Operation Shadowed Daylight [Storyteller | Elise]

Despite the fact it was a pleasant day when it came to the weather, Elise had to admit that there was a sense of tension, perhaps it was her education in the medical field and her interest in psychology that had made the young lady more sensitive and prone to notice such things. Indeed, while it was a peaceful afternoon with clear skies and street traffic was at a minimum, Elise knew from her experience that this peace was but like the calm before a storm, a veil which concealed the true darkness that was infecting the shadows of Nakano.

She had to admit that Yasuke's insistence on playing some calming jazz music on the ride to their destination was a boon, music did do wonders to help soothe her emotions, even if she was still feeling tension from the seriousness of the situation. It wasn't fear, nor excitement, it was the awareness, the responsibility that she was going to be involved in a mission of such importance that made it clear she had to use all her skills and experience to ensure the trust of her mentor would not be misplaced.

Even if she had been given the files a few days prior to the operation, even during the ride Elise had been occupied memorizing every detail she could, the handheld device she had brought along serving both as a means to communicate with her companion, but also to keep records of all the intel she needed. Fortunately her mentor did insist to go over the things again prior to the start of the operation. She nodded her head firmly at Yasuke's words. She knew that while the police forces were steadily gaining ground in Nakano, their quest to get rid of the Inagawaro Yakuza proved to be tricky, and till now no key figures responsible behind the structure of the clan were able to be captured yet. However, this operation was meant to be a decisive blow, the opportunity to capture a key figure of the Inagawaro clan and start to methodically dismantle them. Elise listened attentively as the man explained they would be coordinating an SAT unit, an elite force known as the Tiger Squad on a raid on an Inagawaro safehouse.

"A loose thread can cause an entire ball of yarn to unravel, and it seems we knew where to pull." Elise smiled briefly, although she still remained focused as she was looking over at the various images and blueprints of the amusement park. So today there would be a number of deliveries, and their fondness for sticking around and using it like a hangout was a vulnerability her mentor intended to exploit. The fact she was permitted to use her quirk showed just how important the operation truly was, and the small arctic fox perched onto her shoulder. So her mentor's team would be breaching from the east, the three assigned to her would clear the west side of the complex. Nodding her head firmly she looked at the profiles of the three SAT officers, it appeared the team's composition was balanced as expected, a vanguard, a breacher and then Fang who would be a key asset to deal with Taniguchi.

So the enemy was going to be armed, as expected but to think they might even have possession of handguns and a Quirker was worrying, but then again considering the unit had prepared measures to deal with Quirkers made it clear that they were prepared for such a threat.

Elise exited alongside her mentor, her gaze settling onto the younger woman whose cold look reminded her of someone. "Understood, I'll get to work." She smiled briefly at Yasuke and turned toward the three members of the unit she would be leading. The comment about a callsign made her think for a moment, it made sense for her to use the alias she had inherited from Kiryu-sensei, and yet she recalled Tetsuko's concerned expression in the aftermath of those events. Her enrollment into the Public Safety Commission was a choice she made, a decision that would reduce the danger and risks she'd get herself involved into, so that Tetsuko wouldn't need to worry so much, so that... she would always have someone to return home to.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Pounce, Hyde and Fang. You may call me..." She pondered for a bit, her gaze drifting at Yasuke for just a moment upon which she turned her focus back to the team. "Eden's Verse" Meanwhile the fox on her shoulder chimed softly. "And I'll be Muse, I will be assisting Meister in her recon work and communication with you all while in the field." Elise nodded her head briefly. "Muse here is a creation made by my Quirk, she is capable of communicating mentally with me from a distance and through technology provide me with a detailed mapping of her surroundings, she can provide me accurate info up to twenty meters, beyond that, I'd have to rely on her sight."

