Team Moppet
“Okay, this is our first mission. Remember, if we successfully complete all of these tasks, then we’ll be able to go home.”
Micah looked over the assembled team. He had coped fairly quickly with the concept of alternate realities. It was a standard sci-fi trope. It was another thing altogether to have characters from fiction living and breathing right in front of him. While it probably wasn’t any easier for the rest of them, Micah had actually seen the movie D.A.R.Y.L, watched Avatar: The Last Airbender and read X-men comics. That was probably why their mysterious abductor had put him nominally in charge. He had a good idea of what the abilities of each of his team members were.
“Let’s go over the plan one last time,” Micah said.
“This is gonna be like Sokka’s eclipse-invasion plan, isn’t it?” Toph muttered, mostly to herself but loud enough to be heard.
Micah smirked. “Not if everyone does their job.”
“Boomerang boy thought the same thing, but …” Toph started.
Micah cleared his throat. Toph sighed and leaned back against the wall. “Fine,” she conceded. Micah pointed at an office building a block away.
“Okay, that’s the Nakatomi Plaza.” Toph frowned and started to say something. Micah quickly continued. “One block due south. That’s where Talat is being held. I’ve taken over all of the building’s systems. This gives us full surveillance capabilities as well as control of all of the alarms, electronic doors, and the elevators.”
“Have you located the asset?” X-23 inquired.
Micah paused a moment. “Asset? Oh. The dog. His name’s Talat.”
“Why would anyone kidnap a dog?” Daryl asked. “That doesn’t seem very nice.”
“Kidnapping is rarely done for pleasant reasons,” X-23 said tersely.
“Is he for real?” Toph chimed in.
“Look he’s from an 80’s kids movie, give him a break,” Micah responded. “Now, let’s get on with this. No, I haven’t located Talat. He’s being held in a part of the building that the cameras don’t cover. That leaves the unfinished floors. X-23, you’re up.”
X-23 stood up and began to speak in a rapid, by-the-book manner. “I will infiltrate the lower floors. The animal was most likely brought in through the loading dock area. I will start there and obtain a scent. Then I will make my way up, floor by floor, eliminating any resistance I meet.”
“Eliminating?” Daryl asked.
“Yes. Our surveillance shows an inordinately large number of ninja on each floor. While I am trained in stealth and covert operations, I do not believe I can make it through unnoticed. Combat will be inevitable.”
“You’re going to kill them?”
“Not necessarily. Once I am discovered, speed will be of the essence. I will not have time to verify each kill and may instead only disable or maim many of them.” Daryl, Micah and even Toph were all taken aback by her casual statement. “Once I have discovered the floor the animal is on, I will radio its location to Micah,” she finished.
Micah looked from X-23 to Daryl. It was odd. They were both built for the same purpose. The government wanted super soldiers. One was from a kids’ film, the other from a dark and gritty comic, otherwise they had a lot in common. What if I’m just a character from a story, he wondered. It was a creepy thought. Best not to go there.
Daryl continued the plan with his own part. “I’ll pilot Toph over to the building and get her to the roof.”
“I hate flying,” Toph moaned.
“You’re familiar with the vehicle?” Micah asked the other boy.
“Yes. I read the manual and watched the film you gave me. Once Toph is on the roof, I’ll provide support to her with the hoverbike’s weapons systems. When X-23 has located Talat, I’ll fly down to that floor and wait for her and the dog to arrive.”
“Wait, did he just say ‘read the manual’?” Toph asked.
“Yeah, but don’t worry, he’s good at this sort of thing,” Micah replied. “Right, Daryl will wait with the Lawmaster. Laura, er, X-23, you create an exit and get Talat safely onto the hoverbike. Toph …”
The little blind girl gave a confident half-smile. “I fight the dragon.”
Daryl waited on the hoverbike, floating several stories off the ground. Micah had radioed him with the floor that X-23 had found Talat on. She was making her exit from the west side of the building. Above him, he could hear the ongoing fight between Toph and the dragon. Occasionally, debris would rain down and he’d have to dodge it. The entire frame of the building groaned in a frightening manner. Daryl clicked his comm unit on.
“CQ this is QC, did X-23 give an estimate on her exfiltration time?”
Micah’s voice came back, “The rest of the ninjas in the building converged on the target floor. It might take her awhile. She also said something about another target, but she didn’t have time to …”
A large section of window less than ten feet ahead of Daryl’s hovering location suddenly exploded outward. Something furry and blood-splattered flew out the window and plummeted toward the ground.
“I hope that’s not the hostage.” Daryl muttered. A closer look at the falling figure showed the emaciated frame of a woman. Her white hair had a black streak in it, her creepy crone’s scream faded as she fell from sight.
A bark answered him. Glancing into the destroyed section of window, he saw a friendly dog wagging its tail and looking at him quizzically. X-23 stood beside Talat. The young girl was liberally smeared with gore and her outfit showed several cuts and tears. Still, she seemed to be unwounded. Daryl smiled at her. X-23 raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat uncomfortable at the attention.
“I have the dog,” she muttered awkwardly.
Daryl flew the hoverbike close enough that Talat and X-23 could board it. Together, they flew up to the roof to meet Toph. It was ominously quiet as they neared the top of the building and he worried for the little blind girl. When they reached the roof, they were greeted by an odd sight.
The entire roof showed signs of a great battle. Sections of it were still on fire. The roof-top structures were mostly gone. Parts of the concrete and stonework of the roof had been reshaped into makeshift barriers, each of the barriers scorched or partially broken. The steel framework of the building had risen out and the beams were warped as if they had been wrapped around something.
The great beast itself was still. It lay relaxed across the roof’s surface watching the little girl expectantly. Toph sat cross-legged near the roof’s edge, sipping a cup of tea.
“You beat the dragon?” Daryl asked, stunned. Even X-23 looked amazed.
“This ol’ softy?” Toph replied. “I just slowed him down long enough so we could talk. Now, we’re having tea. I got the recipe from an old friend.” She passed a cup over to the dragon who took it daintily in its massive clawed hands. “The secret ingredient is love.”
Talat barked a greeting at the new girl. Toph smiled and stood up. “Well, gotta go.” She hopped lightly and easily onto the hoverbike. “Did I mention I hate flying?”
Daryl grinned. “Why don’t you just close your eyes and fasten your seat belt.”
“I don’t have to close my eyes, I’m bl… woah!” Toph’s snark turned into a yelp as the hoverbike sped away from the building. A block away, Micah stood up from his laptop and nodded with satisfaction.
“One mission down, one more closer to home.”
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