A sharp, high-pitched ringtone shattered the dream. Allen's eyes snapped open, his heart hammering against his ribs as he realized he was still in his high-security quarters at Base AE7. He lunged for his vibrating phone—it was a secure, encrypted breakthrough call from Ethan.
He swiped green. "I'm awake."
"Allen, the engines are warm. Get to the hangar floor immediately," Ethan's voice commanded over the static. "Our operational target is locked: The Canadian Museum of Nature."
"On my way," Allen said, cutting the feed.
He threw his gear bag over his shoulder and made his way down to the subterranean hangar deck.
The heavy transport plane was already idling on the runway, its massive jet engines whining against the howling arctic storm outside. Inside the open rear cargo bay, Ethan and Liam were already waiting, both of them adjusting massive, black tactical HALO jumping rigs.
Allen climbed up the ramp, securing himself near the back opening as the heavy aircraft began its accelerating run down the tarmac. Within seconds, the wheels left the ground, and the plane ascended sharply into the dark, turbulent storm clouds.
"Alright, tell me," Allen said over the roaring engine noise. "What's the insertion plan?"
"A direct, high-altitude stealth infiltration," Liam shouted back over the din.
Allen raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"A high-altitude, low-opening HALO jump," Ethan answered, flashing a confident grin as he checked the buckles on Allen's harness.
Allen nodded smoothly.
"Don't stress on anything," Ethan added, clapping him on the shoulder armor. "Liam would be tracking right beside you the entire way down to ensure your leg handles the impact."
"It's not that," Allen admitted, adjusting his strap. "It's just my first time doing a HALO jump."
Ethan smiled, giving him a knowing nod. "We've all been there."
"The Third Branch will currently be heavily preoccupied searching for Noah's missing signature," Liam explained, pulling up a digital mapping unit. "However, I highly doubt the core syndicate headquarters is situated directly within the public museum floors. It's likely hidden deep within the subterranean infrastructure nearby."
"First phase is simple: infiltrate the museum perimeter, run a clean sweep of the interior, and isolate any anomalies," Liam continued.
He reached into a secure crate and handed both Ethan and Allen localized communication earpieces along with a set of civilian clothes.
"We drop outside the primary radar grid, guide our canopies down to separate landing zones, and immediately blend into the civilian populace," Liam instructed.
"Ethan, your deployment zone is the museum roof. You will execute a silent breach and sweep the interior floors from the top down. Allen, you will check the surrounding park perimeter—keep your eyes locked on the exterior entryways and feed us live updates on any suspicious movement outside. As for me, I will scour the adjacent commercial sectors for hidden entrances." Liam said.
Suddenly, Joe's-the pilot-crisp voice cut through the cockpit intercom. "Approaching drop coordinates in sixty seconds. Bracing for cargo door deployment."
"Understood," Liam replied, clipping his oxygen mask into place.
"Let's move," Ethan said, his face instantly hardening into pure operational focus.
The rear cargo ramp ground open with a deafening hydraulic hiss. Instantly, a violent blast of freezing, high-altitude wind and dark cloud cover rushed into the cabin.
Below them, through the fractured patches of dark clouds, the sprawling, brilliant grid of the illuminated city below shone like a sea of distant stars.
"Jump!" Liam roared, sprinting down the ramp and plunging headfirst into the empty sky.
Ethan and Allen didn't hesitate. They stepped to the edge, leaped outward, and dove down into the dark abyss below.
As they plummeted through the freezing atmosphere, Ethan glanced over at Allen. Even behind his tactical visor, Allen's posture betrayed a tense, rigid nervousness.
Ethan drifted slightly closer, his voice transmitting clearly through their secure link. "Allen, don't let the mind games get to you. Remember, your first experience always hits different. Keep your head on straight, think positive, and everything will go exactly as planned."
Allen gave a firm, reassuring nod, and the two split their trajectories to hit their designated coordinates.
Soon, the cold synthetic voice of their wrist-comms chimed.
CRITICAL ALTITUDE REACHED. PARACHUTE DEPLOYMENT AUTHORIZED.
With a series of synchronized thuds, their dark, radar-absorbent canopies bloomed into the night sky. Floating silently over the gothic, castle-like silhouette of the museum, Ethan prepped his landing gear.
"Liam, I'm almost on there," Ethan whispered into his comm.
Below him, Liam opened his chute and steered his canopy toward Allen, who had already deployed his own. Gliding through the darkness, both Allen and Liam touched down smoothly on a flat rooftop bordering the edge of the adjacent park.
Liam immediately pressed his hand to his earpiece. "Asher, kill the grid. Just for a brief window."
In Base AE7's tech-ops center, Asher's fingers flew across his keyboard.
ACCESS GRANTED.
Suddenly, the entire municipal district surrounding the Museum of Nature was plunged into absolute, pitch-black darkness as the local power grid died.
A few seconds later, Ethan's voice crackled quietly through the comms. "Landing successful. I'm on the roof."
Liam nodded, his eyes scanning the shadowed park below. "Asher, bring the lights back on."
The next second, the power grid surged back to life. The museum's façade lit up once more, looking completely undisturbed to the casual observer.
Liam gripped his gear, a cold intensity in his eyes. "Let's begin. Mission: Search for the Third Branch."