Warslave

Chapter 3: Preparations

Viper

Their briefing and departure would be in several hours. Wolf had made off to inform the others and leave instructions, while Viper was left to prepare their gear. There was usually more time for that, as they had a designated recovery time after they had been on a mission.

It was highly unusual for them to have to bounce from mission to mission on a moment's notice, but that did not mean it had never happened before.

Viper moved around the facility's armoury, restocking whatever he felt they would need, while taking notes for whoever would be put on tech support for the mission, so they would know any requests or missing gear.

Most of what he refilled was knives, though he considered bringing some of the heavier explosives. Given the nature of the mission, he wasn't sure they would be useful. No, he had to rephrase that, he wasn't sure that level of destruction was desirable for the mission.

And if destruction was required for some reason or other, their handler would just call for extermination protocols, meaning the explosives would most likely be unnecessary. He moved past them, making sure to instead note down for tech support to make sure that both he and his brother would have spare materials stored in their amulets.

After he had taken care of mission supplies and moved to the large, empty briefing room, he found himself in a rare situation: he truly had nothing better to do than wait and think. As he did, his mind conjured up scenarios from previous missions. It was something he had trained himself to do, always assessing his own actions, analysing them and improving his approach. It was something he could do even when his mind was occupied by other things.

He started moving, following the steps his mind told him he should have taken, while thinking about what had happened only hours earlier. Something about that mission had rubbed him the wrong way. He'd always believed that his kind's servitude was only temporary, but he'd always focussed on finding the ideal moment to strike, rather than the soonest. Yet now his mind was running in circles, arriving at the same conclusion at every given opportunity: he wanted out. Or rather, he wanted to turn all the skills and abilities they had so painfully ingrained into him, and turn them against those that fancied themselves his masters.

"Wolf is the problem in all that."

He'd barely noticed Greyhound approaching, until the old man had started talking. Viper did not stop moving, but his mind now focussed on the old man, rather than his own uneasy thoughts.

Greyhound continued after Viper remained quiet, though not without some input on the younger Warslave's technique.

"Keep your left elbow closer to your side. Wolf needs to be convinced before those thoughts go anywhere."

"What thoughts?"

It came out more aggressive than Viper had meant.

"Please, it's painted all over your face. And you're not the only one. Spider, Scorpion, Wildcat, Caracal, Bullshark and Fox have the exact same thoughts and want to put them into action. Some others would be harder to convince, Jackal, Bear and Tiger mainly. The others have thought about it, as far as I know, but thinking and doing are entirely different things."

"And you think I would act."

"I know you."

"Not without-"

"Not without your brother, I know. Having him on our side before we act would be best, given his position. We'd have a hard times convincing the doubters without him, and Spider and Bullshark would outright follow him, regardless of their own opinions."