All was quiet around Lanada. They took deep breaths, praying on the aromatherapy to heal something in their mind. They were interrupted from their peace by a small movement, splashing the water in their bath. Not enough bubbles could calm Lanada down, but they were definitely trying. They held their breath as they dipped below the water, peering over the foam as a small rodent in its hole.
Their Circle lay to the side, still empty of notifications. Lanada had texted Gerry every day, and he still hadn’t responded. They were very worried. Either he was dead in a ditch, or he’d finally had enough of the danger Lanada brought him. Either possibility scared them, increasing their growing feelings of guilt. Unfortunately, the only one still talking to Lanada was Sam, the last person they wanted to be around.
After their last operation, they hadn’t spoken much. It had been a quiet trip back, and a quiet few days after that. Every time Lanada saw Sam, he looked guilty, at the very least. They wanted some explanation from him, some reason, but they knew the answers already. Sam at least seemed haunted by it, troubled. But Lanada wanted to see internal suffering. Some sign that his kills had actually taken their toll on him.
Lanada had tried everything at the capitol to get their mind off things; local clubs, bars, museums, cheesy tourist shit, cafes, even online dating and hooking up. But no matter what the environment or the partner, those two bleeding heads were what stuck. They had seen so much death in their life, but they didn’t need to investigate to tell this was different.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. They chose to ignore it, guessing who it was. After a bit more persistence, the knocking finally stopped. Then, their Circle rang. Lanada groaned as they reached for it, not minding the bubbles touching the device.
“What.”
“Lanada, we’ve got a briefing in an hour. But, we need to talk,” Sam sounded defeated.
“Just come in. I know you have a key.”
He hung up and Lanada could hear their apartment door rustle open. They retreated back under their bubbles as he entered the bathroom, taking a seat on the toilet nearby.
“Hey. I know we haven’t talked much since the operation… It was pretty messed up. I’ve been trying to sort it all out in my head.”
“At least you know.”
“I keep cycling through it, but I still don’t see another way that could have gone. It doesn’t make me feel better though.”
“It shouldn’t.”
“Yeah. What would you have done?”
“You’re asking me?”
“Yes.”
“I never would have shot them. At least not like that, closed casket and all.”
“I knew you’d say something like that, but what else could we have done?”
“A bunch of things, Sam. And, I don’t think wondering about that is going to help. Also don’t include me in your actions. What did command say?”
“They congratulated us. Said we did good.”
“Of course they did.”
“They liked your Ingalderin idea, they’re coordinating troops right now. There, Falderheim, and Indra. I know things didn’t go the best back there, but that intel is going to save lives.”
“Didn’t go the best? You murdered people, Sam.”
“You don’t think I know that? I can’t get them out of my head! All I can do is move forward, and hope that something came out of that mess at least.”
“And more death is what you want to come out of it? All we got was military occupation in three major cities. Now they’re excuses for the Geldor to fight, just like they wanted. You haven’t learned a thing.”
“We need to protect these people. Go tell the Geldor to try for peace, see if they listen! All you do is bitch at me then stand there and watch it happen! Rendell is against me, you're against me, fuck, the King's against me, everyone's against me! How the fuck am I supposed have space to think when I have this constant noise in my face Lanada?! I don’t want more death, I'm trying my absolute hardest here!”
“You have a hell of a way of showing it then.”
Sam was quiet, his lip almost at a quiver. He still looked confused.
“I’ll let you finish up. See you at the briefing.”
Sam looked like he was about to cry as he turned to walk out, leaving Lanada alone. He was obviously upset, and Lanada fought hard to keep their disapproval of him alive. Though they had teased him, they never thought he was a truly bad person, even then. It didn’t excuse his choices in employment though, especially his choices in the field. So many of his ideas and ideals were fabricated by the institution; no matter how pure his morals, they would always be corrupted by the systemic need for violence.
The pressure from King Lactain funneled down every avenue of the government, and the pressing was clear on people like Sam. The same went for Rendell, Lanada remembered Bofi’s words about her, how almost everyone had some minute problem with her. From Rendell’s idealism, it was clear many of the disagreements with her were due to her superiors, not even herself. While King Lactain was in power, his ideology filtered through STAR and the rest of Mikoril, down to the very people.
Lanada groaned from thinking too much, finally departing from the warm bath. The bubbly water didn’t resemble death at all. They were quick up to the briefing room, not wanting any more stress than they had.