With the explanation out of the way she decided to add one last thing. "I will do my utmost to guide you all to the best of my capacities, but keep in mind I wish to see all of you return, after all I got to prove to Pounce here that I'm not a 'little lady' when we go for drinks afterwards~" With a playful wink she looked at the three of them and waited to see if they had any comments left to make, else she would watch Lyse jump off her shoulder and hop onto Hyde's shoulder. "Since you're the big guy with the shield, I'll be sure to keep myself all safe and comfortable near you~ I might look like a fox but I'm actually a slime girl, so please don't panic if I turn into goop to hide myself~"

At least it seemed Lyse was already making herself comfortable with the squad! But for now it seemed the final introductions were being made.

She had to admit that the trio she was left to coordinate was interesting to say the least. Hyde reminded her a bit of Kirk, a tall and friendly giant who fortunately lacked Kirk's loud enthusiasm, Pounce who seemed more easygoing and friendly, and then Fang who seemed so cold and professional, but perhaps that was something one needed in the field. Pounce's joking reference about her callsign earning a brief smile from the pink-haired lass when finally the conversation shifted a little toward the subject of the little fox.

"Correct, she is quite alike to Heaven-on-High's birds, and functions better in enclosed spaces." Of course, as she expected Fang did not waste any time to remind her that she'll be guiding the group from afar through the bodycams and mics. Of course, considering her inexperience they were free to disregard her orders at any time. She nodded her head firmly in response. "I'll make sure that you will have no reason to disregard them Fang."

With the others joining the cold-blooded lass on their way to the breaching point, Elise nodded her head lightly at her mentor upon his return. Meanwhile Elise adjusted the headset lightly, and as she took her seat at the right side of the van, the words of encouragement spoken by her mentor earned a brief smile from Elise. "It is understandable that she is doubtful about me, gives me all the more reason to make sure this operation ends successfully without any casualties."

Once the command was given by Heaven on High to begin the operation and the units were ready to breach, Elise turned her focus onto the bodycams which showed the Bravo team had gathered at the entrance to the arcade. She had memorized the layout of the amusement park as much as possible by now.

"This is Eden's Verse, once you have breached the door into the arcade, advance through the lobby Hyde, Fang set up behind the counter, it's possible hostiles will approach from the barrel room to the east, the staircase leading to the second floor or the joint corridor, Pounce cover Hyde's flank and ensure none are ambushing you from the second floor. Once inside Muse should be able to detect incoming hostiles."

It was fortunate that Lyse had such a enhanced sense that she could likely notice the enemy in advance when they approached, it did give her unit a certain advantage. Feng being positioned behind the counter allowed her to cover the barrel room entrance and remain under cover from a potential attack from the staircase, while Pounce would benefit from Hyde's riot shield, after all with Hyde leading the vanguard, an attack from the joint corridor would have to get through him first, and it was doubtful that an ambush from the stairs would work in the enemy's favor when both Fang and Pounce were able to react, not to mention Lyse being able to warn them in advance.

This was it, her first real mission, her opportunity to save lives even before they were endangered. It was for this reason she had studied so hard under Heaven on High, to become a strategist who could help keep the casualties to a minimum and ensure the success of their mission was made into a reality. But for now she waited for the breach to unfold.

With her advice given Elise was ready to witness the results of her training. Pounce's comment about the grenades did not go unnoticed, Elise wordlessly making note of it in case she would have any use for those during the mission. As the countdown began and the breaching happened, Elise could feel the tension in her body, the strong slam of the battering ram destroying the locking mechanism and breaching open the door as the three of them entered the lobby.

Through the body-cams Elise could see the four Yakuza thugs that were in the lobby. The first one, a thug by the stairs immediately raised his hands in the air, a gesture of surrendering, although the ones by the counter seemed more willing to put up a fight. One of the Yakuza members was preparing to attack, but it appeared Hyde and Fang were faster, the element of surprise clearly working in their favor.

The first one ended up being pelted by a small burst of rubber bullets, tumbling back behind the counter, seemingly temporarily dazed by the attack. The second thug had been more dangerous, almost able to fire off a shot, but Fang showed her expertise with firearms, skillfully taking down the thug with the rubber bullet that hit the thug right in the head! That was one hostile down. The one on the couch was still cowering, but the threat of the situation came in the form of the thug that was hiding behind the opposite side of the counter, where he was shooting blindly at the group!

