Playing With Sharks

[Sreeya]

“Care for another drink, Amelie?”

“Of course…”

Axelle had to present a fake smile, her French manicured fingers wrapped around an elegant wine glass. In truth, she hated everything about this place. It was so far from combat or the field she loved to operate in. This was a party: A large, extravagant party thrown for the fat cats of the galaxy doing an under the table business deal. That was why she was assigned to this job. The man sitting directly next to her was General Gorgovich.

“You can call me Yuri.”

The portly man added a wink after the comment. Axelle had to keep her sultry grin plastered across her face. For the first time in many years, she was in a dress. It was a red dress that tightly fitted around her slender frame, a slit running up along the right leg. Naturally, she also wore a garter with guns holstered in them. Her purse also had a small blaster in it. It took a lot of sweet talking to be able to get into this classy party. However, for whatever reason, Yuri Gorgovich had taken to her right away. It all started with him marveling at the battle scars tainting her creamy white skin, accenting her features. Axelle had believed it to be a penalty to her mission, but it only enhanced her in his eyes.

The party was held in the upper city of Taris, where the snobbiest of people dwelled. Everything here was snazzy and high class, with the topics ranging from politics to finances. The music was gentle and provided for ambiance. There were the stuffy women that often cast her a curious glance, wondering how Axelle had sneaked into such an exclusive party. She had deduced that everyone here had circles and connections with one another, and all the ‘new blood’ was viciously scanned and scoped out before they could join in. Axelle, fortunately, had caught the eye of one of the higher ups, and no one questioned her.

The table she sat at had all of Gorgovich’s henchmen at it. However, they were dressed as classy as everyone else, appearing to be like family to the former Alsakan general. Axelle knew she was making outstanding progress. Gorgovich’s brother, Sasha, already made it clear she was a treat to have around. The S-13 agent impatiently drummed her fingers on the table, watching as the men around her began to get drunk. Her vigorous training had raised her tolerance to alcohol, leaving her alert at all times. She knew the topic of anti matter would come up eventually. Her research told her that the man sitting adjacent to her was Kado Waris. He was in on this deal. Studying his expression told her that he was getting more and more impatient. His cheeks reddened and his grip on his glass tightened as the men veered off into frivolous topics such as podracing and gambling.

 

[Santoro]

It was growing late on Taris as the guests continued to arrive at the General's highly publicized ball, drawing the finest of Taris'es upper class. Luxurious ball gowns, hand made tuxedos, all were the minimum to be accepted in the best of the best, the 'party to end all parties'. While simply another night on the town for many of the galaxy's socialites, a man was there for an entirely different reason.

Secret Agent Arden Gunel, codename White Knight. The premiere agent for the Republic's finest intelligence organization Sector 13. The scourge of the underworld, stalker of crime, feared by those who had heard his name... And some by those who hadn't. Atypical for his style, Arden had not donned a suit and strolled through the front door- Gorgovich was too smart for that. He'd been spotted on his way in by some of the retired Alsakan General's agents, and after a quick and rather messy scuffle he'd managed the details to get closer to his target.

Another ten meters, then a turn left. he reminded himself, sliding along the long, narrow ventilation system he'd grown accustomed to in his past few missions. A murmur of conversation below him- Gunel took the next patch very slowly. Here. Gunel stopped, pressing his ear against the bottom of the vent. He timed his breathing, slow, shallow... Careful... It was quiet. He righted himself, pointing his watch down at the bottom of the shaft.

BZZZZZT! The chrono's tiny cutting laser went to work on the thin durasteel, shearing it like a razorblade through a tomato. Upgraded models were a wonderful thing- the fact that he had the only one in the galaxy was even better. With a clatter, the smoldering metal fell to the floor, the secret agent following it and landing in a crouch. His intelligence was dead on- he had wound up in the janitorial closet, dark and deserted. Gunel stood and began unzipping his unibody jumpsuit, tossing it in the corner and straightening his trademark black-on-white tuxedo. After a moment, Gunel cracked open the door, peering out in careful anticipation. Movement down the hall...

