Shortly before take-off, the remaining members of the G7 got a narrowed down area of Czechia to look within. On researching the area and with access to satellite images, they were now heading for an abandoned fifteenth century castle on top of a cliff, which provided limited access as a result.

They had two options. Either go airborne and risk getting shot out of the sky when nearby, or take the trek up from a mile and a half away, and not be detected. The latter was the option they went with.

It was three a.m. when they landed at the drop zone where they would trek from with the additional twenty five strong team of Italy’s special forces. The Italians disembarked their helicopter and the six international Enhanceds got off Anna’s jet which was larger and had used less fuel getting to Italy than the other’s.

They were now all in their kits- Brad standing proud in his dark green jump suit with black trimming. It was designed to allow him to stretch and contort his body and give him the protection he needed.

Ferris, now adopting his ‘Two Tone’ persona was in his bright and bold white and red coloured suit where the colours were split diagonally across his abdomen. It was so bright that the Italian commander of the supporting regiment insisted he wore a ghillie suit on the advance up.

The Constable just looked heavily militarised in his navy blue fire resistant overalls and black Kevlar vest. He was armed with his solid steel baton and his gloves were capable of emitting electric shocks to incapacitate his foes.

They were all ready to go, and the castle could be seen on the crest of the cliff. It took them twenty minutes to reach their final rendezvous point before they could begin the assault on the castle. The incline had been steep in places and the width of the trails at time were so narrow that a regular person would have had to have kept their arms tucked in. Anna found this part particularly difficult.

It was still completely dark but parts of the castle were lit from inside, showing signs that there were people there. They had no idea why this had happened but they all hoped they weren’t too late.

The plan was to spread out and hit the castle silently, using the night and the element of surprise to take out the enemies one by one until they found Stephanie. Tank was suited to the more aggressive approach, so she was going to hang back and rig the place with explosives, or if it all turned south, storm in with her trusty Heckler & Koch MG68 to mop up.

The signal was given and the G7 led the way, fanning out as they did, taking a few soldiers with them each.

Proten was able to clear corners on the approach by utilising his long neck from a safe distance and pulling unsuspecting guards to him for dispatching without the need to get too close.

Tetsuo was as silent as the blossom that falls from the tree as he sliced and diced his way through the corridors and the adjacent rooms with his team of Italian soldiers searching for Stephanie.

The Constable and Two Tone were paired up and took to the lower grounds where the dungeons were located. They weren’t as heavily guarded which made them think Stephanie was being held elsewhere, if of course she was still alive.

Madam Libertié was careful not to use her fire blaster attachment or her noisy chains in combat, so instead induced a warm and intense wave of love in those she came across, allowing her to get close enough to knock them out.

The French temptress was leading her group of Italy’s finest when she came to the end of a corridor with grand double doors. One of the soldiers used a small camera to check the other side by slipping it under the door. He indicated that there was one man on the other side. Madam Libertié instructed the soldiers to wait and she opened the door and walked through. The guard turned slowly, not expecting to see a gold clad woman strutting towards him. Instantly her strengths started working on him and he greeted her as if she was his first and only love.

“Oh sweetie, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” she flirted. He didn’t have the composure to reply. “I just wanted to know…” She had her body pressed against his, running her finger down his cheek. She needn’t do that, for he was already under her spell, but she always thought why have the ability and not have fun with it. “…where Stephanie is being held.”

He quivered with urges. “T-top floor, the room over l-looking the valleeeeeey below,” he stuttered as he reached an unfortunate climax.

She smiled, expressed her thanks and knocked him out with a swift whack of elbow to the temple. Before he hit the ground, she had already turned and was speaking into her wrist mic to everyone else. "Team! Top floor. The room over-looking the valley.”

“We hear that loud and clear. All groups head to the top floor. Tank, draw them out.” The Constable commanded.

Outside, Tank detonated the explosives she had wired at the far end of the castle. Any remaining and unsuspecting guards would run towards the noise where Tank would be waiting and ready to take them out. The perfect distraction. But there was always the possibility that The Purists would equally converge on where Stephanie was, seeing through the distraction as a rescue attempt.

They moved fast. Madam Libertié fell behind Proten as they raced up a grand staircase. From above, the doors erupted open from both sides and The Purists started opening fire down on them. Instantly, Proten stretched up making himself big, his arms reaching out and up, grabbing for their attackers.

Madam Libertié returned fire with actual fire and readied her chains for some graceful close quarter combat. The 9th Regiment picked off who they could, whilst progressing up the staircase.

Elsewhere, Two Tone, The Constable and Tetsuo converged on the top floor with relative ease, and took stock in a hallway, able to look out through the windows at the view of their paths taken to the castle earlier.

“I feel like we’re close- are you alright?” Tetsuo asked the pair.

