“If you believe in God, here is your proof: the heavy rain will camouflage us perfectly. Those firearms you have been given are the new models; both the semi-automatic rifle and Glock 9 have had their speed increased, which means the bullets now travel at Mach 9 for the handgun, while the rifle bullets are four times as fast…” Sheila’s voice trailed off momentarily, her focus sharpening. “The reason your trucks broke into this abandoned apartment complex is that there are six guards on top of Joe’s building. You are currently occupying two buildings in this derelict property. The first complex, where the truck is parked, will help with the problem of the six guards. Ciara.”

  “Yes?” Ciara replied, her eyes steely with determination.

  “You are the best marksman in your class—hell, I would go as far as to say the best in Maritzburg school’s history. Since you are the best, you will have to take out the guards on top of Joe’s place and secure Team B’s route into the building,” Sheila instructed, her voice unwavering.

  Penelope swiftly packed the sniper rifle into a suitcase and handed it over to Ciara. She took the suitcase but exchanged the rifle for a second Glock 9.

  “Why?” Penelope asked, surprised by this choice.

  “I would like to keep my mobility, and I am the best markswoman in school history,” Ciara asserted confidently.

  “But still, it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it,” Penelope pointed out, her brow furrowing.

  “Don’t worry. I am ambidextrous, and both 9s hold 30 bullets. If I take six clips, I will be fine because I have you to watch my back,” Ciara clarified, a hint of reassurance in her voice.

  “If you’re both done, Team B will be waiting on the top of the building closest to Joe’s place. After Ciara takes out the guards, fly over to Joe’s place and wait for the magnet and other teams to get into position. Team A will be at the bottom, and Team C in the middle of the abandoned building... Elizabeth and Gift, zip up your uniforms, or else they won't work properly,” Sheila explained, her tone firm.

  "No one is touching me." Elizabeth stated defiantly, crossing her arms.

  As Ciara left the truck and headed for the stairs, the rain pounded against the cracked pavement outside, providing a perfect cover for their operation. She quickly made her way up to the 10th floor.

  “Are you in position?” Sheila asked, her voice crackling through the earpiece.

  “No, I’m in front of the door that leads to the top of the building, and it’s locked. But don’t worry about it; I will check in when I’m in position,” Ciara answered, her focus unwavering. She engulfed her hand in energy, placing her right hand on the door lock, which melted away effortlessly.

  With a steady breath, Ciara slowly opened the door and walked to the edge of the building, rain cascading around her like a shroud. After setting up her sniper rifle, she pressed a button on her earpiece. “I am in position.”

  “Okay, we’ve hacked the surveillance system, so you have the green light,” Sheila said, her voice calm.

  Laying down on the floor, Ciara took a deep breath, looking through her scope. She spotted her targets and opened fire. The rain drowned out the sound of the rifle firing four shots, and she managed to take out four guards. The last two, realizing their comrades had fallen, scrambled for cover. One guard hid behind a barrel, while the other ducked behind a generator. The guard behind the generator had a clear view of the one behind the barrel, but before he could act, the first guard peeked out. Ciara didn’t hesitate, taking the shot. He fell unconscious instantly. The last guard, seeing his comrade drop, turned to check on him. In a flash, a bullet struck the back of his hand, rendering him unconscious as well. “All the guards have been neutralized.”

  "Great work," Sheila praised.

  "We're in position in the middle of the building," Vergil updated.

  "Just landed on top of Joe’s place but had to leave the rifle on the roof," Ciara interrupted.

  "I'll get one of the drivers to pick it up," Sheila responded.

  "We are in position, just waiting for the green light," Penelope reported.

  "Okay," Sheila acknowledged.

  "Our current position is on top of Joe," Penelope added.

  "How big is he?" Miri asked, her curiosity piqued.

  "Size doesn’t matter; it's about the motion of the ocean," Penelope replied with a cheeky grin.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Okay, Team A?" Sheila asked, her voice steady.

  "We are in position and waiting for the green light," John confirmed.

  Shelia activated the super magnet, disarming all weapons in the building. Communication systems shut down, and the cameras began looping static images. “It’s done.”

  Team B broke through the door, swiftly taking out the two guards.

  “Ciara at the back, you’re the healer, and we can’t have you getting injured.” Penelope pointed out.

  In contrast, on the 8th floor of the building, Joe sat watching the security footage on repeat, flanked by his elite guards. The dimly lit room was filled with tension, the glow of the screens casting eerie shadows on their faces.

  Mandy opened a bag of chips, her casual demeanor belying the chaos outside. “Joe, sweetie, where’s the dip?”

  “Are you seriously thinking about dip at this very moment?” Frank snapped, disbelief etched across his face.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?” Mandy challenged, oblivious to the gravity of their situation.

  “We are being raided!” Mat yelled, his voice rising in urgency.

  “Didn’t Joe already bribe the mayor so that the police couldn’t touch this place?” Mandy countered, her tone dismissive.

  “ARMS are the new police. Looks like this will be fun,” Blade smirked, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

  “The video footage is on repeat, but I would say there are four teams; there are four of us, so you know the drill—take out your teams…” Joe cut Frank off mid-sentence, his expression turning grave. “It seems there’s a barrier surrounding the building, so we can’t use teleportation to escape. The only option now is to attack.”