Arden squinted his eyes, his hand dropping inside his jacket.

"Oh, Usul..." Gunel smiled. Just a rather excited couple. Quickly and silently, White Knight slipped out of the closet and continued down the darkened service hallway, letting instinct lead him upwards and inwards, further into the fortress that the Alsakan called home.

Intelligence reports had traced over a ton of antimatter to the ex-Alsakan General and suspected terrorist, Yuri Gorgovich, enough to wipe out the core a million times over. He had been placed near the top of Sector 13's hitlist, and the bounty on his head by Republic Intelligence was enough to retire on. Arden had no interest in either- this was personal. This was before the Organization. This is about Teresa. This is about Andrew.

Arden inched down the hallway, reading the signs on the door coded in Alsakan. He stopped abruptly at one- Security. He opened the door, taking one, two, three strong strides in.

"Woah, you're not allowed in here. I'm calling the gua-agh!" A body hit the floor. Two of the computer operators spun in their chairs, pulled out of their audio monitoring by the vibrations through the floor.

Pewt pewt! Thud, thud. The Sector 13 ghost stepped over the corpses, keying in an override for a security shutdown. Within seconds, the guards were running blind. Retinal scanners went offline. The path was clear, and he stepped onto that path.

Moments later, ((Start reading fast)), the odd man out at the party stepped into the main ballroom, surveying the mass of people milling about. He stared down the flight of steps into the sea of bodies, the cluster of tables... Ah-ha! At the long table, near the door. I should have known. He began weaving his way through the crowd, his cold, vicious eyes of a killer locked on his target.

Kado was getting impatient as well. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking out at the strangers, locking eyes with... No. It can't be. He took a sip of his drink, found his hand was shaking. It's a ghost. It can't be.

PSSSSHHHHHHH!

A scream as the crowd broke into a panic- strange smoke from a well-rolled smokebomb began filling the ballroom. Still, the agent came, his hand reaching in his jacket. Kado reached in the same way. No!

BANG BANG BANG! More screams as a crossfire of slugs destroyed fountains, pinged off doors. Gunel had slid behind one of the support pillars, Waris tucked behind the table that had once had balanced his food. A tense pause- Did I get him?

A swish of movement, and from the side launched Gunel, trademark pistol whirling to action. Kado mimicked the movement and the two met in the middle, pistols clattering away in mirrored disarms.

"General, run! Assassin!"

"Security, security!" The General shouted as he grabbed his woman, dragging her towards their private escape. A pounding of boots sounded down the hallway, just over the thud of fists connecting with flesh as Kado connected with his assailant at a great cost- his head quickly flung down and slammed on the table's edge. He stumbled back and leapt towards one of the fallen pistols, grabbing it as Arden grabbed the other. The pair brought them up, a single shot rang out... And White Knight's borrowed weapon arced across the room, landing ten meters away. Beaten by my own gun. Arden looked at Kado with a deep hatred, his hands raising in surrender as the General's guards circled him.

"*cough* Well, Arden! It's been quite a long time." Kado stood, stolen pistol leveled at Arden's forehead.

"Too long, Kado."

"I disagree, old friend." The hammer clicked back in an ominous motion, but Arden just smiled. "I never was one for speeches. Or goodbyes."

"Me either, partner. We'll have to save it for next time."

"No next times, Arden." White Knight smiled.

BOOM! The structural pillar shuddered as the remote charge detonated, sending shards of stone in every direction. Kado knew this trick, and fired once, twice, three times... And as the smoke cleared, saw he had missed. He looked around, and Gunel was nowhere to be found... The shattered window his only trace.

[YOUTUBE]jRPWFzONm88[/YOUTUBE]​

 

[Sreeya]

For all of her resourcefulness and knowledge, Axelle could never have anticipated what had happened. She glanced over at Kado, and he provided the first clue. He stiffened as he gazed up at someone who was not Yuri. The pure terror in his eyes caused her to glance over. Within seconds, the same look of surprised graced her usually emotionless mask. What were the odds of another agent being sent on the same job? She was quite surprised that he simply waltzed in and was recognized by Kado. He was obviously more involved in this than agents were supposed to be. She quickly decided that this was not his mission at all, but there was something personal going on here. She had known White Knight to be reckless, but never like this.

