The next day we tell Liberty Stars about our 'anonymous tip', which gives them two days to arrange a raid for the evening of the auction itself. The organization has a whole process for handling intel like this, and it's rather interesting to see it all in progress. First, I write up a report to submit to one of the paper-pushers (whoo, paperwork...). Given the short timeframe before the auction and the fact that everyone's pretty high-strung right now because of the Baitmaster search, things start moving pretty quickly from there.
I was a little worried that Marcy and I might get pushed out of the operation, given that we're just newbies, but fortunately that's not how Liberty Stars operates. Fame is the foundation of a superhero's income, and they seem to be smart enough to realize that if the newbies never get any credit for their work, they'll stop passing on info to the rest of the group. That said, we're definitely not in charge. Which, you know, fair - neither of us have any experience with organizing an investigation and a raid, so I'm happy enough to push all of that hard work off onto someone else.
It all starts off with an investigation into the pawn shop itself. Baseline employees do record and financial searches on the place, while some sort of sensory-focused heroes take charge of watching the building in person. I'm not kept up on all the details, but apparently there are some 'irregularities' with their money. Stuff that would normally just look like a bit of money laundering, but could be a sign of a larger organization at work.
At the same time, a roster starts getting organized for the actual raid. There's Marcy and I, obviously, and Cold Call and Silver Sensation are quick to sign up. There's actually a lot of other volunteers as well, though. None of the local A-listers like Impact, but half a dozen other mid-tier heroes join in. It sounds like even more were interested, but having twenty heroes on one bust would probably hurt more than it helps.
The afternoon before the raid we get summoned to another conference room for a briefing, this one a little larger than the last we've been to. I spot Silver and Cold already there when we arrive, but there's an older woman standing at the front to do all of the talking. Mid-forties, starting to go a bit gray, and...no offense, but not really the body I would expect from a superhero, a bit on the skinny twig side. There's also the fact that she's the only one here not in costume, so I'm guessing she's one of the baseline support staff.
As we take a seat, the woman nods and gets started. "Seems we're all here, so let's discuss what we're calling Operation Easy Money. Thanks again to our newbies, Tender Marcy and Super Stinger, who helped get the ball rolling on this. To give a quick roster rundown, our other operatives for this raid will be Silver Sensation, Cold Call, Lightweight, Greenwar, Tiptop, Windup, Front Man, and Redline. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Jasmine Mcguire, operations specialist here at Liberty Stars. I know many of you haven't worked together before, but I trust you're all aware of at least the basics of everyone's capabilities?"
I nod - Marcy made sure I studied! We'd gotten the basic profiles of everyone before the meeting, and I'd run through them. I don't know their real names and with the costumes on I don't know much about their looks, but I at least know about their powersets. Starting with the dudes, Lightweight's a simple flier, usually just support work. Greenwar controls plants, and given that the man's 'costume' appears to be a thick-layered armor of roots, I assume he can handle things in a close-up fight. Windup has the ability to overload people's nervous system with a touch, which is apparently effective for non-lethal takedowns, while Front Man is your basic tank. The man's costume even has a target on his chest!
For the gals, Tiptop is...apparently physically perfect. As a superpower. I guess that means she's basically Olympic-level skilled in, like, everything? Not superhuman in any one thing, but pretty strong when you add in all those skills together. Going by how her body fills out that dark blue suit with the triangle - or pyramid? - on front, I'd wager her skills aren't the only thing she's good at. Redline meanwhile is a force field generator, but rather than big barriers or shields, her specialty is smaller constructs. Always red, I guess, like her outfit.
Everyone else nods along as well, so Jasmine continues. "We're expecting this raid to uncover up to two dozen clientele of an underground auction, along with at least a dozen staff and possibly a number of human captives. We've also identified two known low-ranking villains-for-hire who we've found entering the location this week - Rep-Tail and Endzone."
She brings up a slide with pictures of two guys, one covered in lizard scales (and indeed with a big fat honking tail, so there's some truth in advertising for you), and one capture from a security camera of a guy in a blue and white suit crashing through a wall somewhere. "Rep-Tail is identified as a minor threat, with abilities including sharpened claws and teeth, and a tail which can deliver heavy blows, along with very slightly improved regeneration. Endzone is classified as a 'cannonball'-type speedster, making him a moderate threat in comparison."
I raise a hand, wondering if I've missed out on some common lingo. "Uh, cannonball?"
Cold Call grins and answers for me. "Speedsters that can't change their direction once they start moving. However, they tend not to get hurt when they crash into things, either. In most ways they're not as bad as a normal speedster, but if they run head-on into someone without decent armor or toughness, things can get...messy."