The room was quiet as Reyna finished some work on her computer, only glancing up when Lanada walked in. Sam was in moments after, filling out the crowd with a few other stragglers.
“Alright, let’s get started. We’re all on deck for the Geldor now, so this first part is going to be for all of you. We’ve gotten some good intel lately, looks like they’re stockpiling for an attack on Ingalderin. They also have camps near Falderheim and Indra, we currently have military stationed there in preparation.”
Reyna turned on the screen behind them, showing off the map Lanada and Sam had seen before.
“Each of these dots is a Geldor encampment, those red lines are their trade routes. We currently have operations underway to interrupt their imports, but they’ve stockpiled so much already we can’t stop them. An assault on the bases also wouldn’t work; they’re too coordinated and stretched apart, we’re worried they’ll attack nearby if we move in.
“The vehicles they use to transport the weapons are ordinary civilian vehicles, nothing that would stand out in traffic. This makes them more difficult to track, and we’re concerned about them using that cover to enter the city. We have the plates of a few vehicles, but most of them are privately owned, so who knows how many they really have access to.
“As far as the weapons go, we know that every one of their camps are stocked, including the ones we’ve tried to demilitarize. They have rifles, bombs, missiles, and we’re concerned they have military vehicles; we’ve had two reports of tanks and ships from agents.
“Other agents have confirmed a gang presence. They've found several high profile leaders and their people within the Geldor's ranks, making up nearly sixty percent of their troops. The rest are civilians, many of them with connections to the Geldor Co-op previously. Frankly, we’re scrambling to get control over the situation. That’s where you all come in.
“I’ll start with you Sam, you never go first. You and Lanada are going to be stationed at Ingalderin until further notice, you’ll be helping a task force there that’s attempting to find the Geldor base inside the city. Lanada, I know you’re an Ingalderin native, so your knowledge of the area will help. We’re already planning an evacuation and informing civilians, you’ll assist there as you’re needed. Agent Hunad…”
Lanada followed Sam out as Reyna continued their brief, happy to be out first for once. They were also pleased they would be returning to Ingalderin, missing their hometown. Even with all the capitol’s charms, they didn’t quite sate Lanada as their usual haunts had. Also their concern about Gerry was growing, having not heard from him for over a week at that point.
Sam looked even more distressed though, and Lanada could imagine why. They were quite concerned about the Geldor as well, especially whatever attack they had planned on Ingalderin. It was their city. And regardless of their feelings on the Geldor, they were motivated to defend it.
When they reached the ship, Bofi was in the usual spot eating some breakfast, talking to the chef ecstatically. They only paid Sam and Lanada a glance as she kept talking, standing to announce that she had to leave.
“Hey Lanada! Excited to get back to Ingalderin?” she said once free from her conversation.
“Not if it’s about to get attacked.”
“Hm. Yeah, that would put a damper on things. You still have an apartment down there?”
“Yeah. And friends.”
“Same, got a penpal there. Let’s hope the Geldor don’t destroy too much.”
“I’m more concerned about STAR honestly. The Monarchy loves to overreact; they’d take any chance to blow more people up.”
“That’s why I’d never really join STAR. I’m glad I’m not an official operative or anything, they contract me and the crew out to fly the ship.”
“Really? Lucky. You don’t have to wear one of these ridiculous ID’s.”
“Nah, I have a cool captain’s badge instead. I don’t wear it though, feels a bit pretentious.”
“Yeah, don’t want to blend in with STAR.”
“Definitely not.”
She looked like she was about to speak again, but stopped herself, slowly correcting her mouth.
“I heard what happened down there in the last operation. How are you holding up?”
“I’m… I’m fine. I’ve seen people die before, in much more gruesome ways, but never in those circumstances. They were unarmed and surrendering. Sam said there was no other option to get out clean, but I don’t think a clean escape matters after that. If you could even call it ‘clean.’”
“That’s more trauma in a day than I’ve had in my life. If I kill someone, I’m all the way up here. I wouldn’t see them, hell, I wouldn’t even know. I’ve definitely killed people doing this; but I’ve never seen someone die.”
“And I thought my last job was bad.”
❂
Ingalderin was just as Lanada remembered it. The heat rising from the surrounding desert made the skyline shimmer, their sleek constructions bending the light in creative ways. What little vegetation transported from the Filaise Strip added color and life to the streets, naturally cooling down the roads and walkways. It was a far feeling from the stuffy halls and rooms of the capitol, favoring the fresh feel of an open, colorful city.