Everything happened fast, yet slow at the same time. She could hear the quiet violin in the background and the gentle sound of the piano. She saw the smokebomb erupt, people coughing and shielding their faces. Axelle, for the first time in a while, was lost for a moment. She wanted to knock White Knight out for being so stupid and jeopardizing her mission, but she also wanted to drag him out before he got himself killed. She reached for her purse, but was quickly reminded that she couldn’t blow her cover.

The chaos exploded around her and tables were knocked over as people attempted to shield themselves from the onslaught of slugs and bolts flying in all direction. All of the other men that had sat at Yuri’s table jumped to their feet, drawing slugthrowers and attempting to hone in on the single target that was causing this disturbance. Axelle felt a harsh tug to her wrist, glancing aside to see Yuri.

“Come, Amelie, we must go!”

Before she could protest, she allowed herself to be pulled away, casting one last glance at White Knight’s silhouette, right before he disappeared from sight again. She trained her eyes forward, urgently following Yuri to his exit. He rapidly jabbered away in another language to a few men that he met along the hallway. For now, it was just the two of them and one other man following in tow. The three were quickly cramped into an elevator. Axelle looked around, noting that there were no security cameras, presumably because it was supposed to be an obscure escape route. As soon as the doors closed, Axelle stood between the two men as they spoke to one another. She used this time to pretend to have her dress caught under her heel, causing her to lean down. Finally Yuri turned to her, concern on his features.

“Are you all right, Amelie?”

Axelle simply whipped up, a gun in each hand and pointed laterally to the men next to her. A second later, the two men were slumped on the ground at her feet. The gentle sound of quiet, boring elevator music was all that accompanied her as she searched Yuri’s body and nabbed the datapad that would have held vital information. Stashing the item away in her purse, she rose back up, undoing her hair and quickly messing it up and streaking her mascara down her cheeks.

The elevator doors opened and the men that were waiting on Yuri looked at her in shock. She bellowed out hysterically, jumping into the arms of the nearest man, pointing back at the bodies.

“MASSACRE! THEY WERE SHOT AS THE ELEVATOR WAS CLOSING!”

The men looked at one another, shocked. They had their weapons ready. The man Axelle had clung to patted her back reassuringly, grimacing at the bodies. There was great distress as it was revealed who it was. They knew they couldn’t waste their time on a random, useless woman that had nothing to do with this. The man nearest to her finally spoke.

“Don’t worry, m’am, we’ll take care of this. You go on home.”

“Y-Yes…I shall do that…”

Axelle fake sobbed, shivering to add to the effect. She continued walking away, out into the streets of the city. As soon as she was out of their line of sight, she opened her purse and put a cigarra to her lips, lighting it. Axelle wiped the makeup off her face, tying her hair back. She knew she would have to catch up with White Knight. He wouldn’t have gotten far, but she had a vague idea of where he would pick out of all the places here. Axelle hailed over a cab, climbing in.

“Hotel Monteblanco.”

“Right away, m’am.”

 

[Santoro]

Arden limped into the lobby of the Hotel Monteblanco, his somewhat rumpled though otherwise in tact tuxedo helping him blend with the high end patrons. The guest wobbled to the extraordinarily ornate front desk of the finest hotel on the planet, throwing a charming smile to the attendant as he leaned against the marble counter.

"Good evening, mister...?"

"Gunel. Arden Gunel. I have a reservation."

"Ah, so you do Mister Gunel. It seems you've reserved the penthouse suite- I know you'll be pleased." An inviting smile, and White Knight knew he was in.

"I'm sure I will," he scanned her name tag from the corner of his eye, "Emila. This is the first time I've been here, would you mind showing me upstairs?"

"Well, Mister Gunel... I'd love to, but I can't leave the desk." Arden looked around and reached behind the counter, pulling the "Attendant Away" sign up and placing it on the counter.