"Right. Not gonna stand in his way, then."
"Assuming you run into him at all, yes, that would be a good strategy." Jasmine gives me a thin smile before continuing. "Speaking of positioning, let's discuss arrangement and responsibilities. Lightweight, as usual you'll be on overwatch. Keep an eye out for runners, enemy reinforcements, other hazards like that. You know the deal."
The man nods with a smile on his face, although he doesn't sound particularly enthusiastic. "That I do, Jasmine." I wonder if maybe he's tired of being in a support role like that? But if literally all he can do is fly, I'm not surprised that's the job they give him. Jasmine continues on though.
"Tender Marcy, you'll remain on the perimeter with our law enforcement support and be ready to heal any injured. Once things have been more or less cleared, you'll join in on the first team to aid any captives or other casualties."
Marcy frowns, less happy about her role than Lightweight. "I can do that, but I'm pretty tough on my own, too. Wouldn't it be better for me to go in with the other heroes so I can react faster if something goes wrong?"
Redline answers her, in a rather strict tone of voice. "There's no telling what the layout of things might be down there. There might be multiple levels, sealed areas, traps...if you get pinned down somewhere, you'd be of no use to any other squad. It's better that you be ready to react after we know what we're dealing with, not before."
I take it her tone just comes from a place of 'senior hero trying to help out a newbie', but I'm still not very fond of her shutting Marcy down like that! Still, Marcy's more accepting than I am, and gives her a nod. "Good point. Thank you, Redline."
"I appreciate your willingness to help and to risk yourself, but there's many ways to do that." Jasmine gives her thin smile again before proceeding. "Now, as to our infiltration teams. There's two angles of attack, the front door and the rear exit, including a loading dock. We rather suspect that the way down is closer to that loading dock, but we do need to ensure that we subdue the shop's front-level employees. There's no telling how much they're aware of exactly, but we have to assume that they will at the very least be willing to raise the alarm in the event of an attack. Therefore, for our front team we recommend that Silver Sensation lead a squad including Windup and Super Stinger."
Silver chuckles, although he doesn't seem surprised. "Me in front to catch all of the attention, while our two disablers take the employees down before an alarm can be raised? Sounds good to me - if you two think you can take a few civilians down quickly and without incident?" He addresses that to both of us, but he mostly looks at me - is that just because I'm the new girl? And here I thought we had some trust between us!
Still, I give him an enthusiastic response. "Shouldn't be an issue! If it's one thing I'm good at, it's handling a couple of guys quickly and efficiently - even if it's two or three of them at once!"
If Silver and Cold shift in their seats a little at that, no one else seems to notice. Windup doesn't at least, as he gives his own response. "We'll have to keep an eye on the customers, too - especially if some of them are their 'special' clients."
Jasmine agrees. "Indeed. But do keep in mind that there could well be bystanders, so be cautious. Tiptop, you'll be leading the rear squad of Greenwar, Cold Call, Front Man, and Redline. While we expect their heavy-hitters will be deeper below, you can expect there to be at least some level of security to handle up top. Your objective will be to make an entrance, secure it, and identify the quickest route to the lower levels. Given that this isn't exactly regulation construction, we can't guarantee that there will be stairs or other alternative methods of ingress."
Tiptop grins, and even her teeth look dentist-model perfect! "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to rappel down an elevator shaft if it comes to it. Then once we're down there, it's the usual 'beat up the bad guys and save the day', I expect?"
"Well, I'm not about to instruct you on matters I know you understand quite well. But yes - disable their superhuman muscle as well as any other security they may have hired, subdue the auction clients, and locate the captives and determine their condition. Additionally, we can't rule out that some of the items on sale may be dangerous - various superweapons created by either heroes or villains show up at this sort of event far too often, and if they get desperate they may be willing to use them. In general, securing the stolen property is still important, but lowest on the priority list."
With the general overview given, there's a few more questions from different people on technical matters I would've never even thought to ask. Contingency plans, questions about local utilities, questions about the likely media response. I'm sure most of it's pretty important, but it kind of flies over my head. All I know is - go in, sting some people, get downstairs, sting some more people, save the day! Eventually Jasmine wraps things up though.
"I think that's everything. We'll do one final update tomorrow afternoon in case there's been any further developments, then we'll launch the operation tomorrow evening. Best of luck - and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me." She turns her attention onto Marcy and I. "For our newcomers, I hope that your first major operation with Liberty Stars is a successful one. It could do quite a bit to shape your careers going forward."
Marcy gives a solemn nod in return, but I can't help but grin. "That's just what I'm hoping for, Miss Mcguire! I have a good feeling about this..."