As I Planned | [Dullahan]

Dullahan moved down the street like a tank; steady, firm, and ran over anyone who got in her way. She was already in a soured mood, dealing with a shady broker was not her idea of a good time, but if her superiors weren’t going to move against this “Ember,” she was going to do some investigating on her own. But that was for a later date. Now, she was on her way to meet Orion for another op. Stolen intel from a legal office, in possession of magi; not horribly important, but procedure demanded an agent be present for retrieval. They had asked her to pick a hunter to accompany her, as they didn’t know the exact location, and nobody could track like they could. Oliver was busy, River was… being left up to Oliver, and nobody else really stood out to her. Orion seemed to take his job seriously, and she was curious to see just exactly what he had. He could even be officer material, gods willing.

He wasn’t hard to spot in the crowd, easily towering over the sea of heads. Early, too. Why couldn’t the hunters find more like him? It was too early to judge, but she respected him so far. She kept her eye out for anyone who may be stalking her; no doubt the Equalist Movement had a bead on her after her most recent display of force. She was satisfied she was clean, and followed Orion’s path. With her hands in her jacket pockets, she leaned on the wall near him. It was time to get to work.

“What have you been told about this mission?” She said, getting right to business. She wasn’t going to let more bullshit intel drops be responsible for yet another disaster under her watch. She rolled her neck and shrugged, trying to get used to the weight of her new weapon. It wasn’t a burden for her like it would be for a human, but the modular weapons were heavy, and the precision rifle was one of the heaviest; it was a matter of rebalancing yourself, adjusting to the unusual weight distribution. It retracted neatly, and fit on her lower back, no larger than a sawed-off shotgun in this form. Most importantly, it could be mostly hidden under her jacket. She didn’t exactly care to let any wandering eyes know what she was carrying, unlike Orion and his gigantic sword.

Dullahan barked a short, disgusted grunt and shook her head. Fuckin' figures. Yeah you have to put that on the paperwork, but if they didn't trust the hunters enough, well, you got disasters. It was a waste of time and resources, not to mention reputation. She didn't like it; maybe because she was a field grunt, too; sure, one with more responsibility, and one in charge, but she didn't make plans from the comfort of an office chair. No, she was down in the dirt with them, and so had more respect for them than the 'superiors.'

“Can't tell you what's on it,” she said. She retrieved her pistol from the jacket holster and inspected it one more time, now that they were away from prying eyes. “We're here to find a small object containing classified data, and the magi who have it. A small group, likely no more than five. Disorganized, and in the area. You're here to provide tracking and combat support.”

She looked up at the man. “Since we don't expect they're connected to anything bigger, taking them alive is optional. Personally, when it comes to animals, I prefer to shoot first; I can always pull the item off their corpse, after all. You can engage freely.”

She turned to look at the doorway. A small, abandoned building by the look of it, but old plans and remote scans indicated the layout was a bit larger on the inside than it seemed. There were several paths they could take, and multiple nooks and exits for them to hole up. This is why a hunter was needed; despite her night vision, her stamina, her speed... it was too much ground to cover by oneself, and gangs weren't uncommon sights in the market. People didn't take kindly to hunters and law around here; it was downright forbidden near that broker's office, for some reason. She'd need to look into that.

“This building leads to a small underground system; old subway, long abandoned; expect open lanes and a hostile welcome when we do find them.” She sighed. She retrieved her phone and displayed a small, vague map on the 3D display, so Orion could see what he was going into. “Could even have some ramshackle base set up. We'll have to play it by ear. Not enough intel on how it looks down there, you can see. I don't like going in blind any more than you do, so let's move carefully.”

She nodded at Orion, indicating she was ready. “You're up; I'll take point once they're close.” He would have to lead, as the tracker, but she would stay close on his six. She never did like following; once they found the Magi, it was better that she was in front, as her body was much more capable of taking hits than his.

Dullahan nodded and followed his lead, flipping on her night vision and descending a short distance behind Orion. She had her pistol out and ready, taking quiet steps behind him. She was alert for any sense of movement; he needed her to watch his back, watch for any approaching surprises. But the tunnel was eerily quiet for a long time, dead, dusty, and dark; she had expected more traffic. Were Magi no longer using this area so prominently?