But the signs of occupation were becoming more obvious, a few roadblocks already being set up on major routes through the city. The few people casually walking the streets gave the Monarchy’s forces a large berth, leaving the streets around Lanada empty where they went.
The STAR office was busy when they touched base, attending a short meeting before being sent back out. In the hall outside people ran every way, busy managing the threat from the Geldor. Some were organizing roadblocks and checkpoints, leading teams of police and soldiers.
Lanada and Sam were introduced to a team of STAR agents they would be working for, as well as a couple combat teams, the 3086th and the 2385th. They were tasked with finding the Geldor base inside the city, but Lanada already had a couple of leads with their knowledge of the streets. Most of the agents there stayed downtown or in their office, failing to reach the darker undersides of Ingalderin. Fortunately they were quite familiar to Lanada.
“Sam, I have an idea where the base is at. There’s an old parking garage there, connects to the tunnels under the city. If the trucks are coming from that region, that’s my best guess,” Lanada mentioned after the briefing.
“Sounds good, I’ll tell the others.”
He sauntered off to the small group of commanders and agents, talking about any ideas they had. When Sam entered their conversation, they looked quite interested in what he was saying.
“Hey, you’re Lanada, right?” one of the stray agents asked, crossing their arms to lean against the wall next to Lanada.
“Yeah?”
“I’m Randy. I need to talk to Sam, but he’s… occupied.” Randy looked stiffly over at Sam, who seemed to be having a good time talking with the other agents.
“Yeah, getting his daily ego boost or whatever.”
Randy almost smiled, but it disappeared quickly as he watched.
“Has he been okay?”
“Uhm, I wouldn’t really know that. My best guess though… would be a no.”
“Yeah, I figured. It must be hard getting partnered with you, I’m sure it annoys him. Hopefully it humbles him a bit too. He really did waste himself trying to put you away. Almost got me killed too.”
“How do you— Ohhh you’re the guy he was fucking!”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Randy gave them a sharp look.
“Is that what Sam’s been saying about me?!”
“Nah, he doesn’t say shit. That’s just the gossip mill.”
“I… I didn’t realize there was gossip about us…”
“Hah-ha yeah, it’s fuckin’ hilarious!”
Randy looked troubled, his voice a lot softer after that. It was enough to even make Lanada stop laughing and pointing.
“Uh, sorry. You shouldn’t have to go through all that because of him.”
“Yeah. How much do you know about me then?”
“Mostly everything. I know you left him because he was chasing after me. And I know it’s touchy as hell for Sam. I didn’t know you were his partner though, he never gave me a name or face.”
“Ex. Ex partner. And of course he wouldn’t—sounds like he doesn’t like talking about me. He made a lot of mistakes when we were together. He acted like someone always needs to be in charge. Sometimes he thought it should be him, and he would make better decisions than the ones we followed. We never really got past that.”
“Mistakes? I think I might have an idea what you’re talking about. What did he do?”
“Hey, that’s for him to tell you. We don’t like snitches even in STAR. Every agent has their secrets, you have them too.”
“Sam is way too boring for the mystery, bud. Just tell me.”
“Find out for yourself. You have a wealth of information and resources at your disposal under STAR. You should be taking advantage of that privilege. Maybe you could actually do some good.”
“Nah, I’m doing more than enough just by fucking around with STAR.”
“You really think that?”
“Yeah. The more the system slows, the less people it runs over. Not going to help by encouraging them even more, playing along with their rules.”
“Not all of us like the Monarchy, you know. But getting good people in— that’s how we make it better. Maybe we really could get rid of it all, but while it exists, I’m making the best of it. Using the resources they have to help people.”
“And you really believe that?” Lanada scoffed at him.
“And what would be better? Murdering people for hire?”
“That’s what STAR seems to be doing. You know Sam. How he is.”
“Don't get me wrong, Sam and I have our problems, but I like you less, Lanada. You wasted a lot of our time and resources. There's something suspicious with you. The way you always evaded us, how command always dropped the ball at the last moment, how they literally made you a STAR agent after everything. I don't know what it is, but you stink, Lanada.”
“Okay listen here asshole. I didn't sign up for any of this shit. I'm trying to get back just one fucking ounce of peace without you guys and the Geldor destroying everything.”
