Setting Fires

Cassidy’s nose twitched as she repressed another sneeze. Ever since setting foot in the dome of Atlantis the plant life had been disagreeing with her in some way or another. Her leg was still bleeding after some kind of leafy tripwire had snagged her earlier, barely a few minutes into their infiltration. It had made her more than cautious, she was practically paranoid as the gang worked their way slowly through the dense jungle. Forced to split into smaller groups, she was currently taking a wide path around the Euoplo guards with Hazard and Sparrow on her heels. They were an effective team, the Cryo took orders well and her fellow raptor was as cautious as she was. It was no secret that Cassidy butted heads with Sparrow’s sister frequently but it was equally known of her respect for the female half of the twins. That respect, partially at least, was afforded to her brother, who could match his sister in stealth even if he couldn’t in cunning.

The objective was straightforward: infiltrate the court, find the prison and free Cathedral from wherever they had her locked up. It had taken weeks for word to finally reach outlook ridge and inform them where their only flier had disappeared to, and the lack of action was still weighing heavily on Cassidy’s mind. She had never asked for the role of leader, but that didn’t change the fact that she hadn’t been a good one. The lone Oviraptor captured by their rival gang of Carnos had been helpful, telling them exactly how urgent it was that they rescue the Tapejara before full-fledged war broke out. His list of prisoners had included a flier matching Cath’s description and it had made her blood run cold the second she recognised her. Cassidy knew she could stand by no longer and had issued a call to action for the gang, come with her into the dome and rescue their lost member. She was also certain that no one had seen her freeze when the Oviraptor had mentioned a dark purple Utahraptor with a white face amongst the prisoners.

Sparrow cocked his head to the side and listened to the sound of marching Euoplos as they lay low and waited for them to pass. Once he was sure the coast was clear he raised his head and nodded at Hazard, who nodded at their leader in turn and the group as a whole began to move. He had to admire Hazard, despite her bright colouring she was doing an exceptional job at hiding in all this greenery. He himself felt exposed, his tan feathers that usually hid him well in the scrubland seemed to stick out like a sore thumb around here. Not to mention the fact that danger was ready to spring at them from any unusual plant they passed by. Cassidy had been attacked already by something laying its vines across the ground like an angler, as a result they were now moving at a snail’s pace to avoid future interactions with the violent foliage. He felt an itch under his skin to just take off, Cathedral was out there in the dome somewhere and the longer she stayed there the more danger she would be in. He could practically hear his sister chiding his impatience and forced himself to remain in formations with the others. He was sure there would be plenty of opportunities to release this frustration once they actually encountered some hostile dinosaurs.

“…” 

Hazard was still reasonably new to the gang, she’d not had a chance to establish firm bonds or rapport with the other members but she had proved useful a few times prior. For all her skill in physical stealth she lacked the same traits verbally, often feeling the need to announce things that weren’t important or added no value to the situation. This was such a time, she purposefully crushed a seedling beneath her foot and sneered, “I hate these friggin plants.” She said hushed enough to not draw attention. The irony of her hating plants was only known to those who knew her father, a budding botanist that taught the youngsters of Atlantis all about the flora around them. Whether it was the angst of youth or one too many plant lectures she was determined to disobey her father every chance she got and this seemed a prime way to do so.

As she looked between the other two in her party a crooked grin crossed her face, it felt good to be a part of something even if it was for troublesome reasons. She was eager to prove herself an asset to Cassidy and was hopeful this mission would be her time to shine. As the three stalked through the dense jungle Hazard would often take any chance she got to crush a plant or bite one in half. Actions that did not go unnoticed by her two companions.

As they came up to a clearing the party slowed down even further, peering through gaps in the foliage they could see structures set up in various places forming somewhat of a village. The buildings themselves were man-made but had been converted into more dino friendly spaces, one of particular interest has a large hole collapsed in the wall which was now blocked with wooden bars like a jail cell. If Cath was being kept here this was undoubtedly the location.Hazard positioned herself between Cassidy and Sparrow, in a low voice and pointed out the prison. “Over there by the larger building.” She gestured, drawing their attention to the holding cell. “I’d guess that’s where Cath is.”