She had exhaled a small snort at the use of runic magic. More hunters just wasting their time with that university, with awful professors like that Inoue bitch filling their heads with useless information about magic that isn’t even as good as an animal’s. Still, with Orion, he seemed to be willing to manage him time well enough, getting early practices to make up lost time studying. The little flashlight rune was… cute. Was doing something your phone could do worth all that studying? Feh. She watched carefully how he proceeded; quietly, no small talk, making frequent pauses to check his trail, and head on a swivel. No doubt she was right about him; he was what the hunter’s guild was supposed to be about. Dedicated to the hunt, removing animals, and keeping people safe.

She nodded and signaled to him that she would take point, and to follow close. She crept against the wall, following the old subway’s path. After a half mile, she stopped Orion, and signaled for him to be on watch. She knelt and hunched over the dimmed picture of the holo, confirming her suspicions. In front of them was an old switching station, appeared to be rusted and locked. One path forked left, and one to the right, but the holo only showed the path to the right. She showed Orion the holo and nodded to him, confirming that the scent was stronger down the “nonexistent path.” Back into business mode, she crept against the wall, following the curve. It didn’t go for long before seeing why the path wasn’t on any recent maps; it looked like an old cave-in had hit the tunnel, hard, trapping a train of an old design under the rubble which closed the tunnel from floor to ceiling.

She approached the train and could see more details from her careful glances; the back end and insides were mostly gutted, making a makeshift tunnel through the debris. A little oasis, hidden and off any record; no wonder they hid out down here. She wasted no time climbing into the raised train, scanning for makeshift traps or signs of movement. A car or two down, she could see light streaming in from what would be a side door, and faint voices could be heard echoing against the metal walls. Likely, there was an old platform that they had set up in, and this was their only way in or out.

Her movements were painfully slow, not wanting to tip the magi off by clunking down her heavy feet on the metal floor. Eventually, she came to a window that showed the clearing instead of just rocks; indeed, four magi could be seen. Around them were cots, computers on tables, old furniture, hung lights, a fire in a barrel, cans and garbage. Quite the little setup, almost homely, completed with siphoned power from a spliced electrical line. They’ve been here awhile. She turned back to Orion and kept her voice a whisper, the idle chatter from the magi group able to cover her voice.

“Four magi, unaware,” she said. “Two left, two right. No visible weapons. No water, either, so jump the dirt magi first. I’ll boost in, grab their attention, and knock out the left flank. Wait two beats after I make contact, then hit the right. I’ll be open to the other dirt magi, so I’m counting on you to neutralize him. Engage as you see fit, but time is of the essence. And don’t let him catch you in here; you’ll be buried in this train. Understood?”

The last word wasn’t harsh, not like an officer speaking to a young recruit. It was firm, but without the edge; the same tone she would take with Oliver or River, people who have proven themselves to her. She respected him now, and if he could handle himself while listening to her, she may even trust him as a hunter.

She waited for Orion to move into position. A man with a sword as large as he was moving quietly through the shadows. The overconfidence of the magi would be their undoing. Murderous animals didn’t have much foresight after all, did they? Just kill or steal and then flee, confident that none will find your little cave. No alarms, no sentries, nothing. No wonder the hunter’s guild was lax with their recruits; they were going up against even more disorganized enemies.

She eyed her two targets. A dirt magi with vinelike growths all over his body, and a water magi, easily identified by his webbed hands and finlike ears. Both busy at their computers. Trying to crack the encryption, maybe. She couldn’t see from here, and really, it didn’t matter, so long as she got the item back or broke it so it couldn’t fall into enemy hands. She holstered her pistol; she was getting in the fray, full distraction. If Orion didn’t measure up, she could be in dire straits. If all went to plan, though, she’d have two dead and he’d kill the earth magi before any harm could befall her. Well, no time like the present; Orion was in position and they were clearly both itching to end these idiots. She crept to the subway door, lowered into a runner’s crouch. Her shotgun-like weapons whirred softly as they emerged from her wrists. Three, two, one…

