Triton Prism

CHAPTER THREE: ASSASSINS

A week later Douglas sat in a briefing room with the other crushers. He was scowling, flicking through a news report on a tablet screen: increased activity from Titania, there was another bank raid last night. He had his feet up on the table, scrolling with his finger as he read. Shari was studying the corkboard behind him and the others daydreamed in their seats as they waited. It was almost midday and Lysander had summoned them here; Douglas was really hoping they were going to one of Titania's bases. They had to wait for their elemental to return and tell them what the plan was.

When the door opened and the blonde man walked in Douglas quickly took his legs down and sat up with eager urgency. Lysander took a seat at the end of the long table and Shari sat down as well.

"Just under an hour ago the squad of hitmen we've been looking for were spotted in an outback town not far from here."

"What?" Douglas looked back at the printed photo of the three fugitives. Then back to Lysander "This isn't about Reburn or the Titania gang?"

"No."

"They robbed another bank! And a cargo ship!"

"Silence." Lysander reprimanded sternly. He could see how furious Douglas was, clenching his fists "I know what happened to Elise has hit you the hardest, you knew her for longer and the two of you were close. But you need to have your head in this mission."

Douglas clenched his jaw and went quiet, Lysander looked at the others "I have built and dispatched surveillance drones. They have a few hours battery life but can travel at exceptional altitudes and have state-of-the-art cameras. One is fixed on their location, they're travelling the forest on foot toward the city and aren't aware they're being tracked. Taking them down will be your first group mission. All of you will go." Lysander leaned back into his chair.

"All of us? Even the ones who aren't Mark Three?" Kanra asked.

"Yura should stay back and out of the fight. But yes, all of you are going."

"Yes!" Shari was excited while Yura went nervously pale.

"Are we taking Lucifer?" Douglas bit back his frustration to ask.

"It's a bit risky for him to carry five of you. Instead you'll take a tram and a tracker for the surveillance drone's beacon. You need to leave now before we lose them."

"Alright," Kanra set his palms on the table and stood "Let's catch these criminals!"

The five crossed the road-path by their house to the tram station and the oval-shaped carrier arrived for them, having been ordered by Lysander. They boarded and it zipped along. Country landscape and trees flew by the windows.

Douglas glanced at the others and saw Yura sitting hunched, with her hands tightly knitted "Nervous?"

She looked up "Yeah... I'm scared. Aren't you?"

"When you do it enough you realize there's scarier things out there." He squeezed his hands together and hunched forward, black eyes lowered "Lysander doesn't give us missions we can't handle. Usually..."

"What about... Elise?" Yura understood the undertone in his voice, her fellow crushers went quiet and Douglas clenched his jaw.

It was Kanra who cleared his throat to answer her "Elise was Lysander's first crusher. She was really strong. She had lightning, Lysander's own element, so she could even beat me real easy." The big guy admitted in a rare moment of honesty "Everyone and even Lysander thought she was going to awaken the Ramei. But Douglas and her were together when... well... no one expected the Titania gang to use bullets. There weren't supposed to be guns on Haphestus."