“And peace for you was murdering thugs for hire? Be real with yourself; you’ve never helped anyone. You’ve never saved anyone. You hurt people. We even stuck your poor friend on a watchlist because of you. All you’ve done is perpetuate the violence you go on about STAR committing.”
“Yeah, violence that STAR commits! I have nothing to do with that! Why the fuck should I be responsible for your shit?? Take some responsibility for the place you work for!”
“It's not just my responsibility, Lanada. It's your world too. You've got people living here you want to protect right? Even if it's just yourself? Is your ego really so important you can't actually do the right thing? How can you keep acting like you're better than us when you were never a good person to begin with?”
Lanada couldn't see why this guy didn't get along with Sam, they seemed practically made for each other. He too was so concerned about the world tearing itself apart, yet he tore the world apart himself as a STAR agent. Lanada was a STAR agent too though, and they also were trying to keep their head screwed on. Truly how good a person were they anymore? Even the slim chance they may be redeemable seemed to slip from their mind.
They’d never seen themself as a monster, not a saint either. They knew killing was wrong, but these were bad people. Except it was Lanada’s fault Gerry was being surveilled by STAR. They felt a pang of guilt, despite being so fired up. The one person Lanada wanted to look out for had been hurt by them.
That thought made Lanada's stomach boil. Even after calling them out and shutting them up though, Randy's face didn't even look angry or smug, like they usually expected from Sam. Instead he looked tired and sad, a pitiful look on his face that showed how genuine he tried to be. Maybe that was how he and Sam differed.
Lanada didn't respond though, seeing Sam storming up to them. He had looked over only once to become enraged, his face barely hiding a scowl as he left the other agents to confront Randy.
“Why are you here? Talking to my partner? Go away.” Sam was standing by the two of them, glaring at his old partner. Despite his aggressive energy, his voice was unsupported and cracking.
“You were busy. Can we talk now?”
“No. You’ve ‘talked’ before. Keep it professional, or stay away from me and my partner.”
“With all due respect, I think Lanada has their own freedom to decide.”
“Whoa, don’t bring me into this!” Lanada stepped back as Sam glared at them, Randy looking hurt almost.
“Lanada, let’s just go. We’re taking point anyways. Show me the way to that garage.”
“Wow, way to put me on the spot.”
“Thought you’d like the good attention for once, let’s go.”
Sam stuck by Lanada’s side, only a couple steps behind as the other agents and operatives followed them. They had to request two elevators to bring them down, congregating at the building’s lobby. Their troupe drew eyes from the other people tending to their business, giving the armed and armored soldiers a wide berth.
Sam was quiet the whole way; Lanada would occasionally see his lips quiver, doing their best not to form a deep frown. The rest of him was stoic though, full of tension.
The small plaza just outside was burning, despite the decorative trees and water features. A helpful covered path though carried them to the adjacent street, only two blocks from the destined garage.
“Sam, you have to tell me about Randy now. I literally met the guy!”
“Right now? Really?”
“When will we get a better time? I have a seething desire for knowledge.”
“I liked him, Lanada. No, I loved him. And he left.”
His voice didn’t last the whole sentence, breaking off at the end. He looked straight ahead, his stern face beginning to falter.
“Aww, you’re just a little sweetheart in love! Look at you!”
“Shut up, that was two years ago. The last thing I wanted was for him to find out you’re my partner. Bet he got a real kick out of that.”
“Yeah, since it sounds like you were forcing him on a wild goose chase to catch me and that’s why he left you.”
“Lanada… Fuck you.”
Sam looked absolutely pissed, covering up whatever sadness Lanada could see. They decided not to press him anymore, satisfied enough for the time being.
Their small posse, led by Lanada, turned a corner to finally look at the suspected parking garage. It was sleek and shiny, polished sandstone working with a metal alloy to add certain intricacies and design flares. Otherwise though, it was just a simple parking garage, a few vehicles lining the insides.
“This is definitely the garage. Let’s hope I’m right,” Lanada tried to reassure Sam.
He merely nodded and looked forward, studying the parking garage as if it were a murder suspect. The group behind was just as tense, gripping their holstered weapons while they concentrated through Ingalderin’s heat. They were relieved by a covered sidewalk leading into the garage, shading them until reaching the entrance.
