Erita was gone, all that remained was Latch. It was her codename from here on out.
She anxiously rubbed her forearm as she was seated in the helicopter with her team. The Black Mesh that’d been clinging to her for over two weeks was inseparable from her flesh. It was a part of her, and she was a part of it. Removing it was nigh impossible. Her team, seated across, and beside her, were in the same boat.
“You Light-Hairs ready for your first mission on the field?” A voice echoed from the device in her ears. The name of their captain floated at the edges of their vision with the name ‘Parks’ at the bottom. Two half circles rotated against one another, symbolizing a clear line of communication next to the name.
It wasn’t their Captain who’d led their training a week ago, a White Hair whose name was never said. They had a slight attachment and complacency with the surgical orders that he gave, allowing their training exercises, and mock missions to go off without a hitch. Now, they were in the field. They had to get used to their Captains rotating in and out like clockwork for each operation.
Latch raised her head, as did her companions. Uncertainty lingered faintly within their eyes as they looked over one another. Panda to human, ferret to panda, and ferret to lizard. All of them had their bodies smoothed out, glistening faintly beneath the light within the cramped cabin. Colored steely blue in some sections of their torso, a darker, navy blue down their sides, arms, and legs, a cyan color highlighted portions of their body, remaining predominant in their hair, hence their nicknames.
The roaring of the helicopter had become a faint noise in the background, one they’d actively tuned out into a white noise. Looks were exchanged as the words of their Captain were parsed. They all nodded, looking out an adjacent window, then to their closest comrade. The time for lingering emotion was at base for evaluations.
One by one, their voices filled the com link, sounding off barely above the distant roar, but clear over the communications frequency.
“As we’ll ever be.”
“Ready.”
“What’s the situation?”
“Training has got us this far. We’re ready,” Latch voiced. She looked to her comrades, the uncertainty in their eyes had melted away. Today they had to rely on each other, as did they have to rely on their captain.
“Good to hear,” Parks replied over the line, flat, and impassive. His voice sounded filtered, just like their own; synthetic, and factual. “And what’s the situation? The town of Nishiwaga, near Mt. Yakeishi, has fallen into complete darkness without reason. If you’ve been paying attention to the time when you arrived in Japan, you’d have already seen that it isn’t meant to be dark for another two hours.”
Each member of the team had a topographical map appear in their heads up display; an effect of some technological alterations done to their body on top of the magick. The mass of land was zoomed in on from a satellite, showing a small town just North of a mountain. It was surrounded by large peaks on three different sides.
“Magick has been cropping up all over this segregated region within the Country. That was five hours ago.” The feed changed from a standard look of the town, to what looked like a black dot swallowing a good portion of the town whole. It started to pulsate, throbbing in certain areas, shrinking and expanding in others. “Since then the situation has evolved from a sudden onset of magick being benign, to being unknown with an assumed hostile threat. It’s unknown if the Interceptors are at fault for this.”
The map was adjusted in the hud, scrolling North, beyond the bubble around most of the town. A sect to the North remained untouched, acting as a staging ground for people to stay at while the situation was dealt with. Blips of Japanese Military showed up within, colored green, and numbering in the few hundreds. The view scrolled to the various access roads in and out of the town, crossed out with large Xs.
“Roads in and out of Nishiwaga have been closed off. The highways have a military presence to ward off people coming in, and the nearby rails have been shut down as to not let trains slip in. Casualties have yet to be determined, but an estimated four hundred persons remain unaccounted for.”
“So where does that leave us?” Latch heard to her right. Turning her head, she joined the rest of the group in staring at him through their huds. The ferret was slender with a feminine frame, having his hair worn down at the front with a hint of white and blue. An earring that stuck with him through the transformation had gained a dark blue tint on his ear.
“Roxi, was it?” Parks asked.
“Yes, Captain,” he replied as his soft voice was heard through the filter of his mask.
“Roxi, this leaves us with having to deal with the situation as we see fit. The Japanese military contacted us to make use of soldiers like you. Sylpheeds like you.”
A voice from across the helicopter chimed in as it rocked slightly, hitting a bout of turbulence. None of the passengers were phased by the ordeal. “Would an Assault Squad have been better suited for the operation, Captain?” The lizard across from Latch spoke.
“The situation is unknown as it is. Nothing has made an attempt to come out of this bubble of magic, and as such, we’re treating the situation delicately. If we go in with an Assault Squad of Sylpheed, it very well might stir up the hornet’s nest within. It could also risk the lives of the civilians still trapped inside.”
“And this is where we come in then,” Latch added pointedly. “With the risk of casualties, you want a squad better suited for avoiding direct confrontation, but nonetheless be capable of handling threats as they come.”
