A Second Wind: Book One, A Legacy Found

Chapter 5: In the Dark of the Night

Only the sound that was clear was the chirping of the crickets preforming their nighttime symphonies. While they beautiful, and reminded Zephyr of home, they seemed quite annoying now. Especially when he was currently out in the field.

He and everyone else (with the exception of Aunt Maria and Damian) had left for the mission, just before the sun went down. Zephyr was still a little disappointed about his limited role in the operation, but after the previous evening's...discussion...with Mari, he wasn't about question the cross-breed anytime soon. So, he was going to do the best he could with what he had.

Crouching underneath thick brush the young hedgehog had an almost perfect view of the targeted facility. The large rounded metallic structure loomed over him, scraping the starless night sky. Only lit with large white spot lights. A number of guards (all of whom were clearly armed) patrolled the interconnected system of balconies and stairs that hung on the rounded wall.

There was a barely audible beeping from the comm link in his left ear (Sparky as the mission assigned support specialist decided that it would be better to use the older stealth G.U.N comms, rather than the normal ones they wore on their wrists). Zephyr took a deep breath, and answered.

There was a blip of static and then the familiar voice of a two tailed fox crackled through, "Zephyr you there?"

"Roger," Zephyr replied in a hushed voice.

"How many doors on the silo are there? Other than the entrance."

"Uhm...Seven. Why?"

"You-Know-Who, structures and building always has a door to the outside on every floor, unless said floor is under ground."

"Why?"

"Don't ask, me. I don't know. Now, how many doors are there?"

"Oh, right. Uh...Like six."

"Okay, how many guards do you see on the outside?"

"Uhm, I see seven maybe eight on this side of the building, and it's probably the same on the other side."

"What about grounds around the silo?"

Zephyr winced, "Double the amount then the ones on the actual silo."

"Oh, boy. Okay."

"Is everything alright? Did I do something wrong?"

"Yeah, it's fine. You did great. Come on back to the nest."

Zephyr nodded and cut the call, dashing back towards the temporary base. He and others had set it up only an hour ago in one of the secluded caverns in the nearby mountain.

...

Her plum eyes peered out the small hidden mouth of the cave. Angie drew in a shaky breath, and her left wing twitched. She was actually outside. She was actually on a mission. She was actually going to break in to that silo. Follow in her mother's footsteps. Nervous, couldn't even begin to describe what she was feeling, but at the same time excitement wasn't the right word either. To enter the enemy's territory, to pick all their locks and discover all their secrets. The idea was stealing her breath away from her.

She glanced down towards the pathway that led to the cave. A bright streak of blue lightning was dashing up it at unbelievable speed. She watched as the young blue speedster skidded to a halt in front of the cave entrance. She smiled at him, as he brushed off the dust that coated his fur.

He started to rub at his new painted eyes, "I don't know why Mari wanted me to wear this."

"Don't pick at the makeup. The face paint is to make sure that even if you're seen you won't be recognized," Angie said, looking at the now smudged black eyeliner that was painted over the young speedster's upper face and covering the pink parts on his frosted quills.