The Plan

In the kitchen, a dark and intense air hung throughout the room, emitted heaviest by Matthew, who stood at the bar.

Morena hovered behind him, weary of the accusing eyes falling on her. She had changed into a tight, black Underarmor shirt and a pair of jeans, a rifle strapped to her back. Her slim but muscular build was visible through her clothing, making her appear more intimidating.

Umbra and Aunora stood by Matthew, arms crossed and lips drawn in a sneer. Aunora tapped her fingers on the counter, her body stiff. Umbra had his shoulder pressed into Matthew’s side.

Seraph and Esper stuck to the other side of the bar, Esper calming sitting in a chair and Seraph pacing the floor.

Matthew’s cellphone sat on the counter, a map of Alcorith displayed on the screen.

“We know they have to at least be in the Alcorith area,” Morena murmured, her dark eyes flashing, “The number they've contacted me with had the area code.”

“Did you bring the letter?” Matthew asked.

Morena pulled a bloodstained envelope from her pocket, dropping it in Matthew's hand.

Matthew turned to his side, unfazed by the blood that now smudged on his hands. “Aunora, can you track this? You’re the best nose we have in the group.”

Aunora waved the paper in front of her nose. She went silent, deep in concentration. “It's not as fresh as I'd want it to be, but it'll work.”

“I think we can cross out the higher end of Alcorith. Police activity is too tight up there for any kind of thuggish schemes like this,” Umbra said gesturing to part of the screen, “The best place to start searching for a scent trail would be alleyways and condemned buildings. It'll take us days if we try to comb through this entire city, and we don’t have that time.”

“Pretty Boy has a point,” Aunora said, shrugging, “You guys think we should look around...over there?” Her tough composure wavered, a spark of worry in her eyes.

The fear passed to Matthew, who wrapped an arm around Umbra’s waist. “I don't want to jump to conclusions, especially matters concerning...that. It's best if we just keep to the trail if you can find one.”

Uncomfortable silence fell over the room as Matthew moved to the couch, shuffling through a black duffle bag. He shoved another handgun into the inner pocket of his jacket, along with three more magazines.

Shaking his head, Matthew adjusted his glasses. “I guess that's all the preparation we can do. Esper, you brought a bag too, right?”

“Yes, Mr. Matthew, I packed water, washrags, and pain medicine. I wasn't sure what condition Victor would be when we found him,” Esper rasped, clutching the satchel on his shoulder with pale knuckles.

Morena laid a hand on his arm, her expression softening. “Jürgen...thank you so much for doing this.”

Matthew didn't face her. “We're mercenaries. This is what we do.”

“Alright everyone,” Matthew announced, “This is going to be dangerous. We're going straight into the belly of the beast. I have no idea what we're getting into, but we've got to get through it.”

“For Victor,” Umbra growled.

“For Salvador,” Morena said.

“We have innocent lives riding on this mission,” Matthew said with a grim smile, “So let's make this some of our best work.”

Umbra stood at the front door, purple eyes blazing. “Silver Moon...Move out!”

Author's Note- ahh here we go

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