“Good observation, Latch,” Parks complimented. “Given the state of the operation, and how large the gap is between sections of the town, we’re going to be dividing your team up. Roxi, Latch,” their blank faces popped up, like mug shots of a prisoner, beneath Parks’ name.
The map scrolled to the South East, towards the highway skirting the edge of the town. Several blips of Japanese military popped up, showing a modest presence at this end of the road. “You’ll be dropping there. The military has been briefed to let all of you pass, and to not impede the operation.” Two IFFs, colored white, joined the green colored blips, then headed North, and into the darkness.
“Savannah, Heed,” The human, a plain looking male with short hair, and lizard with covered scales popped up in a similar fashion. The map scrolled to the North, heading to the military presence on the Northern edge of town. Two white blips went south, into the town. “You’re approaching from the North. Those people are on edge, Military, and civilians alike. However, they’re aware of the situation. Hope is riding on all of you to resolve the situation. Good luck.”
The line was cut, and the hud faded away, as did the map of the region from their eyes. They blinked, then looked between each other again. “Roxi, Latch,” Savannah called from across, his blue eyes staring intensely at the both of them. “Relay information as it becomes available while we’re out on the field. Today is the day we drop the Light-Hair nickname. Today, we’re Sylpheeds. Good luck out there.”
“Today, we’re Sylpheeds,” everyone parroted. The constant lurch of the helicopter started to even out, straightening as they slowed down.
As they slowed, Latch already got out from her seat, crouched as she reached underneath her spot. She fished out what looked like a thin looking case with no straps, or cords. Colored white on the top, blue colored stripes went along the side. A blue button was close to the top, centered.
Pressing it, the area around the button split; a seam went down the middle and the case opened with a short hiss. A larger model of the Mac-10, pristine and polished, was extended from the bottom of the case on a small platform. Straps held it in place which were quickly undone. To its left and right, accessories and attachments were offered: a suppressor, a small foregrip to go beneath the barrel, and four boxes of thirty two bullets. A case was offered to go on her thigh, as was a strap to sling around her shoulder for preference.
Tying the strap to it, she slung it around her shoulders. It took seconds for the strap itself to gain a Black Mesh look to it; a steely blue, with a thin cyan trim on the edges of the straps. Screwing on the suppressor, she avoided the foregrip. Instead, the smaller case was placed against her thigh, angled, as she put the four magazines in one by one into corresponding slots, allowing them to stick out.
Standing up as much as she could, the helicopter had felt even, occasionally rocking about from an updraft from below. Reaching for a handle along the door, Latch glanced back, seeing Roxi, the ferret, with his P90 on a sling, dangling just behind him. Two long boxes of 9mm ammo pointed awkwardly up his thigh from a case.
Pulling the door of the helicopter open, the once distant roar grew louder in volume. Heard, but not deafening to the Sylpheeds. A rope before the panda was extended, black, and descended down to the pavement below. Wrapping a hand around it, she held on, hopped forward, and let momentum carry her down as she swung back and forth ever so slightly.
Landing upon her feet, SMG tucked beneath her arm, she quickly stepped aside, resting her arm over the weapon. She squinted as she looked up, seeing the lights of their helo make distinguishing the helicopter a chore. Seconds passed, and she saw a shape sliding down the rope, just as she did. He landed next to her, stood straight, and looked knowingly into her eyes.
The two shared a brief look, then glanced beyond the military barricade up the road. The soldiers, dressed in uniform and carrying rifles, talked among themselves in seeing the Sylpheeds arrive.
“Ready?” Latch asked, her voice carrying above the roar of their transport. She looked down to her Mac-10, swinging it behind herself.
“All that training would’ve been for nothing if I wasn’t, Latch. Let’s show them what we can do.” He said as a matter of factly, his voice synthesized like Latch’s. He raised a hand, clenching it as the mana lines along his knuckles glowed briefly.
There was a click, and the rest of the rope landed beside them with a clatter, discarded from the helicopter. Their attention was quickly diverted, instincts and reflexes kicking in well before they got to their target.
“No time for idle chit-chat, you two,” Parks chided over the com link. His name, and the two half-circles spinning against one another, showed up again on their hud. “We’ve got a job to do.”
A cyan line below Latch’s wrist flashed for a split second; a surge of energy signified her own little tricks were reach to use in tandem with Roxi’s. The two looked at one another one final time, uncertainty once again showed behind their eyes, lingering for several seconds before dissolving into an impassive, blank stare. Looking up the road, the two began their march.
Their minds briefly reflected back to their weeks of training. The missions done together, the exercises in building trust… this was no longer training. They were ready for their new lives as soldiers.
Today, they would finally drop their “Light-Hair” monikers. Today, they’d become Sylpheeds.
