Green Prime resolved his copies and inspected their integrity.
“I am Green Prime. This is Section 4 and the mission is go.”
Green Prime saw Nala 4 smile. “Wipe that smile off your face. I don’t like what’s happening, and after this is over I’ll see that your original gets dragged back before a committee to account for all of this.”
Red 4 scowled. “What’s our status?”
“The other sections are in motion. We’ll soon follow. We’re to make a direct run on the Hive, but not the fastest one. The other sections will clear a path; we slip through during the commotion.”
“Understood.”
The others did not say so with the conviction of the other sections, but Green Prime failed to notice as they took to the air- not in light jets, but instead launching high into the air via teleportation. Once at top altitude, each man activated a glide-pack resolved from their backplates and controlled their descent down upon the Hive.
“Once we’ve breached the Hive, we’re to fix beacons to guide the other sections to our position.” Nala 4 said, “We then hold position until we meet up with the others.”
Nala 4 noticed that Green Prime did not share the others silent consent; Green Prime’s body language gave away the man’s dislike of the situation, and Nala 4 saw that it now affected Green Prime’s judgment significantly. He suspected—but did not know—that this would spread to his copies, and he looked over to Red 4. Their eyes locked, and in a moment the two most assertive of the five concurred on a decision. They saw, similarly, that Blue also concurred; Yellow, they knew, would go along with it.
As they descended, they saw that at least two other sections engaged the Fliers patrolling about the Hive and then launching from within the Hive. They knew that one stood about the base setting the demolition charges, confirmed as they saw a group of light bikes racing straight up the Hive’s pillar after the airborne section breached the Hive and opened a hole. Nala, Red and Blue 4 looked at each other and nodded; Red and Blue 4 seized Green Prime by the limbs as Nala planted explosives on him, and then tore off Green Prime’s glide pack.
“What are you doing?”
“Ensuring the success of the mission.” Nala 4 said, “You’re compromised.”
“You can’t do this!”
“The First Founder and I already accounted for this contingency.” Nala 4 countered, and he signaled to Red and Blue. Green Prime plummeted in uncontrolled freefall, blowing up upon impact with the Hive.
Yellow 4 looked on, but did nothing. “What you do mean, Nala?”
“Remember what Blue Prime said before we started?”
The realization came over them, and they looked at Nala once more aghast.
“That’s right, brothers.” Nala said, “He and I have this all figured out. We can’t fail.”
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