  “Found the dip,” Mandy exclaimed, oblivious to the growing tension.

  Joe teleported his elite guard to the second, fourth, and seventh floors while simultaneously teleporting Team A to his apartment.

  Blade turned around, a grin spreading across his face as he spotted John’s panicked expression. “What are his abilities? Fighting style? All these unknowns? Maybe we should retreat for now and regroup, but turning our backs to him is suicide.” John was lost in thought, grinding his teeth together.

  Liz absently examined her fingernails. “I wonder what color I should get when I’m getting my nails done. Blue is not my color; maybe lime or light pink. What to do?”

  “John is about to get us killed with his hesitation,” Mandisa thought, frustration mounting.

  “I should have slept early; my body feels weird,” Theresa sighed, the weight of the situation pressing down on her.

  “What to do? Oh! That’s right, Moosa can harden his skin like a diamond, and our opponent looks like he uses swords. He probably has hidden blades too, so Moosa is the perfect opponent to buy us time to figure out a winning strategy.” John smiled, rallying his team. “Moosa, it’s all yours. The rest of us will support you!”

  “If you won’t make the first move, then I will,” Blade shouted as he lunged forward, drawing his sword. He charged toward Team A, cutting through a hail of bullets with a single swing, demolishing John and Moosa’s guns. Before John could react, Blade kicked Moosa in the chest, using the momentum to create space between them.

  “Your fight is with me!” Moosa shouted, hoping to rally his team with his battle cry.

  Blade laughed off Moosa’s remark. “Color me impressed. That new uniform is going to make this difficult, but I must say, those are some nice reactions. I guess I will play around a bit.”

  John contacted Team C2’s leader, “There’s an obstacle in front of us, Miri. We won’t be able to rendezvous with you anytime soon.”

  “I hear that there’s a minor problem in front of us as well,” Miri explained.

  Mat burst out laughing. “I’m the minor problem.”

  “Yeah, I’ll win this and go rendezvous with my team in no time at all,” Miri clarified, her confidence shining through.

  “Your bravado won’t save you,” Mat pointed out, a smirk on his face.

  “What do you mean?” Miri asked, confusion flickering in her eyes.

  “About?” Mat responded.

  “You said your bravado won’t save you,” Miri reiterated.

  “Yes!” Mat confirmed.

  “Who’s bravado?” Miri asked, bemused.

  “What?” Mat replied, baffled.

  “It’s a figure of speech,” Anni chimed in, trying to clarify.

  “I know what bravado means, and before you ask, it means boldness. But he is using the word as if one of us is named Bravado,” Miri pointed out, her frustration mounting.

  “It’s a threat, right? Whoever you are?” Nontetha asked, narrowing her eyes.

  Mat nodded.

  “Why don’t you just say, ‘Come catch these hands’? Much easier,” Miri suggested, rolling her eyes.

  “He was being slick with his reply,” Siyabonga added, chuckling.

  “How old are all of you? You’re talking like high school teenagers,” Mat remarked.

  “We're in grade 12, and the term is young adult,” Miri clarified.

  “But she looks like she’s 16!” Mat exclaimed.

  “I’m turning 17 in three months,” Nontetha replied, slightly annoyed.

  “Okay, you’re a bit tall for your age, but at least you’re old enough to have sex,” Mat said with a grin.

  “Eh!” Pretty exclaimed, eyes wide.

  “What is wrong with you?” Miri asked, incredulous.

  “It’s the law,” Mat replied, shrugging.

  “You had to take it there,” Anni muttered, shaking her head.

  “That’s messed up,” Siyabonga added.

  “Mr. No Name is a pedophile,” Miri declared, her voice rising.

  “Wait, no! Why are you covering your chest?” Mat asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Don’t touch me!” Nontetha screamed, darting behind Miri.

  “You monster,” Miri shot back, rolling her eyes.

  “You know what? Forget this… Wait a minute, your name is Miri?” Mat asked, suddenly intrigued.

  “Yes,” Miri replied cautiously.

  “The princess of Mercury?” Mat asked, eyes sparkling with recognition.

  “Yes,” Miri confirmed, her brow furrowing in suspicion.

  “Okay, throw me those handcuffs,” Mat pointed at Will. “I’m talking to you.”

  “Okay,” Will replied, confused but compliant, tossing the cuffs.

  Mat grabbed them and quickly handcuffed himself, sitting down on the floor. “You know you’re going to jail, right?” Anni asked, a teasing lilt in her voice.

  “I’d rather go to jail than try to fight with her,” Mat retorted, a cheeky grin on his face.

  “Shelia, I know you’re listening, and Mat surrendered, so we are headed towards Team A. I want to know about the elite guard!” Miri called out.

  “There are three of them left; Blade is the fourth most dangerous, Mat is the third, Frank is second, and the most deadly of them all is Mandy,” Sheila explained, her tone grave.

  “Okay, like I said, we will go help Team A,” Miri declared.

  “What’s happening with your team, Vergil?” Sheila asked.

  Vergil cleared his throat, gathering his thoughts. “Well, we were going door to door checking to see if there is someone in this building when a man appeared—his name is Frank, and well, he is gone.”