One saumryan was trying to exit in their car, but stopped in their tracks upon seeing the group of armed STAR agents and combatants. Inside, their eyes were wide while they tried to avoid looks from the group, simply staring straight ahead. Unfortunately with them being stopped, the gate closed in front, meaning they’d have to pay the fee twice.
A set of stairs to the side led users up and down the garage’s levels, but the group only went down, descending two stories before reaching the bottom. Exposed was a wide open garage, only a couple cars parked at the bottom level. Against the same wall as them was an inconspicuous metal door, a buzzing light above barely supporting the large space.
“That door right there. Leads to some maintenance tunnels.”
“It’s wide enough to fit a dolly or a forklift through,” Sam noted.
“Yeah, there are a few chambers in the tunnels they could be occupying down here. They’re usually only used by druggies or gangs, so even maintenance is afraid to come down here. That’s why our plumbing is always breaking.”
“I’ll be sure to fix any pipes I see.”
They were silent again as they approached the door, a quick tug proving it to be locked.
“It’s locked.”
“Jana?”
A larger brestyrian stepped forward, a lockpick in hand. She got to work on the door immediately, having it unlocked in seconds.
“You’re fast, thanks,” Lanada nodded and noted.
Through the door was a maintenance tunnel just as Lanada had said. While it held most of the equipment for the garage above, much of the wiring and plumbing served the entire city block they were underneath. The utilities were exposed along the tunnel’s wall, easily serviceable to any workers.
The small tunnel lasted for a couple turns, ending in a large chamber. Dim lights intermittently showed along the walls, but did very little besides casting the group as silhouettes. On the other three walls were more tunnels, two of them similar shafts to the one they’d just been down, while another led off into the darkness, marked by the same rough sandstone as the rest of the chamber.
“Where next?”
“Can’t be sure. I doubt they’re in the maintenance tunnels though, let’s try the north passage.”
Sam nodded and summoned a flashlight on his Circle, attaching it to his belt for a hands free effect. Half of the others did the same, finally giving insight to the shadows in the chamber. The ground was all sand, the few damp spots showing darker in the light. Various trash littered the ground, likely the result of drinking or drugging.
The chamber was filled with echo, amplifying even the slightest movement. Their footsteps were only hidden by the sand beneath, but the rustle of clothes and rattle of guns spread through the tunnel. It was only drowned out by the occasional subway driving by, rumbling from the other side of the walls.
Down the unique tunnel was the same setup, pipes and wiring running across the wall, this time lighter than in the maintenance tunnel. They connected the city blocks above to each other, tying their plumbing and power in case of an emergency.
Walking through was uneventful, even as they twisted a couple corners to reach another chamber. This one was older though, built by bricks that formed arches over the tunnels. Past that chamber were three more of a similar size, only separated by arches. On the wall of each chamber was another tunnel, leading down the main streets of downtown Ingalderin.
“The Tunnel Gornads used to operate through there. I think we’re going to their base,” Lanada confirmed.
“The what?”
“Hey I didn’t name them.”
Lanada had been there before, recognizing the chamber’s layout. This area of the tunnels were usually empty due to the gang nearby. This was their entrance. Lanada had only been there a few times, back when they first began doing real jobs for the gangs. They couldn’t help but be brought back to nearly a decade ago, when they stood in that same spot.
“Hey, tire tracks and footprints. Looks like they tried to cover them up,” a random agent behind Lanada said.
They looked to investigate, and sure enough there were light tread marks, a few boot prints surrounding them. As they began to continue, they were covered by more sand, erasing the path on either side.
“We’re getting close I think. Weapons ready,” Sam ordered everyone.
Along with the army of flashlights was an army of noise as most of the agents and operatives unholstered their weapons. The field of small blue lights resembled a star field in the darkness.
They chose to continue through the series of large chambers, eyeing the ground and walls for any more signs of life. Despite a few small animals, gornads and zerkin skittering about, all was quiet until they reached the final room.
“Mines, look out,” Lanada stopped Sam, sticking their arm out to block the path. He gave a subsequent command to the others to stop, simply holding up his fist.
“Do we have a bomb squad or something?”
“Kind of, hold on. Got mines up here! 2385, your time to shine!” Sam commanded.
A small group of operatives pushed through from the back, using their flashlights to scan the ground. As they spotted the mines, they crouched down beside, disarming them with their training. Most of them looked nervous, rightfully so as they all found a mine to focus on. The chamber was then filled with the small cones of light, dotting the room as they worked. Most were finished within a few minutes, moving onto the next right after.
