At his main office, Thomas was writing a letter of some sort, when Aurora walked in, sunglasses on, not a care in the world. "Hey, Mister T!"
"You're here." Thomas said most displeased, making Aurora stop and take the glasses off.
"I'm sorry, I sense a negative vibe. But, look at the bright side! I caught the-"
"You broke protocol." Thomas interrupted, getting up and approaching her. "You break protocol. Again, and again, and again. You think you're a hero? You think you can SAVE people? You can't even save your own ass without a gadget. You've failed me for the last time." He said with a stern expression. "T-Thomas, c'mon, you're being-"
"That's Mr. Kennedy to you, Miss Brown." Thomas interrupted once more. "I needed an agent that could create a bright future, help the city become better in ways nobody else could. And all I got was THIS. You disappoint me. Now, get out." Thomas walked to the door, opening it.
"Thomas, you're acting weird. What's going-"
"I said. GET. OUT." Thomas grabbed her by the arm, and threw her through the door, and into the abyss. Suddenly...!
Aurora screamed and raised up in her bed. Her heart was pounding, and she was in a cold sweat. "Breathe... Breathe... It wasn't real." She said to herself repeatedly. On her drawer sat a photo of her and Thomas. She let out a long exhale. "... I can't fail you. I'm... I'm the best." Aurora told herself, trying to be at least decently confident. Once calmed down, she got up and started to dress. She was still trying to shake the dream off. I mean, she did break protocol, and as punishment, was placed into a squad with strangers. Is she really a hero anymore? Since when does a hero need backup? She tried to keep things one thought at a time. She finished dressing and stepped out into the hallway, when she smelled something... good. "Mmm... Gotta give credit where it's due. Is that bacon I smell?" She thought to herself, following it to the living space. Barry was in the kitchen area, cooking breakfast, presumably for the team. Argile was across from him, brewing fresh coffee. And Kali was sitting on the couch in front of the TV, catching up on her latest book. Seemed everyone was having a good morning.
"So, is good cooking in your job description?" Aurora joked, Barry laughing.
"Well, no. My mom's the one who taught me how to cook. I tell you, NOBODY in that house made eggs and bacon quite like my mother did." He said with a smile.
"Don't get him started," Argile looked at Aurora, "Barry could go hours at a time talking about his mother's cooking. It's probably his favorite story to tell." She jokingly said, Barry rolling his eyes.
"Well, it IS my story to tell now, isn't it?" He joked back, Aurora chuckling. Kali seemed unbothered by all the talking, as one should be. Who doesn't love a good read? Aurora sat on the chair next to the couch. "Uh, what'cha reading, Kali?" Aurora awkwardly asked. Of all of her amazing abilities, icebreakers were not on the list.
"O-oh, it's uh, called "The Primary Prepared Participant. It's, uh, well, it's set in the year 2200, where our world has fallen into despair after environmental disasters wreak havoc on the planet. People around the world have chosen to instead immerse themselves in a virtual world to escape the horrors until one day the creator is killed and the one to take over threatens to shut the game off unless anyone can beat him in a competition!" Kali explained with glee, Aurora's eyes widening slightly. "Wow! That, uh, sounds like an interesting read." She said, trying to sound even halfway interested.
Barry and Argile finished up and came to join Kali and Aurora. And with that, Aurora took the remote and turned the TV on. Right when everyone was just about comfortable, there was a knock on the door. "I guess I'll get it." Aurora said, getting up,
"Oh, okay! If you really don't mind." Argile said with a kind smile. Aurora walked over and opened the door, it was Thomas! "Aurora." He said with a serious look.
"Oh, hey Tom. What's up?" Aurora said with an anxious heart, after last night's dream. Thomas let himself in, walking towards the other members, Aurora following. "Everyone. You're needed." He said loudly, the other members looking at him rather shocked.
"Wait, WE'RE needed? Really??" Argile said excitedly, standing up.
"You sure you got the right crew?" Barry asked, partly sarcastic.
"Awesome! I can finally test my weaponry!" Kali exclaimed happily, pulling out a notepad. Aurora looked at Thomas,
"I'm confused, what's going on?" She asked, getting back to the original point.