“…”

“Nice work, Hazard,” Cassidy said quietly. The Cryo seemed to preen at the praise and she tucked that information away in the back of her mind. She looked over at the buildings, swallowed by plants and covered in the three-pointed symbol they had seen multiple times in the jungle. The clearing around the building was busy, teeming with guards of various species going back and forth with arms full of weapons and gardening equipment. From this angle there was no way of seeing inside the prison itself, meaning she couldn’t tell if either Cath or Kaiwi were in there.

“Do we move now?” Sparrow asked, his eyes locked on the target.

“No, not a chance, if we just rush in we’ll be caught and end up finding Cath the hard way,” Cassidy said grimly. She looked across to the Atlanteans again, watching how they seemed to be preparing for something and an idea sparked in her head. “First, we need to create a little chaos, two birds with one stone, let’s be a real thorn in their sides.” Sparrow grinned back at her, his white teeth flashing in his dull face. It was no secret that there was some kind of struggle taking place down here, and by capturing a member the Atlanteans had firmly placed themselves on the opposing side of the outlook ridge’s mixed pack. 

“Where to first?” Hazard asked eagerly.

“It looks like they’re trying to get a bunch of farming stuff and weapons together. Maybe we can sabotage one or both of those plans?” Sparrow suggested and Cassidy hummed.

“Good idea, one then the other, cripple both prongs of their attack,” she said, tapping her claw against the ground as she thought, missing the sound it would make if they were back on the grounds of the ridge. “Let’s go after the weapons first, that way we have more options to sabotage the plants,” she said decisively. She looked up to assess the reaction of the other two but they seemed to be willing to follow her lead. With a jerk of her head, she motioned at them to follow her and from a distance they retraced the steps of the Iggys and Euoplos that were hauling weaponry out of the clearing.

There was a short building at the end of the trail, more like a bunker entrance than an actual storehouse. Perfect, Cassidy thought, one way in, one way out. She cast her eye around the surroundings, trying to find any ideas for sabotage when Hazard spoke up.

“They use fire for their light,” she whispered, “Pretty useful for us, huh?” The Cryo was right, the artificial fluorescents still buzzed overhead but torches held live flickering flames either side of the entrance.

“Very useful,” Cassidy said, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. There didn’t seem to be a guard stationed at the door either, once the coast was clear they could easily rush in and seize the fire. It didn’t take long for another set of deliveries exited the bunker and vanished into the foliage, completely disappearing from their line of sight.The trio hurried out to the bunker, taking the metal poles in hand and brandishing the flame like the weapons they were about to destroy.

“...” 

Hazard, despite her eagerness to rush in and burn the place to the ground, waited for Cassidy to lead them in. Inside the dimly lit store room were stacks of weapons and armour, mostly crude in nature but some were evidently man-made. Oh if her father could see her now, he’d have a meltdown for sure. Hazard smirked at this idea as she followed Cassidy inside, Sparrow at her side. 

Cassidy looked around the room, “Sparrow, you take the left. Hazard, take the right. On my command we light and run.” she spoke strategically. The instructions were clear and the other two split off to their assigned sides of the bunker. Cassidy waited for them to get into position and as both looked up at her to indicate their readiness she nodded, “Now!.” She signalled as she dropped the torch into one of the open crates, conveniently stuffed with some kind of padding, the perfect tinder for their sabotage. Sparrow and Hazard followed suit, igniting their respective weapon piles.

As the smoke began to build along the ceiling and the heat within the room rose, the troublesome trio rushed out and into the clearing, smoke billowing out the exit around them. Cassidy promptly led the troop back to the foliage and they hunkered down watching intently as their plan unfolded. It didn’t take long for the Atlanteans to realise there was a fire, a pair of iggys were the first on the scene, bellowing for water and aid. Soon there was such a gathering around the bunker that it was clear their path to the holding cell was open. It was time for phase 2.

“...”