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【1】
Just Another Mission
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Aurora turned to her reflection in the mirror, squinting her eyes at her appearance.
This... is strange.
The vigilante was preparing for yet another mission that night, except this one was unlike any she'd faced before.
Aurora and her team found themselves in an odd situation. A few months prior, they'd heard reports of a gang terrorizing a village they frequented.
As with any other criminals, they'd acted on those reports immediately. They successfully tracked down and caught some of the group's members; surely, those lucky to escape would've gotten the message and backed off. Aurora thought that would be the end of their mission– but she'd underestimated the true size of the group.
Over a period of five weeks, that very same gang continued to attack the innocent villages that Aurora's team protected. Of course, the vigilantes did their best to stop them, but the group's members were never all in the same place. They were too coordinated to be average criminals, as they attacked multiple places at once; it almost seemed as if they were taunting them.
Aurora figured that she and her team needed to take a different approach. If they couldn't attack the gang's members efficiently, then they needed to target their source.
Yet the gang's leader was just as cunning. He never joined his members on their so-called "missions," seemingly refusing to show his face. But Aurora knew he had to be close by; all of the villages they targeted were in the same vicinity, meaning their leader was merely hiding in plain sight.
Luckily, the vigilantes didn't need to come up with an elaborate plan to draw him out. Though unaware, he'd set his own trap himself.
It had only been a few months since the gang had started their attacks, and yet their invisible leader was already celebrating their victories. He'd scheduled a masquerade party for that night, located in the very heart of one of the villages.
Aurora didn't need to see their leader to know he was gloating– the primary reason his gang had persisted for so long was because he, himself, hid behind a mask.
But so did the vigilantes; and they planned to use that against him.
Unfortunately, infiltrating a party hosted by a crime boss was easier said than done. Unlike their other missions, Aurora's team couldn't wear their usual gear. Instead, they needed to blend in with the other partygoers.
If they could play the part, they could easily get into the masquerade, find the culprit, and destroy their gang from the inside.
While that plan's structure was familiar to Aurora, the requirements it entailed were certainly the opposite.
Aurora had been staring at her reflection for far longer than she intended, glancing at her suit with a frown.
She'd never worn something so formal before in her life, and yet she already knew she didn't like it. It was much too fancy for her liking; she much rather preferred wearing her usual uniform.
But she didn't have a choice that night. The villages needed her and her team. That gang had done so much damage already– now, it was time to put an end to their tyranny.
But it didn't hurt to have another energy boost, did it? Was disliking fancy clothes a fair excuse to punch a crime boss? Aurora certainly thought so.
Aurora was contemplating that question when an audible knocking sounded on the bathroom door.
"Aura?" Gold's voice raised from the opposite side. "It's almost time."
Aurora narrowed her eyes at her reflection before promptly hurrying to unlock the door.
"Sorry, Gold." She apologized, stepping into the living room of their rented apartment. "This just feels so surreal."
"Dressing up is surreal, but infiltrating a party to find a crime boss isn't?" Gold echoed her words with a smirk before taking notice of her crooked tie. They reached for it, fixing it in place. "If only this would stay put..."
"See, I'm just not cut out for this." Aurora huffed a laugh. "Even my tie keeps getting loose."
"Don't say that!" The android disapproved, observing their work with a satisfied nod. "For the record, I think you look great."
"Thanks, Gold." Aurora smiled gratefully. "But you're the one who made this possible. You did great with our outfits."
"Thanks, Aura," Gold thanked her in turn. "I'm just glad these talents can be of use this time around."
"They always are," Aurora assured. "Especially tonight. Are the others ready yet?"
Before Gold even had the chance to respond, a swift blur of green shot from the ceiling. Gold startled at the sudden movement, jolting backwards on unsteady feet. Aurora had fortunately moved just as fast, catching their arm before they could trip and fall.
Both Gold and Aurora sighed as Eris phased into the room, with Gold's sigh being slightly more exasperated. Yet Aurora couldn't help but grin at the ghost's antics– it hadn't been long since she'd joined their team, and yet she was already proving to be a more than interesting addition.
"ERIS." Gold scolded as they regained their composure. "PLEASE give a warning next time you do that!"
"SORRY!!" Eris apologized, floating down to face them. "I'm just so hyped!"
"This is gonna be the GREATEST mission EVER." She declared. "It hasn't even started and I'm ALREADY having fun!"
"By fun, she means messing around, by the way!" Onyx's voice echoed from atop the stairwell.
The three shifted their attention to the merlopian's entrance. Onyx was also in formal attire that night, wearing a tux of her own. Unlike Aurora, she actually seemed to enjoy it. She descended the stairs with a confident stride, as though she'd worn formal clothes far more times than Aurora could count.
"Everything fits well?" Gold examined the merlopian's tux as she joined them.
"Like a charm," Onyx grinned. She turned to Aurora, nudging her side. "You don't look too bad yourself."
"Thanks," Aurora smiled sheepishly. "But this feels weird on me, to say the least."
Aurora wished she had the merlopian's level of confidence. While she did feel much more comfortable wearing a suit than a dress, she still felt like she didn't fit into it– as though it didn't really belong on her.
Her friends, however, seemed to think otherwise.
"WRONG ANSWER!" Eris corrected, zipping through the air to circle her. "You gotta OWN it, Aura!!" She gestured towards her suit with outstretched hands, stressing her point.
"Maybe you're right." Aurora chuckled. "At least for this mission, anyways. We're all going to have to play the part if we're going to catch this guy."
"We'll go over everything one last time before you go." Gold reminded them. "Are Akiri and Yuri ready?"
"Yuri's helping Akiri with her dress upstairs." Onyx nodded as she straightened her sleeve. "They should be down any second now."