"There's been a string of robberies as of late. At first, I figured I would let the police handle it, but the crooks have continually gotten away, hitting bank after bank after bank. An outside agent relayed that their next heist target is in the Trinity neighborhood. He said their most likely target is the Bank of America. I can't trust the police to handle this. I need my squad on it." Thomas explained, looking at the group. "We'll handle those chumps." Barry said with a grin, going to get his equipment.
"We'll do our best, Mr. Kennedy!" Kali said excitedly, going to fetch a few weapons.
"Consider it done, Thomas." Argile said, walking to her room to get her backpack.
"I won't fail you, Tom. You have my word." Aurora said with a serious tone, Thomas smiling.
"Aurora, come now. Don't let all of this take away your go-get-her attitude. It's one of my favorite things about you. I trust you over all of my agents. I know you won't fail me." Thomas said with a comforting expression, Aurora smiling.
The others returned. Kali had a bag full of small firearms, should they need them. Argile had a protective vest under her shirt, as well as a notebook which she was reviewing, which was chock full of guides on how to handle criminals, and Barry had a tablet with hacking devices. Aurora had her two sidearms in case things went south, and so, the group headed outside where they waited for Daniel. In a few moments, he drove up, and the agents got in. "Hey Dan! I'd like you to meet-"
"I know who they are, Aurora." Daniel interrupted Aurora, smiling at Argile, who smiled back. "What, you thought you were the ONLY agent I ever drove from place to place? I'm a driver for the friggin' FBI, Aurora. If I only drove YOU around, I'd probably be getting overpaid." Daniel said while Aurora crossed her arms, Kali chuckling.
"Let's just go already!" Aurora said impatiently, Daniel driving off towards Trinity. "So, you guys got the hunch about the guys targeting banks in Houston?" Daniel asked aloud, Aurora nodding.
"Yeah, and we're gonna stick it to 'em, too! If, you know, they're actually there..." Kali said, trying to sound more confident.
"Heh, well. You guys'll have your hands full. These guys mean business. From what I hear, they don't like taking chances. If you're spotted... You know what could happen." Daniel explained, Argile taking a breath.
"It won't come to that. This might be our first mission together, but I believe we can do this! Right, gang?"
"Yeah!" Kali said in excited agreement.
"We'll show 'em!" Aurora also agreed.
"Eh, if not, it's been a slice," Barry said as he pulled out his laptop, "but more likely than not, yeah." He added.
After about thirty minutes, they arrived at the Bank of America. Daniel backed up into an alleyway facing the bank, and turned the engine off. "And now, we wait." Daniel said as he pulled a magazine out of his dashboard and began reading. Aurora turned to look at the others. "Alright. Uh, Barry! If you could get to the teller's area and keep watch of the security cameras, we could catch the crooks by surprise." Aurora said, Barry already pulling his laptop out.
"Actually, I was planning on staying in the car and trying to tap into their radio frequency, so not only would we see them coming, but we'd know what they're planning. Plus, I'm not a security guard. I doubt they'd let just anyone into the office." Barry explained,
"Oh, uh. Alright, sure," Aurora replied, turning to Kali, "if you could stay here and check all the weapons and make sure they're all primed and ready-"
"Uhm, actually..." Kali interrupted, "Getting the weapons won't take long at all, maybe like... A few minutes at the longest. So, I could just keep lookout from the car! If you're okay with it." She explained, another member that seems to already know what they're doing.
"Alright, that'll be fine. And Argile," she turned to Argile, "Could you go to the vault to guard it in case they sneak in through a backdoor or something?" She asked, Argile looking confused. "I'm sorry, Aurora, but I would assume a bank would already have guards protecting any potential vault. What I was thinking of doing was staying on the inside and just keeping an eye out for anyone suspicious." She explained, getting her notepad.
"Oh. Alright then! Looks like everyone, uh, knows what they're doing. I think I'm gonna do a stakeout on the roof of the bank, so I'll see if they enter through the front entrance." Aurora said, Kali smiling at her. "Alright. Places everyone!" Aurora added. Kali began rummaging through her bag of weapons, making sure they were all ready. Barry started typing on his computer, searching for any radio frequencies he could tap into. Argile go tout of the car and walked towards the entrance to the bank. And Aurora headed for the bank, too, looking to find a fire escape heading towards the rooftop. And Daniel, just kept reading his magazine.