"It's such a big place. Easy to get lost in." Emila looked to her coworker, who shot her a disapproving glance.

"Well... Okay. My relief is here, anyway. Right this way, Mister Gunel."

----- Hours Later -----

"Oh, Arden, come back to bed."

"In a moment, dear. It's been quite the day, I need a drink." Gunel grabbed a bottle of scotch off the minibar, checking its vintage as he poured it over ice. He looked up into the mirror that sat in front of the minibar.

That eye is swelling already. I can feel the bruise on the kidney- that bastard really knows how to kick. He took a deep breath, feeling the sharp, stabbing pain that he'd associated with potential long term damage. He had no time to slow for medical attention now- explicit S13 orders had forbidden him from pursuing ex-Republic Intelligence Agent Kado Waris. It was only a matter of time before agents were dispatched to reel him in, and he didn't have time to waste.

"Arden?"

"Yes, sweetheart, on my way-" A knock at the door. Arden slipped into the bedroom and grabbed the package that had been waiting for him at the front desk.

"Is everything alright?"

"Wait here." Arden carried the package out of the room and unwrapped it out of Emila's sight, pulling his backup standard issue slugthrower pistol. It was heavier and bulkier than his personal field agent model, but it held over twice the rounds in a larger caliber... A decent trade off. Gunel pressed his fingertips to the door, ready to open it.

"Who is it?"

 

[Sreeya]

Axelle kept her eyes on the road whizzing past as the cab picked up speed. The city’s neon lights blurred together into a long mesh of a thousand different colors. She had a similar whirlwind of thoughts inside her mind. She knew the appearance of White Knight had ruined everything, and he was endangering not only himself but the goal of the mission. Gorgovich was dead, but the whereabouts of Kado remained unknown. She assumed that Arden had killed him, but nothing could be confirmed without finding him.

A beep caused her to glance down at her comlink. It was a mass notification telling agents to track down White Knight. Axelle cursed under her breath. He was in trouble now. The message did not contain any specific information, meaning that they still had time. If an agent unearthed what had transpired, it would result in chaos within S13. She put the comlink away, hoping her gut instincts had led her to the right location.

At last, the almost palace like edifice of the hotel came into view, the building oozing grandeur and luxury; exactly the kind of place Arden would choose to grace. As the cab cruised to a halt in front of the lobby, Axelle paid him and walked into the building, approaching the reception desk. She knew Arden hadn’t used any aliases, which would make this simpler. She knew it was going to be a gamble, but a mistake would look less suspicious than blatant snooping around. She flashed the woman a smile.

“I believe my husband had checked in earlier.”

The receptionist opened up the database, a warm smile on her face.

“Certainly. What’s the name?”

“Gunel. Arden Gunel?”

The smile faltered. Axelle knew she hit the jackpot. She looked uncomfortable, but she knew she couldn’t deny his wife. She knew Arden would have covered his tracks, but moral dilemmas were always overpowering. The woman hesitated for a long moment.

“Um…I…don’t see..”

“He checked in a few hours ago.”

Axelle’s voice was firm, with a tone of finality to it. The girl behind the counter shrank back from the stern gaze, quickly clearing her throat.

“Why yes, here we are. 1207…”

“Thank you.”

She hauled her heavy purse over her shoulder and walked into the elevator. Axelle knew he would be ready to blast anyone in sight that attempted to sneak up on him. Her best bet was to be blatantly obvious and meet him on his turf. Axelle knocked softly on the door, hearing Arden’s voice moments later. She looked around herself, finding the hall empty.

“Axelle.”

 

[Santoro]

Sithspit! They're on me faster than I thought! He clicked the safety off, leveling it to where her voice originated. She'd be to clever for that, and put it twenty degrees to the left, raising his hand and cocking the weapon. Axelle, of all people. He looked over his shoulder to the bedroom, and the balcony beyond. S13 shock troops would be scaling that wall- through the balcony in a few seconds. I've got to do this fast. Poor Emila, wrong place at the wrong time. He reached his hand out and pressed his palm against the locking mechanism, hearing the soft click as it unlocked. Quickly, he took two steps back and took his standard gunman's stance.

