[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/AtIxTRk.png[/img][/center] Sebastian had been engrossed in Dante’s Inferno when his phone started blowing up from everyone in the goddamn bureau. He laced up his coyote tan tactical boots as he received the hurried situation report from the director of the FBI Variant division. “Any reason why we’re having to react to this with no heads up?” Sebastian asked into the little ear mic and pulling the bottoms of his jeans over the boots. “N.O.V.A. was all over this before we knew what was happening,” Director Harkin’s gravelly voice responded. “Whatever this variant is, we weren’t tracking it until it started to tear the city apart. Bravo Team is currently en route to the damn thing in the APC. Alpha should be at your door any minute.” “Roger that,” Sebastian said already running down the stairs of his Midtown apartment building. “We got eyes in the sky?” “The TOC will be giving you satellite coverage, just stand by for them to get online. I’ll spin up a couple drones, but no birds. M.A.D. is just as likely to shoot our asses out of the sky.” Sebastian ran through the parking lot and stood on the sidewalk, looking down the street for his team. “What do you want us to do with this thing?” The retired Ranger Battalion commander chuckled. “Killing it would be good, don’t you think?” “Too easy, Sir," he said flatly. "Alright, I’m out. Tell those nerds up in operations to move their assess.” The connection ended and Sebastian pulled the earpiece out, tucking it into a pocket. He caught sight of the black SUV weaving its way around traffic. It pulled right onto the sidewalk and sped toward him, coming to a screeching halt right in front of him. The back hatch opened and the three other members of Alpha Team jumped out of the vehicle. Sebastian immediately went to the open rear of the SUV. The space in the back was outfitted to carry a small armory of weapons and operational gear. Michael, Richard, and Cameron joined him, with Cameron carrying all of Sebastian’s personal gear from the team room back at headquarters. They had not had time to change into their fatigues, either. “I had to cut the lock,” Cameron said as he started handing the equipment to the Alpha Team leader, referring to Sebastian’s gear cage. His own equipment was on over a short sleeve button-down shirt and khaki cargo shorts. “You forgot the combination?” Sebastian chided him as he quickly pulled his multicam plate carrier, covered in magazine pouches and all other manner of attachments, on over his black t-shirt. He strapped his knee pads around his jeans and put on his Kevlar-knuckled gloves. Finally he took his tan helmet, heavy with audio technology and night vision goggles, and buckled it over his chin. “We were kind of in a hurry, princess,” Michael told him, turning Sebastian around to connect his audio cable to the SATCOM receiver strapped behind his shoulder. The white under shirt tucked into Michael's slacks and shiny silver belt buckle indicated that he had had more sophisticated plans for the evening. “Now, if you’re happy that your white pearls match your sea-colored gown, we’re going to be late to the gala.” “This is bullshit, man,” Richard said as he took the wheel and the team loaded into the armored vehicle, with Sebastian taking the front passenger seat. “You see all those N.O.V.A. choppers flying around? Bet those boys aren’t going to be happy to see us” As the vehicle sped back into the street, earning blaring horns from every car it passed, Sebastian watched the city fly by through the tinted window and prepared himself for the coming task. [i]“’They yearn for what they fear for’"[/i], he said to his reflection. [center][h3]________________________________________[/h3][/center] “For fuck’s sake.” Richard was getting irritated as they neared the area where N.O.V.A was doing battle with the massive variant. The path of destruction leading there had been treacherous to navigate in the SUV, with toppled buildings blocking streets and cars strewn about everywhere. There were still civilians screaming and running about, trying to escape the calamity. Fires burned all around and the streets were filled with smoke. They began pulling nearer to the squad of M.A.D. armored vehicles and HMMWVs. Their mounted machine guns were alternating bursts at the thing from all around the perimeter while heavily armored dismounts bounded in and out of cover, trying to find a location to press the assault even harder. “Avoid this,” Sebastian said, and Richard veered away from the main effort. “Bravo, this is Alpha One,” he said switching over to the squad channel. “I’m heading around the east end of the block. Swing around to the west and see what you can do on the other side of all this N.O.V.A.” Helicopters executed strafing fire maneuvers intermittently over head before pulling back into the night sky to reset. “TOC, Alpha One. What are we looking at?” “A fuckin’ shit show,” Cameron answered drawing chuckles from Michael and Richard. Elaine’s voice sounded over the headquarters frequency: “I wish I could tell you. Looks like a huge, nasty Variant from here. You’re clear on your flanking route, but N.O.V.A. already has a patrol blocking it in from the other side.” “We’ll take our chances,” Sebastian said. “What about air assets?” “I’m authorized to send surveillance drones out for you, just give us the word.” “We don’t need surveillance, we need ordinance. These N.O.V.A. choppers are only annoying it. Tell Harkins I want a Predator in the air.” “That’ll be a tough sell. He doesn’t-“ “Tell him I said ‘pretty please’,” Sebastian interrupted her. “Alpha One out.” “Very smooth,” Michael said rapping his knuckles on the back of Sebastian’s helmet. “Playing hard to get, are we?” Alpha One’s customary middle finger drew laughter from the team as they cut their way around the city streets. [center][h3]________________________________________[/h3][/center] The SUV pulled down the street on the other side of the N.O.V.A. perimeter just in time to see huge shadowy fists pummel the armored patrol cars stationed there to bits. Richard slammed on the breaks and Alpha Team watched the ensuing scene blankly. The few surviving M.A.D. agents stumbled out of their smashed vehicles and attempted to return fire on the thing, but it charged right through them and sent them flying in all directions. The team remained expressionless in the moments of silence that followed, until the Variant slowly turned and