Three hours later, everyone was in place. Barry and Kali were still in the car with Daniel, Kali's weapons all ready and Barry still trying to tap into a frequency. Argile was inside the bank, sitting in the lobby, pretending to read a book, but scanning the room, looking for anyone who might seem shady. And Aurora was on the rooftop of the bank, one foot against the edge, scanning the ground below. In this line of work, a fear of heights gets killed quick. Barry got on the radio, "Hey, uh, Aurora? I don't want to judge your intel or anything, but it's been three hours. Are you sure they're gonna be here?" He said, Aurora grinning as a van pulled up to the building. "It's funny you say that, Barry..." She replied over the radio.
"... And of course, the second I complain about how long it's been, they show up." He replies, typing on his computer and works on getting into their radio frequency.
"Alright, everyone. A suspicious van just showed up to the bank. It could be them, so keep an eye out." Aurora said over the radio, everyone getting their guard up.
"That's them," Barry said, "I've tapped into their frequency, and they're talking about camera locations, it sounds like they're getting to move in." He explained, Aurora already running down the fire escape,
"Everyone, back to the car." She said into the radio, Argile getting up and heading for the entrance.
The agents had their weapons in hand, "These are amazing, Kali!" Aurora complimented happily, Kali smiling,
"I'm glad you think so!" she replied. Barry's radio started broadcasting a conversation between one of the robbers and, someone else. "Boss. We're outside the bank. Our plan's worked for all the other banks, this one should be just as easy. Delta and Zeta are our sharp shooters, so they're gonna go for the lobby and start the robbery, gettin' all the customers and workers in the center of the building. Then Gamma and Epsilon are gonna cover both the fire escape and the front entrance, to make sure nobody enters or leaves. And finally, Beta and I are gonna head for the vault. He's a good safecracker, this should be a breeze." a man said over the radio. "Good. You guys have been my best men, Alpha. But the warning still applies. Do. Not. Fail. Me." A voice on the other side of the radio said.
"Not a problem. We'll have those Benjamins before you can even say "I'm rich!", boss!" Alpha's voice boomed as the broadcast closed.
"Sounds like they're getting ready to make their move." Barry said, the team looking at Aurora.
"Yeah? Well, so are we!" Aurora replied, looking at the van.
In front of the bank, the robbers were stepping out of the back of the van. But right when they turned towards the main entrance, there stood the Houston Squadron! "What the- who are you!?" Alpha exclaimed, Aurora raising an eyebrow.
"We're the last people you're gonna see before you wake up in a hospital, unless you come quietly. Our name, is the Houston Squadron!" Aurora exclaimed proudly, the robbers expressions stale.
"... The Houston Squadron? What are ya, a hero group? HA, we squash peeps like you daily." Alpha said proudly, his crew nodding in agreement.
"C'mon guys, do you REALLY want to rob this bank? I mean, think of the people you're stealing from!" Argile said, most of the crooks just laughing.
"Don't even try that, lady. We abandoned our moral codes long ago. The way OUR boss does this, mercy ain't an option!" Beta said boomingly, Zeta elbowing his shoulder,
"Shut your yappin', Beta! They don't know we got a boss!" He whispered, but not quiet enough for the squad not to hear. "Well, now we do." Aurora said, raising an eyebrow. "Now, here's how this is gonna go down. You're gonna drop your weapons, we're gonna cuff you up, and while we wait for the transport van, you're gonna tell us all about this 'boss' you keep mentioning." Aurora explained to the crooks, the squad raising their weapons, ready to fire. "Alright, alright already. No need ta' get hostile. Men, lower ya guns." Alpha ordered, putting his gun on the ground. Confused, the others followed suit.
With the crooks' surrender, the squad began cuffing the crooks. Barry was cuffing Beta and Zeta, Argile was cuffing Delta and Gamma, Kali was cuffing Epsilon, and Aurora was cuffing Alpha. "So, you want to tell me about your boss?" Aurora asked while cuffing Alpha, him rolling his eyes. "You ain't gonna get anything outta us. We know your game, Aurora. Your little agency doesn't kill people, boss does. We talk, and we'll be swimming with fishes." Alpha said, refusing to budge.