Please make it easy.

 

[Sreeya]

Axelle could hear him preparing to shoot her. She had to grin, looking away. Her instinct was to reach into her purse and draw her own weapon. She knew he was brash, which would put her life in danger. However, Axelle decided to gamble for the second time today, pondering her choices carefully. She withdraw her hand from the purse, sighing.

“Arden, I’m in a dress.”

Hours later and she was still coming to terms with that fact. She slid a makeshift key card she had designed to break into rooms. The slit beeped green and she put her hand on the door handle.

“I’m coming in and I’d prefer it if my face remains intact after I do.”

She turned the handle and walked in, unsurprised to find herself staring into the barrel of a gun. Axelle closed the door behind her, putting her heavy purse on the ground. She could already sense she and Arden weren’t alone, but she wouldn’t pry.

“Arden…what the hell are you doing? And no, you’re not surrounded.”

She knew his only means of confirmation would be the honesty in her eyes, something she hoped he would be able to see. Axelle’s expression was serious as usual. This was the first time she had seen him since the Jade incident, yet she knew they couldn’t waste time with small talk.

 

[Santoro]

White Knight didn't say a word, choosing to stare down the three-point sight on his pistol. It had been a few months since he'd seen Axelle, and even longer since he'd seen her in a dress- she hated those with a passion. She was playing a hell of a game, putting herself in his line of fire... And it forced him to consider that maybe she wasn't lying. His pistol wavered, his eyes darted down along her curves, searching for the inevitable bump of a pistol or outline of a razor. Naturally, they were there.

"The pistol between the thighs won't work, honey. You know how I watch those legs of yours." He lowered the pistol, letting it fall to his side as he stood up straight. Suddenly, the awkwardness of the situation came to light- Gunel hadn't had time to put on much more than a pair of white undershorts before waving his gun around, and while not an unusual situation for White Knight, it must have been quite a sight for his associate. He decided to push his luck and not mention it.

"I still have my comm. I know they sent the hunter-killer signal, and I don't believe for a second you're here just to warn me. You know they'll think we were wo-"

"Arden? Oh, uh... Sorry." The employee turned and hurried back into the bedroom, presumably to find something to cover herself. Sheepishly, he turned back to Axelle and gave a little shrug.

"It ah... Saves money on the room."

 

[Sreeya]

Axelle did not respond to his sarcastic comment. She began to speak, but was quickly interrupted when the woman in his room spoke and rushed back out of sight. Axelle simply shook her head.

“Every time…”

She grinned and opened up her purse, pulling out the datapad.

“No, I didn’t come to warn you. However, the way that you bust in and interrupted the party told me you’d know more than I would. I was sitting right next to him, you know…”

Axelle silently watched as the receptionist rushed out past her. This wasn’t before she glared at her and threw Arden a wounded look. Axelle’s face betrayed nothing, simply wanting the receptionist to leave so they could talk. After the woman dashed out, Axelle listened to make sure she was truly out of earshot. She turned back to Arden, completely disregarding his state of attire. She could care less. Axelle pulled out a small laptop with a cord to connect it from the datapad to access the information. She set everything down on the nearest table, pulling up a chair. She made herself at home instantly.

“This is what I was assigned to do. We don’t have much time. And yes, I said we. You can help me or I can hand your ass over to the boss on a silver platter.”

As the laptop detected all the stored information on the datapad, she grimaced as a password prompt popped up. Axelle sighed, pulling out her tools to slice into the information. What would normally take hours, only took her a few moments, pulling up a vast amount of information on the screen.

“You know about the anti matter deal, I presume. This would give us all his connections and information and possibly a lead. I don’t know if you took out Kado, but he was definitely in on it. All of this info looks like it’s encrypted.. it could take us hours..”

She glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t care about what beef you have with them and I don’t need to know. However, if we present this instead of you going rogue, it looks a lot better. This is too big for S13 to ignore and with a lead like this, we have a shot. Are you in?”