Just as they finished the ones nearest the opposite wall, one of the mines went off. The person who’d been trying to disarm it was nearly disintegrated by the blast, setting off another one nearby. With their blood and limbs spread across the room, the others quickened their pace, being even more careful to not meet the same fate.
“So much for sneaking up on them,” Sam said dimly. “The rest of you okay in there?!”
“We’re fine here, almost done. The blast got Kelsey though, triggered another mine close by. She—she didn’t make it.”
That much was obvious from the gore across the room.
“Be careful in there, don’t rush this. We’ll tend to Kelsey when we’re done.”
“That’s the plan, here.”
The squad wrapped up their mines and did a final scan of the room, stating it was clear after their final checks. After walking through, Lanada finally got a good view of Kelsey. It wasn’t good. The entire front of her body was destroyed, the head barely hanging on by sinew as it all laid in a sad clump on the ground. A missing arm was found against the opposite wall, along with the bottom of a leg. The other was still barely attached, the meat blown off of the bone. A couple people looked nauseous upon seeing the gore.
In the final chamber though, there was a clear view of the tunnel attached, their lights unable to reach more than a few meters. After a quick check of the ground, it was clear the mines were gone, allowing them to continue forward. It was only one turn before they reached a makeshift wood and metal wall.
“This is it.”
Lanada whispered to Sam, staring straight ahead. Inside, much had changed since Lanada was there last. Haphazard shacks and partitions made a maze of living for the gang down below, while the old boss had a platform set up above everyone else, living up there alone. Lanada always had to crane their neck up to do business with them, squinting through a backdrop of fires set up to obscure their features.
It wasn’t clear whether the change was recent, but all of that was gone. The room was instead pitch black, only a smoldering fire providing any light. The walls were lined with tents, chairs and cooking gear set up throughout. The equipment was all the same issue that the Geldor used. They had found them.
“This has to be it. Where are they?” Sam asked.
“They were here recently, check out the fire.”
Sam nodded after confirming Lanada’s words.
“This feels like a trap. Everybody look around, and be alert for an ambush. Guns out.”
It didn’t take long for the others to listen. The group filtered through the camp, only their flashlights showing life in the darkness. The canvas shined like ghosts, as if they’d been abandoned for centuries. Lanada found their own tent to search, looking inside. It was empty, and from listening to the others, they had similar results.
Just as Lanada began to stand up straight, one of the agents shouted nearby.
“Ambush! Look out!”
There was no time to react as bullets shredded through the camp, tearing through the other end of the tent Lanada occupied. The sound was sourced from a large turret, which Lanada found atop a tiered walkway overlooking the chamber.
The chamber was filled with gunfire as agents and operatives shot back, begging for cover in the camp. Unfortunately there was only canvas to block the bullets, stopping nothing as they ripped through the people. On the same tier as the turret were more Geldor with guns, all shooting at targets they’d picked below.
Lanada’s armor was all that kept them alive, absorbing several rounds as they shot back, moving from tent to tent as they disintegrated. After finally hiding and watching the Geldor fire at the others, Lanada poised themself to properly aim. With their angle to the wall, the Geldor above were shooting in a different direction from them, giving a clear window.
Lanada configured their rifle for long range and got to work, systematically killing the Geldor up top. A few other shots helped knock them down, but by then the Geldor had found Lanada and those near them. They stood their ground though, picking off the last two while absorbing their bullets.
All was quiet apart from Lanada’s heaving, struggling to get a fresh breath of air in the smoky chamber. Their lungs were filled with sand and gun smoke, bringing a cough before they could recoup.
As they looked around, it was clear the group had taken a beating. Sam helped a couple agents while Kar’Neil tended to his squadron, checking for survivors. With the mess of blood and tattered tents, it was hard to guess how many had died.
“Everyone, let’s get a head count. Gather in the middle here,” Sam demanded. The survivors followed suit, meeting near the old fire.
Sam counted under his breath, marking notes in his Circle. There were about half the remaining force, many of the operatives and agents dead.
While he counted, half the group's Circles lit up with the same broken message from command.
“The Geldor have begun their attack on the city! All agents report to sector B!”
In the message, the fuzz of gunfire could be heard in the background, nearly drowning out the voice. By the sound of it, the Geldor were there in full force. After the call ended, all was silent again in the chamber.