"Eh, your choice. We'll get it out of one of you eventually." Aurora remarked, continuing to cuff him.
"Ah, forget this..." Delta mumbled to himself. Without warning, he elbowed Argile in the eye,
"UGH, FUCK-" She yelled, holding her eye. Delta then got free of the loose cuffs, since Argile hadn't finished locking them yet. He grabbed his handgun from his belt, wrapped his arm around Argile's throat, and held his gun to her head. "YOU ALL LISTEN. DO AS WE SAY, AND NO ONE GETS SHOT." Delta yelled out, the squad members stopping where they were. In a panic, Kali did the same with Epsilon, arm locking his neck and holding her handgun to his head. "L-let her go!" Kali demanded nervously.
"YES! LET HER GO! I DON'T WANNA DIE!!" Epsilon agreed fearfully. Alpha raised an eyebrow and grinned.
The atmosphere was tense, Kali and Delta's eyes were locked, both keeping a tight grasp on their hostage. "L-listen, this is getting very tense... Let's all just calm down, and-" Argile's attempt to calm the situation was interrupted when Delta put the gun right against her skin, "Shut your trap, or I'll shut it for you." Delta ordered threateningly, Argile going silent.
"Look, think about what you're doing. You've been robbing banks, you're known and wanted criminals. Do you REALLY want to add assault to those charges?" Aurora asked, trying to talk him down.
"I SAID DO AS I SAY, OR THIS GAL GETS TO MEET GOD." Delta yelled again, Barry ever so slightly raising his gun. "Listen..." Kali started, "I-I don't want to hurt anyone. How about we both just put our guns down, and walk away? Okay?" She said softly, Delta looking at her for a moment.
"... Okay." He finally agreed. They began slowly lowering their weapons. Right as their weapons hit the ground, Barry aimed and fired at Delta's shoulder, "AGH!!" He screamed, holding the wound as Argile quickly crawled away to safety. She rubbed her eye, which was still sore.
"Get EMTs here! Now!" Aurora ordered, Barry running to the vehicle to radio dispatch. At long last, the transport vans and EMTs arrived at the scene. "You ain't seen the last of US, Aurora... BOSS IS GONNA MAKE YOU ALL BEG FOR MERCY, YA HEAR ME?? Your little squad's gonna DIE." Alpha yelled out to them as he was loaded into the van. Aurora rolled her eyes, not giving him another thought. Delta was sent to the hospital, and four of the five remaining crooks were taken to the holding facility, but Aurora wanted to keep one back for questioning: Epsilon.
Back at the Department of Criminal Investigations, the members sat Epsilon down in an interrogation room. Aurora sat across from him, and the squad members stood outside the room, looking through the tinted window. "What's your real name?" Aurora asked softly.
"I... I'm sorry, I can't tell people that. Boss doesn't want anyone to know anything..." Epsilon replied, twiddling his thumbs nervously.
"Look, I've met a lot of bad guys. I don't think you're a BAD guy, you just got caught up in the wrong crowd. But if you don't cooperate here, you're gonna go to jail for a long time. But, if you talk to us, we could help you. A reduced sentence, Witness Protection- we'll work with you here." Aurora said with a calming voice, a point she took from Argile. From the other side of the window, Argile seemed pleased, as she held the ice pack on her eye. "... My name is Victor Pentalakh." Victor finally said.
"Hmm, interesting. How long have you been in this particular group?" Aurora asked, Victor taking a deep breath.
"Uhm... About a few months. I'm still a fairly new recruit when it comes to the others..." He replied, looking around nervously.
"I don't get it, Victor. You seem like a pretty good guy. You never yelled at us, you didn't fight back when the vans showed up... So what are you doing in a crew like this?" Aurora asked, Victor thinking about his response.
"Well... M-my dad owed the boss a lot of money way back. But I didn't know about any of it before his passing. When he died, his loan sharks came for me. I didn't have the funds to pay the money they were demanding, so I offered my payment in services instead... I've come in handy a few times, so I guess that's why they've kept me around so long." Victor explained, Aurora actually feeling sorry for him.
"Man, that sucks..." Barry said, leaning against the window.
"Yeah... I can't imagine what it'd be like to have to become a crook because of my parents' debt." Kali replied, Argile looking at Victor.