And things were getting worse, for a hostile was approaching from the stairs, and another one was coming through the barrel room with reinforcements! It was time for her to think quickly! "Pounce, toss a gas grenade at the barrel's room entrance, hostiles are approaching from there, and your grenade likely will flush out the remaining hostile behind the counter. Fang, prepare to fire as soon as they get out of hiding if the smoke gets too close to you, relocate, they shouldn't be able to advance through the barrel room while the gas grenade is obstructing their passage, meanwhile, prepare for an incoming hostile from the staircase."

For a moment she remained to look through the bodycams, thinking for a moment when finally she spoke. "Make sure that cowering hostile near the couch won't be able to get the drop on any of you, I'd suggest cuffing them if you have handcuffs, else Render them unconscious, you don't want the risk of leaving them undealt with."

Elise raised a hand to her chin, looking at the map she had on display on her handheld device and tried to think ahead for the next course of action. With the barrel room blocked, they likely would try to advance through the regular corridor, which had Hyde watching it with his shield, so overall she hoped her strategy would work. It was a little bit like those strategy games she used to play, but unlike them, they were much more serious in nature, since here human lives were in her hands!

It was odd how in the past the sound of gunfire would have terrified her, however in the development of those last years Elise felt it was tuned out from her in a way. Gunfire was no longer terrifying, it was a telltale of conflict, and depending on who heard it could be considered a weapon of information to exploit. Of course, one of the important aspects of breaching, was that upon the creation of this point of infiltration, it made them lose the opportunity to move silently. It was different from the silent and stealthy approach that she and Kiryu-sensei had used, a approach that relied on mobility, quick movement and the element of surprise. By all means the enemy should not know they were there.

A breaching was entirely the opposite, and while one might argue that it meant one should take the opportunity given by the element of surprise to go in guns blazing, Elise saw that not as an option. While the unit was well-trained, the enemy had the advantage of numbers, and she did promise each of them would return home tonight. This meant that she had to act defensively and yet due to the large amount of positions new hostiles could emerge from, she had to put her creativity to the test. Fortunately her tactic worked like a charm, using one of his grenades, Pounce had flushed out and stunned the hostiles who were hiding behind the lobby counter and approaching from the barrel room.

Meanwhile as Fang skillfully neutralized the remaining hostiles that came from the room and Pounce caused the Yakuza upstairs to retreat, Elise listened carefully on the chatter of the field operatives. It seemed the area had been secured, and Pounce reminded her that they only had a few pepper bombs left, not to mention they would affect themselves also. However, a sense of urgency would soon overcome her when she heard a cry for help from further inside. A hostage?! Initially she was about to call for the unit to go after the call, but then something stopped her: They were on a mission, and it was quite likely that the Yakuza would set up an ambush, possibly even use the hostage as a decoy.

What could she do? What should she do? Internally she had memorized the layout of the building, but this type of intel was a new- "Heaven-on-high, there is a possibility of hostages within the building, we just heard a call for aid."

Elise felt her breathing grow calmer, slower, a trick she had learned in the past. People often were taught to try to focus on the rhythm of your breathing to calm down, but for Elise, she could also do it in order to focus more.

"It's likely they plan to use a potential hostage to catch us by surprise, probably set up an ambush." Think Elise, how could they prevent casualties, while making sure about there being a hostage? Well... "Yakuza consider their kin family, don't they... Hyde, ask the Yakuza if there are hostages inside the building?"

Once he had answered she would resume. "Now gag him, worst case we'll use him to make the remaining Yakuza hesitate. Surely they won't just shoot one of their own?" Not an ideal solution, but till Heaven on High could confirm, or they found out for themselves about the identity of this cry for help? It was the best thing she could think of... "Proceed toward the direction of the voice, but be careful, I know the urgency of the situation, but we might as well be walking into a trap... As soon as I get more intel about potential hostages... Lyse run a scan of the nearby area, do you catch anything that might look like a hostage?"