The news about two Valkyries visiting the old city spread quite fast. It caused some fear to spread among the population, but what most didn't know was that their presence was delaying a tragedy in the making.
In the corner of an abandoned building near the orphan's playground, a man listened to the conversation some of the kids were having with the aliens. Normally anyone with a sane mind would never dare to spy on those creatures; their senses are supposedly far superior to those of humans, allowing them to see in the dark and through walls.
Nevertheless, the man had come prepared, and thanks to the suit he was wearing, his presence wasn't detected at all.
After a while, the first alien disappeared, taking with her one of the kids. The second one followed soon after. The man waited until those who stayed behind went inside. He then waited some more, and as the silence of the night lingered, he finally tapped the device on his wrist and made a call.
"This is Gamma One reporting in." He said. "Operation Command, do you copy?"
[This is Operation Command. We hear you loud and clear, Gamma One.] A voice sounded in his ears. [Do you have an update on the Variables.]
"The Variables have left the area." The man replied. "They appear to have used teleportation to transport the Priority Target."
There was a short silence before a response came.
[Understood. The operation has been pushed back twenty minutes from now. If the Variables don't return to the scene by then you are to proceed as previously instructed.]
The man didn't respond right away. His eyes kept observing the empty playground, the night vision function of his suit painting it in a ghastly neon green.
[Gamma One?]
"Understood."
Twenty minutes later, the operation started.
Simon kept close to the wall until he reached the corner. He peeked his head and looked around then moved out leaving the others behind. They stood there in silence for a few seconds, but then the sound of gunshots pulled them back to reality and they quickly went to do as they were told.
Simon sneaked around using what little cover he could find. He heard a commotion in one of the buildings, followed by screams and several gunshots, then nothing but silence. A couple of seconds later another man dressed in military gear walked out. This one, however, was dragging an unconscious kid along.
Feeling his blood boil, Simon waited for the right moment before stepping out of his cover. The soldier, or whatever he was, barely reacted before his brain exploded by a bullet shot right from under his jaw. As his latest victim toppled to the ground, the door came into view and Simon saw another armed man carrying two unconscious children.
Their eyes seemed to meet at that moment, but before he could reach for his weapon he felt the slightly hot muzzle of a freshly fired gun press against his neck and he suffered the same fate as the other guy the next moment.
"LET GO!" came a cry. "DAAAAAD! HELP ME!!!"
The horrified cries of another kid resounded a moment later. Before he could turn around to check, Simon heard a bang, and the metallic fence beside him snapped. He left the kids where they were and quickly took cover. He struck two birds with one stone, drawing the shooter's attention away from the kids while taking a few seconds to catch his breath.
From a gap Simon saw a group of two soldiers, one pointing a gun in his direction while the other carried a kid in each arm, seemingly unfazed by their desperate attempts to free themselves.
Bullets flew and Simon was forced to hide again. His opponent was gradually closing in, his finger on the trigger. It looked like he would have no choice but to gamble, but then he saw one of his gangsters about to fling a brick at the shooter.
Timing his actions, Simon jumped out of his cover the moment the brick struck the shooter on the shoulder. Three bullets shot out and the first one fell immediately. His friend had no choice but to let go of the kids to draw his weapon, but as soon as he did two young men appeared behind him and pummeled him with the crowbars and metal pipes they held.
With things settling down in that area, more gangsters stepped out of the shadows and quickly gathered the guns, fearing that their adversaries would wake up at any moment.
"You and you, take the kids somewhere safe." Simon pointed at two of the gangsters before turning to the others. "Most of you never held a gun in your lives. Shoot only if the enemy doesn't have any hostages."
Even as he gave his orders, Simon didn't stop analyzing their situation. He didn't know who the strangers in military gear were, but he already figured out they were after the children, and he could guess why.
'So it wasn't just a rumor...'