The Daughters of Men

Chapter 17

Holly looked at herself in the mirror; she had suited up, the black leather jacket across her shoulders and her guns tucked away in her sleeves. The new suit that had been made for her was much better fitting, no longer too tight in some places and too big in others. The armored areas were still there, keeping her back and chest bulletproof. Her helmet, now slicker and cleaner, was resting on her bed behind her, and she smiled a little. "You got this," she told herself confidently. "The Daughters of Men go out for blood tonight."

Taking a deep breath, Holly placed her helmet on, the smell of new shoes invading her nose. She looked around, noticing the difference in her new facial apparel. The helmet was completely smooth now, much as her father's original helmet had once been; the smooth surface looked glassier than her original helmet, but still seemed to function entirely the same. "Good girl," she muttered to herself; the voice-changer was still there, although clearly upgraded some, to make her voice a little deeper and a little louder. Shrugging, she made her way towards the main room of the Thatcher Building.

Arriving the main room, Holly realized she was the last to arrive; Elizabeth was floating a few inches in the air, her red cape lazily swaying with the moving air. Tanya was wearing her red outfit from the Chicago fight, although the clothes were repaired and she looked readier for a fight. Zoe was in her chair, dressed in a simple gray bodysuit, her hair tied into a tight bun and a harness resting on her waist like a belt. Finally, Mara was wearing a simple white t-shirt, complete with white pants, and a long white cape with what looked like wings sewn into the cloth; her hair was pulled into a braid, completing the overall look. Standing in front of them was Cutler, dressed in a sky blue three-piece suit, Jennifer Brown, wearing a white t-shirt and paramilitary pants, and Doctor Nguyen, looking down at her clipboard as she scribbled down a few notes.

"You guys are going to St. Louis," Cutler began, "with the mission of kidnapping one Caleb Warren."

"Who is Caleb Warren?" Holly asked.

"He is a person of interest," Cutler replied. "We believe he is staying in a small hotel outside of the city. Mister Warren has some information vital for this team moving forward."

"Moving forward?" Elizabeth questioned.

"We are not entirely sure what he may know," Doctor Nguyen confessed. "But he knows more than we do about this particular subject than we, so it is necessary to bring him in. By force if necessary."

"Which is why we're sending you guys," Cutler explained. "We're going to ship you guys off in just a moment. Elizabeth, you're in charge of leading this mission."

"Me?" Elizabeth asked, her voice heavy with confusion. "Why me?"

"We think that you're the best candidate for leading this team."

"Is that a 'we' or a 'you'?" Holly asked, crossing her arms.

"Something to say, Holly?" Samuel muttered loudly, his voice carrying across the room. "Were you hoping I'd select the insubordinate gunslinger to lead a team of specialized agents in a mission that needs to be handled with precision and tact?"

"No, I was hoping that maybe one time you would listen to someone that wasn't you," Holly retorted. "But I found a twenty-dollar bill in my pocket this morning, I should've known better than to hope for two good things in one day."

"Elizabeth will be leading the mission," Cutler grumbled, swallowing his frustration. "She'll give you your instructions on the way to Missouri. Miss Brown is going to be flying you to your destination in just a moment."

"Where is my suit?" Zoe blurted, causing all attention to fall on her.

"Aboard the plane," Brown replied. "It was a difficult piece to get up the elevator. You can suit up on the ride."