"SPEAKING of Akiri," Eris hovered in between Onyx and Gold, pointing towards Aurora with a repeated glance. "She's gonna LOVE this."
Gold's gaze shot towards Aurora's own, and they smiled awkwardly. Onyx, in the meantime, sent Eris a warning glare, the two evidently exchanging an unspoken message.
Aurora's attention darted between the three, lost. She was about to ask them to explain when a distant movement caught her eye.
"Sorry we're late!" Akiri apologized, climbing down the stairs with Yuri at her side. "I couldn't figure out the zipper on my own. I'm not used to something like this."
Aurora's friends continued conversation as the two joined them, but Aurora couldn't bring herself to pay attention to what they were saying. Her focus was instantly set on Akiri, who was adorned in a brilliant red dress. Just like with Onyx, Akiri's dress suited her far better than Aurora felt her own attire did.
I wish I could look that good...
It was only when Akiri herself called Aurora's name that she realized she'd been staring for far longer than she had anticipated. She blinked twice, scolding herself for being so unattentive before such an important mission.
"Sorry," Aurora apologized quickly. "Say that again?"
"I said you look nice." Akiri smiled as she stepped to her side.
"Thanks," Aurora felt a small flutter of happiness rise in her chest at the compliment, though she was unaware of it. "You look great, too."
The remainder of the group exchanged knowing looks at their words, but both Aurora and Akiri failed to notice it.
Gold shortly cleared their throat, helping them refocus.
"It's almost midnight." They reminded.
"Better get on with that debrief, chief!" Eris exclaimed, lightly punching Aurora's shoulder.
Aurora laughed under her breath at the nickname, having been caught off guard. She took a seat on the closest couch as her laughter subsided, and the rest of the group followed suit. Together, the six formed a circle around the small coffee table in the center of the living room.
"Tonight's masquerade is hosted at a venue in the center of the village; it's designed to look like a palace, so we're going to have to cover a lot of ground." Aurora began. "There's going to be lots of people there, including our target, his gang, and various members of the criminal community. But we can use that against them– we can blend into the crowds easily and single out our target."
"We don't have much information: all we know is he has a scar on the right side of his chin. The odds aren't too in our favor, either; like I said, this venue is huge." Aurora admitted. "We'll have to split up, but not all of us can wander around. That'll arouse suspicion."
"That's why only three of us are going to be physically present." Aurora turned to face Onyx. "There will likely be some form of betting or gambling there. Onyx, try and get our target's attention by winning as many games as you can. He has a big head, judging from his overconfidence– seeing someone take so many winnings may draw him out into the open to challenge you."
"Nice idea, but I think you overestimate my game skills." Onyx interjected. "How could I manage so many wins?"
"Not alone is how." Aurora clarified, pointing over to Eris. "Eris is going with you. If you play a card game, she can stay invisible and scope out the other players' cards."
"NO WAY." Eris gawked, turning to the merlopian with a rising smirk. "I'm your TRUMP CARD!"
"You will be," Aurora chuckled. "But make sure to hover above the crowds, and keep your voice down when you talk with Onyx over your communicator. Otherwise, you'll get both of you caught."
"You can count on me!" Eris promised, crossing her heart. "I'll be a GREAT trump card, Onyx, just you wait!"
"I don't doubt it one bit," Onyx grinned, rolling her eyes.
"Don't get too excited and turn visible again, either," Akiri warned. "Like Aura said, there's going to be lots of people at this party, but ghosts are an exception."
"That's right. There's going to be some merlopians in attendance, but no serpentine or ghosts– which is exactly why you must stay out of sight." Aurora agreed, gesturing to her mentioned friends. "Yuri will be posted on the roof, overseeing the outside crowds. She'll gather intel from a distance, and she'll also be there in case anyone needs an assist."
The hypnobrai herself nodded in affirmation as Aurora continued.
"Gold will be staying here and monitoring everyone, but we'll all be on separate comm channels. So make sure to switch to Gold's if you find something."
"And us?" Akiri prompted, curious.
"We're going to be on foot, searching the crowds and as much of the building as we can." Aurora explained. "Remember, all sorts of criminals are going to this party, so it's going to be hard to find our target– not to mention risky. But we don't need to catch him this time around."
"All you need is a clear picture." Gold elaborated. "I've embedded hidden cameras in the front of your outfits– only one of you needs to find him. I'll be overseeing the footage, so I'll let you know when we're clear."
"Afterwards, we'll expose his identity to the authorities." Aurora concluded. "Without a leader, his gang will fall apart from the inside."
"We're in, we're out. Don't engage unless absolutely necessary." Aurora's gaze swept to each of her friends. "Got it?"
The group agreed in unison. Aurora straightened in her seat, her job done. She nodded at Gold, encouraging them to discuss one final detail.
The android lowered a hand towards the masquerade masks laid out across the coffee table.
"These will be your entry tickets." They went on. "Thanks to Eris, we retrieved them from the last crooks we fought. With these, you should get in no problem."
Aurora reached for the closest mask, raising a brow at its extravagant design. She flipped it over to its opposite side, where the insignia of their favorite problematic gang remained etched on its lower corner.
"These guys are so full of themselves," Onyx scrunched her nose in distaste as she slid on her mask. "All this to celebrate a few months of victory?"
"More like a few months' worth of bullying, really," Akiri huffed as she fixed her own mask on her face. "Honestly, these guys are ridiculous."
"They won't be celebrating for long, that's for sure." Yuri hissed.
"With luck, this should be the last party they ever host." Aurora agreed.
Looking down at her attire, Aurora added another thought to herself.
And, with hope, this will be the last time I wear something like this.