Operation Reconnaissance

01111 Operation Reconnaissance

"You've got an awful lot of grenades there, son."

Tristan tugged on his hat roughly, spitting at the guard's shoes. "Warfare purposes," he growled, "Did you forget there was an army? Or more importantly, a war? I never knew I had to deal with such idiotic people while simply escorting grenades."

"You're only a transporter, kid, remember your place. Get inside." The guard commanded.

The intelligent boy smirked, driving in without hesitation, leaving a cloud of dust for the guard to breathe. He peered over his shoulder, and once he was out of sight, he veered off course into a dark alleyway. A girl popped up from under the grenades, rubbing her head.

"That was rough," the charming girl commented. Tristan snickered.

"Well, you're out now. We've got to get on," replied the intelligent boy, "I'll bet you that they're already waiting for us."

"Rose?"

"Her too."

---

Jocelyn pointed directly towards the center of the map. "There is where we're supposed to get to. Supposedly an open window would give us a clean shot."

Rosalind kept silent, averting her eyes from the slightest red dot on the map that only three of the five knew about. She quietly watched as Tristan wrote down the exact times and locations of where the king and where they would be.

"Timing has to be absolutely correct. Lance, we're riding this on you. You've two minutes to silence all the guards in the warehouse and fetch us the gas bombs that I brought in earlier. Think you can manage?" Tristan asked, looking up from the map to Lancelot. The wanton boy smirked.

"No need for assistance. I've always been ready for this." Lancelot gave Tristan a confident nod.

"You two," Jocelyn cut in then, pointing at Tristan and Alexa, "Will be in charge of the mission's most important step. Make sure to get there immediately, and only kill when necessary. We cannot risk alerting the French."

Rosalind looked at the ground, away from the charming girl next to her. The ardent girl's fond attitude towards the charming girl showed just enough for Jocelyn to understand what went through her mind. The meticulous girl's eyes lingered on Rosalind for a few more moments before turning back to the map, softening just a little.

"I will be inside the halls to ensure secrecy of the mission. Rose will be waiting right there," Jocelyn pointed at a corner in an alleyway, "And the moment we get in, you'll get us back to Karavine. Right, Rose?"

"I would suppose so," came the muttered reply. The ardent girl bit down on her lip and glanced at the red dot.

No.

---

"Drop," Jocelyn muttered, curling her hand into a fist and tapping her thumb on her collarbone. She waited patiently for the signature kss-shh of a smoke grenade, which came just on time.

Jocelyn retreated to the side of the room, narrowly escaping the smoke. She snuck along the floor and reached a guard. As silently as ever, the meticulous girl executed the man.

"Lance?" the meticulous girl whispered blindly.

"Right here," a wanton boy replied.

"You told Rose?"

"She's got it figured out already, apparently."

Jocelyn chuckled softly, a soft breath of air that went unheard under the frantic screams of civilians. "I expected."

"Still the same, then?"

"Still the same, no different."

---

The charming girl was one of the last to arrive in the alleyway. She had accidentally allowed several guards to tail her. Rosalind started up their cab, gritting her teeth as she glared at her.

"Really, Lex? You're getting the worse out of this chase. Get in the back!" The ardent fencer yelled at Alexa, immediately speeding away.

Jocelyn grabbed the double ended musket, executing a guard down without looking back. The meticulous girl's smirk was reflected in the rear mirror.

Alexa ducked as a bullet shot past her head, catching the silhouette of her companion. "Rose, slow down a little," she warned.

"Knew that already, Lex, I've got this." Rosalind leaned left, pulling the wheels to its limit. She swerved across a corner, skillfully drifting enough to give Tristan the time to jump in from the roof of a building. He narrowly missed Lancelot's head as he fell, landing next to Alexa in the back.

"My word, don't decapitate me," Lancelot muttered wantonly, making Tristan chuckle in spite of their situation.

Alexa fired blindly, catching the driver right on the forehead. The car chasing them skidded to a stop, but more had appeared on the other side of the road simultaneously. Within the crowd of cars, a carefully masked black and blue sigil gleamed upon them. Two English drivers exchanged glances, acknowledging the presence of each other.

The five friends sped on, slowly getting rid of the trailing cars, sparing one in particular by busting the tires instead of executing the drivers. Charming, Intelligent, Meticulous, Wanton, and their beloved friend, Ardent, sped off into the darkness.

A man with a black and blue sigil leaped out of the disabled car, following the five friends on foot.

---

Rosalind had stopped a long way off of Karavine Institute. She jumped out of the car, holding her double ended rifle steady. Jocelyn and Lancelot followed suit, leaving Alexa and Tristan in the car.

"You guys go on ahead. We've got to send the message to Central," Lancelot told the two left in the car. Charming and Intelligent nodded. Rosalind's eyes lingered a little on Alexa; the latter grinned at the former, a rose of fondness blooming in her heart.

Three friends watched as the car sped off in the distance, separating the group once again. The last of the three friends waited for a few minutes, then turned away from the direction of the car. The last exchange between a fencer and a meticulous girl faded into the night.

"We couldn't have gone with them?"

"Central would know."

"It's always Central."

"You should know."

"I do know."

Crimson was the dark streets of London.

---

whoa the story's finished.

originally i didn't plan on it ending this way but well, whatever happens, happens i guess :-P