A jet-like noise erupted from her propulsion thrusters as she shot forward like a bullet. They barely had time to turn at the sound before she was on them. Her first punch, filled with forward momentum, connected squarely with the vine-magi’s chest. There was an echoing bang from her gun that made the sound of crunching bone and tearing flesh all the more brutal. The magi was dragged by her fist and skidded harshly into a stone pillar as Dullahan halted her forward movement suddenly with reverse thrusters. She whipped around and sprung to the water magi, who was still trying to get a grip on the situation. A young punk in the wrong crowd. Her fist scattered the computers off the table as she connected a haymaker swing to his jaw. The shotgun blasted again, tearing flesh and teeth from face, the noise barely covering the familiar crack of shattered bones. Like a tornado, she used that momentum to swing in a full circle and plant another hit into his sides, following with two more. The bloody, disfigured body crumpled lifelessly to the floor
.
She recoiled as a pillar of earth raised from the ground and slammed her in the chest; either the magi had a good reaction time, or Orion had missed a shot, or the shot connected but the Magi was already in the middle of his magic. In any case, a hit was expected, and she wouldn’t blame Orion. What she needed was for him to stop any further magic. The hit came suddenly and jostled her balance.

Her head felt warm. A jolt went through her brain and her eye widened. She stumbled down to one knee, trembling, gripping her head. No, not now. Not in a fight! But despite her attempts at fighting back, the visions flooded. Fire. The camp. First awakening. Flowers. Voice, that voice, static-masked yet so familiar. Calling her. She was stuck in her mind now, trying desperately to go free. In this state she was vulnerable, which was how the hidden last magi, an avian-looking air magi, was able to dash from behind another section of the platform and get the jump on her. From behind her struggling figure, as a shield, he attempted to throw a bolt of electricity at the hunter.

A gentle voice calling. Static. Visions flash by like a flipbook, jumbled, incomprehensible. Not now. Returning to reality. Gunshots echo like a distant memory. A grip, touching, no, snap out! Snap out!

With a growl, Dullahan shook herself free of her mental prison, heaving and panting heavily, eye wide in shock. It took her a moment to get a bearing on her surroundings. A grip on her. Another magi? Before her, Orion’s targets lay dead, cleanly. She blinked the fog free just in time to see Orion in his swing. What was he-

Just before the blade connected, she clicked the locks free on her neck, realizing midway through her head’s separation from her body that Orion had known that it wouldn’t be lethal to her. Her airborne head flashed a grin. Clever man. Magi wouldn’t expect that; hostages would buy them more time, right? Ha. As the body behind her crumpled she caught her head and lowered it to her neck, re-engaging the locks with a relieved sigh.

She shook herself, loosening up her tensed gears and pistons, her brain finally sending the signals it needed to. She knew the two of them would scout the area a bit, listen for sounds, ensure no more surprises happened. When she was confident the area was secured, she fished around the bodies and the fallen computers for the item. She shook her head as she knelt at the first corpse. She didn’t get those attacks in battle, not often. It was an unfortunate display of weakness in front of a competent hunter. Fortunately, he was able to step up and compensate.

“Good work,” she said as she rifled through the first magi’s pockets. Nothing. She got up and repeated the process with the other ones while she spoke. Her words were tepid, with a hint of shame. “I apologize for my momentary lapse. I’ve been told that the human brain has trouble adapting to this chassis sometimes, but that it would not occur during fights.” She stopped her search, glaring at nothing, her teeth clenching as the bitter words left her mouth. “Clearly they were wrong.”

She walked over to the computers that were scattered and broken by her punch. In one of the drives, utilizing an oddly rigged adapter, the data chip sat, undamaged. She removed the chip as well as the adapter rigged by the magi. Administration would want to see this. She stretched and ran her hands through her hair, trying to remove the dripping air magi blood from it. The air was heavy with the scent of death, a mix of blood and feces. She was glad she didn’t have the tracker’s nose like Orion did.

“Wish it didn’t put you in unnecessary danger, but you handle yourself as well here as you did on the range,” she said. She wasn’t trying to butter him up, and wasn’t even looking at him as she waved for him to follow her back down the tunnels. She didn’t have a mind for complimenting hunters or agents; either they performed or they didn’t. “Good to see I wasn’t wrong to trust you.”