The talk between Quib, Sin and Hoshi is relatively short, with Sin wanting to get this over with as soon as possible. Jian is back in the room as well, adjusting his pistols on their belt holsters before walking over to where Quib had told him to go, which would be in the middle of the room. Situated there is a large computer display in front of a table and a few chairs, with the computer's showing an overhead view of all of the antenna stations along with some security feeds from inside of the stations themselves.
On the security feeds are multiple people within each of the room's that are being shown. They all have a weapon of sorts and are barely moving. Jian gulps down his fright over tonight's mission. He knows that his friends are going to be put in danger, but he also knows that this needs to be done. If they do not succeed tonight, then all of their investigating, all of their work to protect this city will be for naught, and the mastermind will have won.
Laid out on the table in front of him are a few keyboards and computer mice. Also on the table is anything he will need for tonight's mission. Radios, blueprints for each floor of all of the stations, any and everything he will need.
He sits down on the chair in front of him and stares intently at the people on each of the screens. Each of them has an unmoving fury in their eyes. An animalistic rage that wants nothing more than to inflict carnage and death.
Through each of those eyes, Jian knows the same thing that Raphael and his squad knows. No medication will cure them even if the control was removed. Their minds are damaged beyond repair. These people would become vegetables when the control is destroyed. He may weep over the loss of innocents, but it does not distract from the fact. Jian was told long ago that even if a Sigil Head is knocked unconscious, they would wake up again and be just the same as they were before. There is nothing they can do but fight them.
Prison's will not hold them, Raphael knows that already. If a few of them were to be held in a prison or some area of the sorts, the Sigil Head's would lead an attack on the place of imprisonment, killing any that they come across until breaking their allies free. The only option Raphael had left was to kill them off, or hold them prisoner in maximum security off-world, but Raphael already knew that that would not work. People disappearing out of Ignama and then reappearing months later, especially in large droves, would make everyone in Ignama too suspicious, Sigil Head or not.
There was another problem with that, however. Raphael figured out that by bringing them back to this world before all of this is over, they would be put under the mind-control again once they are within the radius of at least Ignama. That led him to only one possible solution. Save some, and unfortunately, kill the rest.... It may be against everything he stands for, but it is the only choice he has. While the media only reports on the deaths of the Sigil Heads, Raphael has captured as many as he believes he can and is holding them off-world in UMA maximum security prisons. Albeit, that alternative had waned by the end of only three weeks when he had nearly filled an entire cell block with Sigil Head victims and he was starting to believe that the police were getting suspicious of all of the disappearances.
Raphael sees Jian out of the corner of his eye while he is speaking with Carie and notices that he is deep in thought. He pats June on her shoulder and asks her to finish up Carie's briefing for him. She nods her head in agreement before Raphael heads over in Jian's direction.
When he gets near Jian, he asks him “The thought of the assault too much to bare, Jian?”
Jian snaps out of his trance as soon as he hears Raphael's voice. He looks over at him and says “No. I'm just... thinking, I guess.” Jian sighs and then gets out of his seat “This assault tonight... do you think it will be enough to stop the Sigil Heads?”
“It won't be enough to stop them completely, but we need to stop their plans or we'll lose the entire city tonight. Don't worry, Jian, you and your friends will find the man behind this, I know you will!” Raphael trails off and looks at the watch on his wrist. He looks back up a second later and says to him “The final briefing is going to start in a few minutes. Meet me at the back of the warehouse in three, Jian.”
He says back to him “Roger that.” in a serious tone. Raphael nods his head and then walks back towards Carie's briefing area. Sighing, Jian thinks about how different his life has become over the last few months. Before all of this, he was just a teenager going to a private school with some of his few and only friends. Now he's the mission director of a coordinated assault on mind-controlled madmen who want to enslave his entire world. Not only that, but he's found an alien girl who likes someone like him. Alien's have gotten involved with his world, and some of his friends are getting together with each other. If he wasn't fighting for his life this entire time and trying to save his city in the process, he'd consider that things are going rather well for him and his friends.