 

[Santoro]

Arden snorted, ignoring Axelle's sense of urgency as he strode back to the bedroom. The now rogue agent (which wasn't entirely an uncommon phrase in Arden's profile) opened the dresser drawer, sifting through the few clothes he managed to bring.

"Listen, Axelle, nothing personal but I'm not working for the Organization here. I didn't take out Kado, and from what I hear you were more successful with the General. Congratulations for that- your mission's complete and Kado is my business, unrelated to S13 files. With the General down there's nobody to spearhead the antimatter scheme." He had finished pulling on a pair of pants and emerged from the bedroom, pistol tucked in the rear of his belt. Past history or not, the events of the past few weeks had proven once more that nobody could be trusted. Nobody.

"I'll say this once, as nicely as I can. I'm not going to help you with your mission, because I have a mission of my own. You tell me everything on that drive referring to Kado's whereabouts and the works, otherwise, I don't appreciate the threat."

 

[Sreeya]

Axelle finally hacked into the system, the laptop spitting out information and correspondents networking everything together. She half heard Arden, half didn’t. She knew exactly the kind of answer he would be giving her. Although they had worked together many times in the past, he was still tough to get to agree to anything. Axelle kept her eyes on the screen, not speaking for a moment. She finally looked up at him, scowling.

“Your Kado is involved in the antimatter plot. He was sitting right next to me when I was pretending to be Amelie. In fact, he was the general’s right hand man to spearhead this operation. I’m guessing Kado has been flying under the radar well enough to where even S13 didn’t think to regard him as a main threat.”

She closed the laptop and rose from her seat. Axelle watched him for a long moment, unable to come up with something to say. After a while, she decided there was no point in pressuring him.

“They’re coming for you. Cover your ass well.”

Without another word, she walked past him and towards the door. She would go after Kado alone.

 

[Santoro]

Arden watched her go, letting out a long, tired sigh as she closed the door. Damn my ego. He resisted the impulse to follow her, every muscle in his body tensing. She'd only get in the way. She wouldn't understand, get caught in the line of fire... I can go down, but I can't bring her with me. Another sigh as White Knight stood, his bruised and tired muscles groaning in protest.

I'm sorry Axelle. Thank you. He turned back towards the bedroom and headed in, choosing a few hours rest before continuing his mission. Gunel flipped on the Holonet, listening to the drone of the nightly news as he dozed off to sleep.

"Early reports have been rolling in about a grizzly murder scene at the General's Ball this evening. It is said an unknown man broke into the mansion and killed two of the General's employees, assaulted many more, and finally killed the general with a shot to the head. The only information gathered thus far is he goes by the name "Arden". As a special tonight, we have the General's long time friend and associate with us to discuss what will happen next. Welcome, Mr.Kado Waris. Tell me, what will happen to General Gorgovich's estate? His business?"
"Yes, thank you miss O'Neill. Despite the tragedy, I feel it's important the General's final wishes be honored. Tonight, I am glad to announce the Gorgovich Energy Consortium. Soon, our new energy plan will encompass the entire Core region..."

----- The next day... -----

"The streets of Taris sure have changed."

"Yes, but the mynock are still around."

The door opened, and White Knight stepped through the thick pipe smoke, his ears filled with the crooning of an off-key performing girl in the next room. It had been years since he'd come here, since his Republic Intelligence days. They weren't happy memories, but business was business, and this man had some of the best information in the galaxy. Gunel entered the main portion of the candlelit club/brothel, pulling his sunglasses tighter on his eyes. Green night vision filled his sight, followed by red outlines of lifeforms. Not him... Fatter. Using such simple guidelines, Gunel inched through the crowd, reaching in his jacket and pulling his matte pistol. He came up behind the large target, a pair of women seated on his thighs.

"Yes, girls, have I told you of my second yacht? She need's a name, what shall I-"

Click.

"Small slide frame slugthrower, seven point six-five millimeter. Only three men I know use such a weapon... I believe I've killed two of them." The obese man turned, a smile on his face.