“Yeah, all good. I think Sandrine and Brad have encountered a problem but they’ll-,” the Canadian was interrupted by a door opening, where a slim, bald man and a stern looking woman with a sharp, black bob came out. Both were wearing long black lab coats.

“I assumed it was going to be a matter of time before you found us,” the stern woman said, addressing the three G7 members standing there.

To start with there were about twenty metres between them, but the two Purists kept slowly walking forward, boldly closing the gap.

“Stop there now,” Tetsuo instructed, taking control of his sword in readiness. “Or I’ll kill you both myself.”

“I’m sure you would,” the bald man sneered. “So we’ll stop here then.”

They both portrayed a certain self-assuredness, a cocky attitude which troubled The Constable. “Is Stephanie through there?” he demanded.

“Yes she is, but you’re too late,” the woman said.

“Too late for what? What did you do?” This time The Constable stepped forward.

The woman seemed unconcerned at the strengths the people in front of her possessed and simply said, “You can go and see for yourself.”

Two Tone shifted, unsure whether this was a bluff. Why were they being so accommodating? What are they planning?

“I’ve heard enough,” a German voice came through over the earpieces and before any other questions could be asked, a window shattered and the heads of both the scientist looking Purists exploded in bone and brain, as a well lined up sniper shot tore through them. The two bodies fell in a heap on the carpet.

Stretch and Madame Libertié charged into the hallway expecting the worst, but relaxed when they saw that their team mates were ok.

“Nice shooting, Tank,” congratulated Two Tone.

“You all talk too much. Now go and get Stephanie. I took care of everyone else,” she said in a matter of fact way.

The five G7 members stepped over the bodies and approached the room where the now deceased Purists came from. Proten abruptly opened the door, assured that where weren’t any guards on the other side.

The room was huge and was being lit by the rising sun from the many windows at the opposite wall. The room was bare, except for a small desk on the left and in the dead centre, a hospital bed with a drip and two monitors. On the bed was Stephanie. She wore the same headgear and collar that was put on her when she was taken and she was strapped to the bed by her arms, legs and abdomen.

But it was her wide, terrified eyes that haunted her colleagues.

They ran over to her.

“Get these harnesses off her,” Madam Libertié fretted.

“Stephanie, can you speak? Are you ok?” Proten desperately asked. “Talk to me!”

She didn’t answer. She just stared out with the same wide eyes. Her friends tore at her straps whilst The Constable examined her head and neck gear.

“They must be interrupting her neurons and her ability to use her strengths,” he surmised, examining the equipment. He was fiddling, feeling for a release catch.

“Here, I do it,” Tank said from behind. She had already made her way up to them somehow and came to the side of the bed. With one tug, she tore the gear off around Stephanie’s head. Being more gentle of the piece around her neck, she crushed it at a point so that it came off. Stephanie let out a huge gasp of relief.

And then, the tears started.

Tank stepped back and Proten moved in to comfort. She cried out in agony and through her tears, she sobbed and clawed at her hair, desperately writhing around in pain.

“Stephanie, Stephanie! Tell us what happened,” the Frenchwoman softly pushed. But her answer didn’t come for another few minutes. Through what must’ve been exhaustion, the crying stopped.

“My baby,” she started. No one spoke to interrupt. “My baby. THEY KILLED MY BABY! THEY TOOK HER. THEY TOOK HER OUT OF ME!” she hysterically screamed out, and the crying started again. Proten tried to pull her in close for comfort but she pulled away. The others looked around at each other.

“Woah, what are you saying?” Tetsuo asked, wondering if he was suffering with a language barrier.

“My baby. My baby my baby my baby! They said… they said it was disgusting and unnatural,” she started to say through the sobs. “That it was disgusting for a Pure to have a baby with an Enhanced. That my baby shouldn’t exist.”

The others shared horrified, puzzled looks between themselves. Words could not be found to make sense of what had happened to Stephanie, nor to console her.

“I begged them to kill me after they killed my baby,” she continued. “I didn’t want to live if it wasn’t going to be without my baby. But they said that that wasn't the message. They want people to know that Enhanceds and Pures shouldn’t be having babies. They kept me alive to symbolise that message.”

“Oh darling, I am so sorry that this has happened to you,” Madame Libertié soothed. “Come on, we have to get you home to Gustov, ok? He’s so worried about you and you need to be there for each other right now.”

Stephanie started crying again, so the men stepped away from the bed whilst Libertié and Tank went in to console her.

The leader of the Italian Special Forces entered the room. “We are ready for extraction now,” he said.

“Thank you, but we might need some time. We’ll be down when we’re ready,” Proten solemnly advised.

Next week in Network #3, Byting Off More Than You Can Chew, part 2...

we re-join Network and Flip and find out how they get their way out of their predicament, and if they’ll find the rare Maltese Tiger.