Chapter 257 First Mission Begins (Part 2)
The team gathered around the aircraft. The sleek, state-of-the-art aircraft was equipped with advanced technology and designed for rapid deployment.
It had great defense mechanisms and even cloaking capabilities, but it was still a far less impressive transport than the humungous space centers and fleets that were equipped with mind bending technologies and defense mechanisms.
As they boarded the aircraft, they were greeted by Angela, the Alpha-ranked officer assigned to accompany them on their mission.
Her dark hair cascaded in loose waves around her shoulders with a distinctive blue tint threaded through the strands, almost as if the very essence of her aura had imbued her hair.
Mako knew this was now possible after encountering Lorelei who had red hair because of her ability. He was curious as to which abilities did an Alpha tier officer have, but of course, his Analyze skill failed on her as she was bounds ahead of them.
There were so many more ranks above Alpha that Mako was left bewildered as to what did those guys do to achieve such a high power level. He already possessed four abilities, something he thought was impossible 3 months ago, and still he was still considered a high tier ROOKIE on the Universal Power Scale.
He knew that the power level of these high level fighters weren't just based on their abilities that they possessed but many more things that he was sure to learn as he progressed in his journey to become stronger and stronger.
Angela's eyes, a deep shade of ash grey which held a penetrating intensity that seemed to see right through all of them.
She had a simple compact body with no great defining features, yet those taut muscles conveyed both elegance and an underlying strength. Her cheekbones were delicately defined with a subtle scar near her jawline hinted at an injury that was beyond healing.
She had a tactical jacket with the military logo and was also adorned with discreet insignias denoting her Alpha rank.
Angela's presence was commanding yet calm, and her neutral expression gave away nothing about her character. Her ashen eyes scanned each team member briefly before she nodded in acknowledgement.
"Welcome. I'm Angela," she said in a calm and composed tone. "I'll be accompanying you on this mission. My role is to provide assistance if needed and ensure the mission's success. But make no mistake, this is your operation. I won't interfere unless it's absolutely necessary."
The team members exchanged glances, absorbing Angela's words. It was reassuring to know they had someone with Angela's expertise to back them up if things got tough, but it also meant the responsibility of the mission rested primarily on their shoulders.
With the introductions complete, the team settled into their seats, buckling up as the aircraft's engines roared to life. The interior of the aircraft was fitted with high-tech screens and panels, displaying real-time data, maps, and mission parameters.
As they soared through the sky, Mako, Erin, Nathan, and the others began to explore the gear and equipment provided for the mission. The array of gadgets was impressive, and each piece had been carefully selected to aid them in their investigation.
These gadgets included some of the items that they had already encountered in the recruitment test such as the MREs and the Water purification tablets among other things that were to aid them in case of any survival situation they find themselves in.
Other than that, the military also provided them each with a piece of Power armor of their own choosing. Bill and Iris already had breastplates, so they both settled on leg armor as it was the second biggest piece of armor, but it was quite weird when they requested it at exactly the same time and then began to hide their blushing.
The others didn't know what to make of it and just wrote it off as an awkward interaction between the two. Leon had that Blue Cheetah Leg armor and right now he was in some dire need of arm guards as his fighting style was limited not by his speed but his arms as he couldn't attack with his full strength and speed without taking the risk of breaking his own bones in the process.
Leons fighting style was quite unique because he didn't always attack with his fists as colliding fists with anything at high speeds would cause a lot of damage in recoil, so Leon improvised by striking opponents with his forearm in a gliding motion.
Basically, Leon would purposefully barely miss the punch he intended to land so that his opponent would get hit by his forearm instead. This reduced some of the attack potential from the attack but was quite effective and safe for Leon to use.
Erin had no armor on her from the start and she just settled on a breastplate as it covered the largest area out of any other piece.
Lastly, Mako who already had arm guards wanted something that could give him just a little edge in offence as his defense was pretty solid now. Looking at the options available, the only thing that boosted his offensive power was the gauntlets that had spikes at the knuckles, and so Mako decided to pick them.
*************
The Power armor were never crafted to specific size or shape as it was just molded into a standard piece of armor. It was only after a person who had access to mana touched it, the armor would deform and shape itself to be a perfect fit for the user.
The science behind this was quite unique and Mako did inquire about this amongst many things that had been on his mind to Commander Sable during their training week, but he was given the same response, "Talk to Professor Ciaz when you go to Military school, You'll find all the answers there."
It was quite a weird response as the commander never elaborated on it, and eventually Mako just took it as a sign to wait a bit longer until he would finally get all his answers.
*****************
These power armors were all of the same color gradient which was a blend between muddy red and beige and rarity which was the Low Tier as they were all forged from the crystal of the same beast.
[Analyze]
[Low Tier Solider Ant Gauntlets] ?
[A pair of gauntlets forged from the crystal and exoskeleton of a Solider Ant found in (Unknown). An average quality piece of armor forged by (Unknown)]
[Strength +10]
[Fortitude +5]
[Defense: 30]
They were pretty average and low quality items that were meant to be used one time only as their durability was just enough to get one low level mission done.
Even though it looked cheap, the group was still grateful for receiving such help in their first mission and hoped to use everything at their disposal to successful finish the mission... well all except one.
Nathan refused to use such low level pieces of armor and said that he would be just fine on his own with no armor. Mako tried to reason with him but their newly formed friendship was still quite fragile and after Nathan didn't want to budge, Mako decided to not push it and left him alone.
The group split up on the main deck, some continued to inspect their gadgets while others decided to go do some other things.
Nathan just wanted some piece and quiet and just took a seat next to one of the massive windows of the aircraft, staring at the peaceful and fluffy clouds.
Mako wanted to review the mission file once more and go over the plan they had made in the debriefing room with Commander Sable to ensure everything went smoothly.
After sometime, Angela's voice broke the silence. "We'll be reaching the outskirts of Willowbrook soon. Once we land, we'll proceed with the plan briefed to you buy the commander."
The aircraft's descent was smooth and very quiet. The team watched as the landscape shifted from open skies to the forests that surrounded the west side of Willowbrook.
The two main highways connected to Willowbrook came from the North and South East. The west side was elevated with many hills and trees similar to the eastern side but unlike the western side, the eastern hill also had a massive river flowing down towards Willowbrook in the form a beautiful waterfall.
The aircraft touched down in a cleared area, and the team marched out ready to begin their mission.
"Good Luck, Captain!" Angela said turning back towards Mako, marking the beginning of their first official mission before fading awake into a black mist right before their very eyes.
Everyone was left shocked to see Angela just disappear from in front of them like that along with her presence and aura that had completely vanished as well.
'I wonder what ability that is...' Mako though as he was quite impressed by the ability.
The group quickly began to start moving excited to finally begin their first mission. Nathan led the way, his Advanced Perception helping them navigate through the woods with ease and making sure there are no surprises waiting for them.
Since they had no idea what they were dealing with only that a dark mist would surround the village at night, they might as well be heading into enemy territory right now so they had to be cautious.
The team followed closely behind Nathan, their senses heightened as well as they didn't want to solely rely on Nathan for all the hardwork and as they took in their surroundings as well to make sure they were safe.
Fortunately, nothing eventful happened during their decent down the hill and now the group had made it to the outskirts of Willowbrook.
"Alright guys, you the plan..." Mako said as they approached the edge of Willowbrook, ready to begin their mission.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m