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Shrugging his shoulders, he's about to turn back to the computer displays when he hears Raphael's voice coming out of a megaphone. He's telling all members of the assault teams to meet at the back briefing table, as the final mission briefing is about to begin. Looking down at his watch, Jian realizes that it has been nearly three minutes. Sighing, Jian walks towards the back briefing table, which he sees everyone else walking there too.
At the back briefing area, Jian sees the rest of the investigation group there, along with Raphael's team and ten high-tech soldiers wearing white and blue-colored battle armor. Raphael is standing behind the table, and once everyone is there, he begins his final briefing.
“Alright everyone, it's nine-fifteen at night and it's gotten pretty dark right about now. Miyra, Quib, and June have given each of their teams their respective briefings, so I think it's about time we get down to business.”
“There is a decoy device on the table for each of the members of the Unimori squad. I suggest that you pick them up, equip them on your wrist and activate the first decoy on each of them. These will protect your identity from being known. We might know what's really going on, but civilians and the police have no idea. This is a precaution to protect your identiy. If you are having trouble figuring them out, ask one of my generals or a soldier here for help. They will be more than happy to assist.”
“There's a color-coded transport van outside for each team. Miyra's team is yellow, my team is red, and Quib's team is blue. Get into the vans and they will transport each of you to your respective targets. If any of you are feeling a little worried, then let me assure you that the soldiers and generals coming along with you will have your back and will make sure that you stay safe. Remember, don't hesitate, because our enemies won't either. Move out, everyone!”
Raphael holsters his assault rifle, which was laying on the table in front of him, onto his back while moving to the side of the briefing table and moving past everyone else. As he goes, he does a swaying motion with his hand for them to follow. Jian already knows not to, and immediately moves to the monitors at the center of the room, but not before finding Quib one last time before this mission starts.
He finds her as she is leaving with her team. Jian comes up from behind her and places a hand on her shoulder, saying lightly “Quib....”
Quib immediately recognizes the feeling of Jian's hand on her shoulder, to which she turns around and says “Ya need anything, Ji'?”
“I-I just wanted to say....” Jian is stuttering severely as he speaks, almost as if he's having trouble bringing the right words to mind “Just...” he sighs “good luck, Quib. Just... just please come back to me... when this is all over....”
A smile appears on Quib's face as she giggles happily. She gives Jian a hug while saying “Ji', you don't need to worry about me at all. I know how to fight demons, so fighting through Sigil Heads shouldn't be an issue for me. In all honesty, I should be the one who is worried about you! You have much less combat experience than I do and the Sigil Heads might come here during our attack tonight. The thought of losing you is... too much for me. So I need to keep my mind on my objective or I'll lose my fighting spirit. Please, don't worry tonight Jian, think only on the mission.”
Halfway through Quib's words, Jian hugs her tightly. He now is starting to see the problem with war. The worry, the death and destruction, and the thought of losing those you love. A single tear drop rolls down his face as he realizes this. He lightly mutters out the words “I love you... so don't leave me....”
“I love you too, Ji'....” Quib says before letting go of Jian and backing away. She says “Stay safe....” before leaving with the rest of her team.
Jian waves goodbye to her, hoping in his heart that this isn't the last time that he will see her.
Exactly in the front of the warehouse are three vans, each of them color-coded in the way that Raphael had described. The colors are easy to see, thanks to an overhead spotlight illuminating the area in front of the warehouse from above.
Lera looks towards Boz and asks “Raphael said that Miyra's team was going into the yellow van, right Boz?”
Boz nods his head while adjusting the new baseball cap that he had bought the day before. “Yup, that's us.”
While getting into his own van, Raphael says to everyone there “One last thing! Everyone be careful during this mission and keep an eye on the people from Unimori! I don't want a single one of them to fall in battle, you hear me!?” before climbing into the back with June. Carie follows him in a moment later, followed by two soldiers.
The remaining teams crowd into their own vans, and they are soon driving towards the antenna stations.
Little do the members of Sentient Society know that this will only be the first full-scale battle they take place in. For them, Ignama will only be their beginning....