Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war - Shakesphere

Operation Giga Pudding (D-41 hours)

Operation Golden Goose (D-41 hours)

In a windowless room deep in a sub-basement below the Green Goose Sphere, Rod, Jackal, and Heather were crowded in the center of the room. They were starting at a model of a two-story house, surrounded by plastic trees and terrain features on a conference room table. The walls were adorned with maps of Battle City, and a single steel bulkhead door was on the east side of the room.

Heather moved her fingers over the area designated as the bayou.

"From the way I see it, we assault the east side at dawn," she said, pointing to a hedgerow near the house.

The wheel to the door squeaked open, and a woman wearing tight black leather pants and a red leather jacket stepped through.

“Fashionably late Emily?” Heather asked, her voice laced with a hint of irritation.

“Do I look like a time mage to you, fuzzy bunny?” she asked as she cracked her knuckles.

Mange stepped between Heather and Emily. Sphere and Jackal looked up from the table, while Rod continued to study the map.

“Shall I put you two in time out?” Mange asked.

Emily flashed her a smile, showing off a row of teeth sharpened to a point.

“As fun, as that sounds, puppy, I’m here to shank a few droods,” Emily said, her eyes changing to a sickly yellow. “So, what’s the plan?”

“Well,” Rod said pointing to the board. “We have three heavy weapon systems spread out 250 meters from the house. Once their attention is on them, you and Heather will scurry out the back with Yellow Bird.”

“We use pen flares to keep eyes on us. If they venture out, we will have a few thermite mines and cryo-burst traps waiting,” Sphere added. "We can set up a few VIOP mines to protect our rears."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Emily snickered, which turned into laughter.

“If you have a better idea, let’s hear it,” Heather said.

“Yes, not get chewed up and spat out like gristle for one thing,” Emily said making grinding noises with her teeth.

Rod leaned over to Sphere and Jackal and said, “Bar-be-que after this?”

Sphere answered back with a fist bump.

“Droods are a superstitious lot and paranoid lot. They will be out a hidden door scurrying away in some underground hole when they hear the first bullet,” Emily continued.

Heather pressed her lips together. She wanted to protest and find a chink in the armor of the assessment, but she found herself agreeing.

“Is that all?” asked Mange as she placed her hands on her hips.

Emily slinked towards Sphere and began to stare him down. He stared back and flared his nostrils.

Her bones cracked, her neck elongated, and her lower jaw snapped as it grew longer. She stood over Sphere as the others watched. A set of arms grew from her side and her skin shifted to a hard shell.

“We get everyone to look at the scary monster in front of them,” Emily said, her voice like sandpaper on glass. "Then..."

Clear saliva dripped from her mouth. Sphere took a step back and placed his hand on his shoulder gun.

“And then?” asked Sphere, who stopped backing up.

With a long slender finger, Emily pointed towards Heather. A serrated spike on a long snake-like tail was above Heather and pointed towards her head.

“We strike the real target, but we need a boogie man,” Emily said, her body popping as she returned to normal. "A distraction."

“I’m liking this, it reminds me of what we did in Kandaq,” Sphere said.

“Too bad I missed that shindig,” Jackal said, shrugging.

Rod and Mange both nodded towards each other.

“What’s next door to the drood house?” Emily asked pointing to the edge of the display.

“Residential zone,” Mange replied.

Emily's eyes alternated between colors as she stared at the map. Then she started to chew on her fingernails and foamed at the mouth.

“So fuzzy bunny, are you willing to do whatever it takes to save your bird?” Emily asked.

“Well, yeah. Why do you think I asked you for help?” Heather answered.

“Fine...we need planes, printer, and a few Resonance Amplifiers,” Emily said rubbing her chin. "Let's put the fear of death in these golden clowns."

“Sounds exactly like Kandaq,” Mange said.

***