"Even if we don't find out who his boss is... I really think we should help him. It sounds like he's stuck in a crew he doesn't want to be in all because of his dad's mistakes." She said, both Barry and Kali nodding in agreement.
"Alright, Victor. We're almost done here. It's time for the last question. Who is your boss?" Aurora asked, and Victor begun sweating. He thought very hard for several minutes before finally...
"... I'm sorry. I just, I can't. If he finds out I ratted him out, he'll kill me. I'm really sorry..." He said with a sorry expression, Aurora's disappointment showing. "... But! I COULD tell you what he's planning next." Victor added with a slight smile, Aurora looking at him. "There was a buyer talking to him back at our hideout earlier this week. He wanted to buy a lot of our guns from our armory. The shipment's gonna be loaded somewhere in the Settegast neighborhood. It's gonna go down a month from now, on April 23rd." Victor explained, Aurora writing it down in a notepad.
"Thank you, Victor. I appreciate all the things you've told us today. You know, if you testify, you could get some good Witness Protection! They would take good care of you, I promise." Aurora offered, Victor thinking for a moment.
"Well... I can't disclose his name. I'm just too scared, I'm sorry. But... I suppose I could help testify against some of the crimes he's been planning." Victor said with a soft smile.
"That'll be great! And, don't worry, you'll be okay. And you're gonna rock the new identity you take on!" Aurora said happily, trying to lighten the mood. She shook his hand and exited the interrogation room. She got her phone out, and dialed Thomas's number, "Hello, you've reached Thomas Kennedy." He said on the other side.
"Hey, Tom! We got a lot of information out of one of the crooks. Sadly, we weren't able to get the name of this mysterious boss man, but he's agreed to testify and enter the Witness Protection program. I've got a notepad full of the information we were given, I'll have someone bring it to you." Aurora explained, putting the notepad in her satchel.
"Good work, Aurora. Your team did good today. I'll send someone to pick up the crook. And his name?" Thomas asked.
"Victor. Victor Pentalakh." Aurora replied.
"Very well. I'll send someone that way." Thomas said, ending the call.
The agent arrived and took Victor to the secure holding area. Aurora delivered the notepad full of information to Thomas, who would then send an investigation team out to the Settegast area to try and locate an exact building where the deal may be going down. As for the squadron, they returned to their apartment building, where they would rest up after their first mission together. Kali and Argile sat on the couch, whereas Barry was washing the dishes. Aurora walked into the living area, "Argile, is that eye healing up okay?" She asked, Argile chuckling.
"Yeah, it's getting there... But I'd rather have a black eye than an exploded head, that's for sure." She responded, Kali chuckling.
"You did great, Argile! I don't know if I'd be able to take that pain." Kali complimented, Argile smiling.
"Hey, you did good, too, Kali. The way you immediately took Victor when your teammate was in danger. That was quick!" Barry said from the kitchen.
"Ah, well," Kali leaned back, "I panicked... But, thanks!" She grinned. Aurora sat in the chair next to the couch. "And you, Aurora..." Argile looked at Aurora, "You were exceptional. I know you were brought in AS the leader, but for someone who's gone it alone for so long, you really showed what a good leader should be. You were put together, you stayed calm when your team was in danger, and you even convinced a criminal to testify! I'm glad to call you our leader." She complimented, Aurora smiling and waving her hand,
"Ah, forget about it! I just did what anyone would do. But, thank you. It's good to hear that I'm not a TOTAL screwup." Aurora leaned back in her chair. Barry came over and sat on the couch, next to Kali.
"You know, I don't want to jinx it, but I'd say this was a pretty good first mission. It's not every day you stop a bank robbery from a group of criminals that have been getting away with it for weeks." Barry said, with a grin on his face.
"Heh, yeah... Ah, enough of this mushy stuff! We did a good job, and now we can relax a little." Aurora said, taking the remote and turning the TV on.
After a somewhat stressful first day with the team, she was happy to relax. Well, she was happy to at least try to relax. She didn't fully feel like a leader in those moments. She felt like she had to try harder. "Next time," she thought to herself. "Next time, I'll prove to myself that I can lead this team." The thought comforted her a little, as she sat back with the people she'd be spending a lot of time with for the foreseeable future.