"Arden, such a long time. Is that any way to treat an old friend?" The snubnose barrel of a submachine gun pressed against Arden's spine. Gunel raised his pistol up in surrender, his 'friend's employee taking it away. White Knight found himself pushed into a chair across from the man- a disfiguring burn mark covering the upper left portion of the man's face.

"I thought you knew better than to come back here, Gunel."

"I need help, Tukarvi."

"Help? Help? The only help you'll get from me is your balls cut off. Every day I suffer the pain of this mark you gave me, Arden. Why would I give a spacer's ass about you? What's stopping me from shooting you right here, right now with your own gun?"

"It's about Teresa. Andrew." Tukarvi went silent. It had been a long time since Arden had said those names aloud- it was serious.

"It was Waris. Kado, all along. He sold us out, he... Killed them." More silence.

"One thing in the galaxy, and you found it. You're a lucky man, Gunel. Fine- Waris is planning to have a formal announcement for GEC..."

----- That night... -----

Another night, another suit. Gunel and Tukarvi walked together up the pathway to the turbolift, feigning drunkenness. It was an old intelligence trick, one the pair had worked out in training... Better years.

"You know, Gunel... The women, they enjoy the scar." The man's already thick Alsakan accent was slurred with faux-intoxication, accompanied with a slight stumble. Very convincing.

"I'm sure it's more the money than the scar, Valentin. Either way, you're welcome for both." A snicker from his old friend-in-arms, the friend who just hours ago had a pistol trained on his manhood. Such were the way of the secret agent.

"This is as far as we go together, Arden. I'll distract Kado while you make a plan. We meet at the bar when this is over."

"First round is on me." Gunel stood straighter and walked through the crowd, heading directly where instincts took him- the bar. He wasted no time in ordering his favorite concoction. He sighed, turning to watch the milling crowd. It'd only be a few hours before Gorgovich Energy sent their first shipment of 'energy' out to the Core... A few hours before Gunel hoped Kado would get a bullet in his head. He felt the weight of his familiar silenced weapon against his chest- the only reassurance he had in such an unfamiliar place.

 

[Sreeya]

It had taken extensive planning to set up the camera feeds to display pre-recorded tapes. It was an age old trick, but one that served as temporary solutions. Axelle had still covered her tracks, traveling in complete secrecy. Her meeting with Arden remained on her mind, as it had gone far from planned. She knew he was driven by his past, something that was sure to get him killed. But ultimately, it wasn't her business. Axelle cursed herself for letting her mind wander off like this. She was up in the air vents looking down on a lengthy corridor. The area was far too guarded to move around in without being detected, especially in light of recent events. She observed quietly as Kado Waris disappeared into his room.

A guard stood outside his door, told to wait. He shifted about some time after Kado had disappeared. There was no doubt that Waris was preparing for his speech. As the guard got comfortable, looking away, Axelle silently dropped down behind him. She moved like a cat, staying within the man's shadow. Her arm jutted out, shoving a trihalomethane mixture into his face. Axelle held the man, feeling his weigh press on her as he lost consciousness. She inched back, disappearing into the public restroom in the corridor. Axelle emerged moments later, a heavy repeater rifle in hand. She threw on the helmet the guard had, but had left open, making her job easy.

Axelle walked over, just in time for Kado to barge out. He was dressed in a suit, his hair greased back. Although he looked like a billion credits, his face bore a grimace. It was obvious something was nagging at his thoughts. He did not glance over at Axelle. She knew she had a clear shot, but it was too soon. Within moments, others had entered the corridor, ushering him out to the stage. Axelle followed in tow, cursing inwardly because the timing had been off. She knew it would have to be a public assassination.

Within moments, Kado was on stage. A round of applause met him. Axelle had followed till she was behind the curtains, granted a sideways view while he faced the crowd. As he began, Axelle glanced around to make sure no one was around. From her vantage point, she was given a clear shot. She carefully aimed, finger on the trigger.

"Who the hell are you?"

Axelle abruptly whipped around, shocked to find a man with a scar on his face standing behind her.