pay for that, buster," she growled, advancing on the enemy Blaster, who stood dumbly with his clenched fist still pointing at her. He activated another Ability, producing a sustained beam that achieved no better results. "I have been shot at so many times tonight," she continued, her voice rising to a shout, "and it is very uncomfortable!" She took a threatening step forward. "I'm really –" Another step. "– starting –" Step. "– to get tired of it!"
"Unauthorized user! Surrender your Change Matrix or be destroyed!" the heavily-armored figure ordered, his speech electronically distorted almost to the point of unrecognizability by the enclosed helmet he wore.
"You're in no position to make demands," Amy retorted, continuing to close the distance between them.
Her opponent tried to backpedal away, managing to get off one last hastily-aimed shot before she was on him. The fight that followed, if such a one-sided exchange of blows could even be called that, handily demonstrated why Enforcers with ranged classes were advised to avoid close combat.
More of them incoming, Ryan advised as she finished bashing the hapless Enforcer's helmet against the concrete floor. Right side.
Steam began to rise from the Blaster the moment she released her grip. Standing back up, Amy dusted off her hands and turned to face their new opponents.
Another white-armored Blaster stepped out from behind a stack of palettes, the enemy Savant they'd come for close on his heels.
Analyzing... analysis complete.
Target Identification: War-Form, Human Savant
Commencing Standard Attribute Evaluation...
Effective Level: 1
Strength: 10
Agility: 14
Toughness: 9
Endurance: 23
Abilities:
Bolster (Rank 1)
Threat Rating: MEDIUM
The face under the gleaming blue half-helmet's visor was an unfamiliar one, gaunt and pale-skinned with dark eyes and a beak of a nose. Most likely picked up after I was selected for advanced training as a Commander-Candidate, Ryan concluded. If so, the man must have made a seriously good impression on his captors, since they were sending him out on field assignments with a new Mark-II Changer already.
"You must be the renegade Forward-Commander," the man said, choosing to disregard Amy entirely and address Ryan instead. His faint accent was difficult to place. Somewhere in Eastern Europe? "I don't suppose you want to do this the easy way?"
"The easy way is for you and your teammate to come with us," Ryan urged. "You don't owe the Zorvax anything. They're just using you –"
"Of course they are," the Savant responded with a thin smile. "Who cares? They promised an entire continent to the man who brings back your head. What can you offer?"
Damn, Ryan thought with a grimace. A true believer, then, not just a brainwashed victim. Looks like we're doing this the hard way.
The Savant tilted his head, probably receiving instructions from his own Forward-Commander, then nodded and turned to his companion.
"Kill him," he said.