looked straight at them. “What do you think it wants?” Cameron finally said scratching his chin absently. “You did some time in Civil Affairs, didn’t you?” Michael responded. “Why don’t you go offer it some pencils and a dental hygiene kit or something.” They looked at the huge shadowy figure as it looked at them, the two entities studying each other. “We’re not going to get very far if we-“ Cameron started to say, but he suddenly grabbed his helmet. “My head,” he tried to explain but was soon incapacitated by a sudden and intense pain. “Shit,” Sebastian said, and he had a feeling that he knew where the attack had come from. “Engage.” He jumped out of the passenger seat followed by Richard and Michael. They walked slowly and smoothly toward the Variant in a tight 'V' formation, alternating volleys of fire from their assault rifles. The Variant was backed up a few steps as the rounds impacted on its large body, but Richard was suddenly veering out of formation, sweeping his weapon around erratically. “I can’t see shit!” he cried. Michael tackled him against the wall of the building to their left, while Sebastian dove behind a car to the right, all of them narrowly escaping the N.O.V.A patrol vehicle the Variant had just hurled at them as soon as Richard had lost control. Sebastian saw Cameron stumble out of the SUV, but he held up a fist to keep the man where he was. He gave Michael a nod and then leaned out from behind the car to suppress the Variant while he moved Richard across the street to join him behind the vehicle. “Goddamn fog in my eyes, I can’t see,” Richard said in bewilderment followed by an elaborate string of expletives. “Hey, get your shit together, Ranger,” he told him. “TOC, what’s the status on that Predator?” “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but ETA: five mikes,” Elaine said barely audible in the chaos. Sebastian pulled a flash-bang out of a pouch on his vest, pulled the pin, and then threw it at the Varient. The team ducked their heads down and braced for the deafening detonation. When the flash of blinding light hit, they immediately leaned over the vehicle and resumed firing at the thing. The Variant did indeed seem stunned by the grenade. “He didn’t like [i]that[/i] shit,” Michael said trying to keep Richards weapon pointed in the right direction as the man fired blindly. The bolt to his assault rifle locked back and he went down behind cover to change magazines. Sebastian pulled Richards flash-bang off his kit and lit the Variant up one more time. He winced through the deafening ringing in his head as another blinding flash lit up the night, and the Variant recoiled dramatically from the bright light. His own weapon locked back and he took cover to reload, wondering how long they were going to be able to keep this up. “Yee-haw, motherfuckers,” Bravo Team leader’s voice suddenly crackled over the squad net, and the beautiful sound of the Stryker APC’s fifty-caliber machine gun filled the air as Bravo Team flanked the Variant from the west. Cameron took advantage of the distraction to rush over to his team. “It’s about time, Bravo,” he said over the net. “You done crying?” Sebastian asked his friend offering a fist, which Cameron met with his own as they smiled. A massive surge suddenly washed over the area that sent their audio devices screeching loudly into their ears. They all exchanged confused looks, including Richard, who seemed to have recovered his senses, as they huddled behind the car. “TOC, Alpha One.” No response. “TOC, what the hell was that?” No response. A sudden screaming of something big falling out of the sky came from over their heads, and Alpha Team all looked up to see their two-point-two million dollar Predator drone smash into a building at the end of the street and explode into a gigantic ball of flame. [center][h3]________________________________________[/h3][/center] The entire SRHRT stood in a semi circle around the downed Variant as a horde of N.O.V.A. agents swarmed it with tech that none of them recognized. M.A.D. had surrounded them as well; there was nothing left to do but watch as the highly specialized organization proceeded to contain the thing and take it away in a special detainment vehicle. As the vehicle disappeared into the city, a man wearing a suit and tie began walking toward them, slow clapping and grinning from ear to ear. “Now that’s what I call teamwork,” he said when he was standing in front of them “What a show, indeed.” Sebastian took off his helmet and sweat ran down his face. He watched as N.O.V.A. began cleaning up its crew and evacuating the area. “What the hell was that thing?” he asked the man. “Only one of the most dangerous Variants we have ever had contact with,” he answered. "A shadow variant, apparently. Nothing a group of battle-hardened individuals like the SRHRT couldn’t handle. Obviously.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm. “You owe us two million dollars, fucker,” Richard said to deflect the insult, and Bravo team laughed. “Were you really prepared to destroy yourselves along with half the city by dropping hellfire missiles on a Variant?” When Alpha Team only stared intensely at him, his smug expression changed to one of disbelief. “EMP,” the man stated, his admiration for the squad dissipating. “The biometrics we were gathering on the Variant during this little exchange led us to believe we could incapacitate it temporarily with a massive pulse of electricity. Hence,” -he sailed his hand through the air with a low whistle to mimic their precious drone- “boom.” Alpha Team looked at each other casually and shrugged. Sebastian turned to Bravo Team’s leader. “You guys are all set. Get our APC out of here before we have to bill N.O.V.A. for that, too.” The man gave an emphatic ‘roger that’ and collected his team into the Stryker. They pulled it out of the street, its six wheels crunching over debris as it left. “So now what?” Cameron asked the man. “Now we consider this a step toward improving relations between our organizations,” he answered gazing about at the destruction all around them. “If you hadn’t provided such a critical distraction, we would not have been able to secure the Variant.” And with no further dialogue the mysterious N.O.V.A agent spun about and walked off down the crumbling, burning street, leaving Alpha team, battered and dirty, to stand amidst the wreckage. [i]“’The devil is not as black as he is painted’"[/i], Sebastian said quietly into the night.