Freya was not at all surprised they got pulled aside. If it wasn’t for the fact she had thrown the little puke through a wall last time, the fact that big bad Freya Kantaario showed up to the gala, with toys…dressed to kill, visually and literally if she wanted, and with a second body in tow. The first thing was a red flag the second thing was two red flags and a green flag and the last was like a nuke in human form. What the fuck right? So when Skye is pulled away Freya is not at all surprised. And even if the guard had insisted on going alone, Big Bombshell (get it?) Freya, with a cleavage that’s almost a war crime to show, follows. Close, and when the security fella tries to give him a look that says she shouldn’t follow, and they need to talk, “Alone.” Freya cackles, and bends down abit, and she can’t help but grin as his eyes briefly go to the swell of breasts flesh at his eye level, “Do you really think you could stop me?” The grin on her face tells tales. Some secret some now so much.

A few short moments later

Well that went south quickly.

Like it was relatively normal security shake down and questioning one moment, and then here’s Skye flipping over a table and getting the poor guy in a choke hold.

Freya sighs. Looking at the pair, “I’m trying to be polite here. Seriously Mr. Wickers, I mean I swear to fuck.” She slams her fist on the wall, “Sound proofed. I’ll bet it was just a brief pressure difference on the other side right?” And Skye points it out too. Freya gets up, and towers, somehow seeming so so much larger then she should be, “Look, we’re trying to be nice. Despite what Skye Caldwell, “ She emphasizes the name, “, seems to be doing, what you think is going to happen, isn’t going to happen.” With a big smile the giantess crosses her arms under her breasts, emphasis again, dear gods she can kill with those things! “If either of us were going to kill the man this is not how we’d do that.” She blinks, “Wait that’s not what I mean. Skye, help me out here!”

Skye chuckled, knowing oh boy, that would be how her giantess team-mate might have. And that was considered in the industry a rather nice way to go. Probably saved for only the best, but this little bastard wasn’t exactly it.
“Though it would be rather hilarious. Jim here might even appreciate it.”
Skye looked at the terrified man, choking him as he tried to worm his way out, the Scot not letting him get anything. Unless it was his thing. Then maybe, but only because it was in the line of duty. Or something.
“Look, foreplay or not, here you are. See what else you can pick up in the room. I’ll finish our little engagement.”
Skye retorted back to Freya, looking down to Jim, and continuing to get the info she needed out of him. Freya was one hell of an asset, and even she couldn’t keep her eyes. Though how could you, the absolute size of her made her presence in any room dominating, and right here, Freya going akimbo was nothing to bat an eyelid at.

Freya gave a good look around the room, and crossed around the desk, and almost palms the poor guys head as she passes, “Don’t hold back now.” She says and heads for the monitor bank, “Let’s see now, good system, decent picture. I like it.” Reaching into her bag, hand briefly ghosting along the asp built into the strap, the knife hidden away, but no she’s not the stone cold killer and sex addict her sister is thank you! Instead she leans over and scans the monitors, “Ah very nice, leaders of the free world, business moguls, Pavel himself, yeah can’t get around his pretentious pompous ass. Look he’s even preening at the camera!” She motions as Pavel is indeed staring at the nearest camera and making kissy faces, “And we wonder why I threw him through a wall once?”

She shakes her head and continues to scan, briefly looking down and snorting, “Skye…” And tosses her a lanyard with a security level key pass on it, “Someone isn’t paying attention to their pass card we might be able to use that.”

Back up at the monitors she scans with one eye while rifling through the desk. But her hands still briefly and she looks close at one of the monitors, “That…piece…of…” She sighs, “I think we may want to wrap up in here as soon as we can. I just saw two faces out there. One very old and one very special pair of faces. She motions Captain Carl Cardinal on one monitor and Specialist Jamie Kantaario standing beside him, “I think we either have a huge problem, or we may have lucked out. Or things are Fucked Up Beyond All Repair, let’s hope it’s not FUBAR.” She gives a sniff turning to Skye and poor Mr. Wickers, “We’re not going to have a problem are we Wickers? I really really don’t want to come back here before the night is over. I think I have the capability to stuff you into a desk garbage can without much effort. It’d take abit before house keeping finds you.” The giantess quirked an eyebrow at the man, and a covert smile at Skye.

Skye wasn’t too sure of the names, but they rang a bell, as Skye finished up her little intel jig out of him, the confirm from Freya enough to start her last bit, well, her last chat with Mister Wickers. After knocking him out, Skye stood and looked across to Freya, looking to the cameras, and then back across to the man.
“Nice find on the pass. Pass that to Xan if you see him, he’ll run riot with it. And mind helping me put him away? Also….did you just say….fuck, that’s not your brother and uncle, is it? Oh shit….”
Freya nodded, picking Wickers up and looking around, motioning to the coat closet on the far side of the room, “Right there…” She motioned for Skye to get it open, the scottish badass getting the closet open, just big enough to hide him even.

And in he gets.

Freya is straightening her suit up smoothing down any ruffles, “Yes, yes that is my brother, and my uncle.” She sighs, “I didn’t get any messages they’d be here so color me surprised. Come on, let’s get back out there.

“Well, remind me before we go to your family events, Freya. If he’s the guard this guy was talking about, we really will be screwed. You know he’s Raven but on leave, he knows the game though….so I doubt it.”
Skye made the comment, as she noted that in her head. For those without the know- Jamie had been prior part of Raven and was on their roster, a giant in reserve given that well, some of the team did need to rest and had their own affairs to run to- like a football team with rotation. All bar Skye, oddly enough. So the fear was real enough, and then as for Carl, well, he was an old hand- somewhat of a family friend to Freya, an ex special forces Canadian who worked at Blue Sword, a PMC rather friendly to some of the wetwork that Skye had done in the past, a long, long time ago. A genuinely decent PMC, considering it was run by Freya’s parents and in a past life where they had been out in the field doing the dirty work themselves, taking up specialist contracts in the sort of work that Raven now existed to do now beforehand, rather than plundering cobalt mines in Central Africa. It almost felt like a sister organization of sorts, yet they were into much different things nowadays. She felt it was like an arm of the CIA more than anything with the remit they had, a detached unit that with Carl in the team of, meant that the PMC could be working for, or against them. It was a tidbit to remember, but it seemed freaky to Skye in this moment. And more likely than not, Skye was just being careful, assuming it was more likely than not that they were here for the same reason Skye was- to get intel and find out what was going on. Only one way to find out



A few moments later

Freya walked along with Skye beside her, the giantess adjusting her suit jacket, “You could rule this world with the right size of mammaries I swear.” She grinned at her smaller companion with a wink.

Skye chuckled, shaking her head in response, utterly aware that people would be transfixed on what Freya was putting on as a show. It worked, all eyes were on her, just that Skye didn’t want all eyes on her too long either.
“Your mother virtually did, from what I remember a few years back. How she raised you, I have no idea. And if your sister is anything, I swear, I’d need a PR team to contain her. Anyway, like I said,”
Skye knowing her companion’s history well enough, and well, Freya’s mother too- what she did in the field alongside Freya’s father was quite something. Extraordinary, but then again, it was why it paid to have a giant on the team. What hacking didn’t do, pure strength did.
“Keep your wits on you.”

It’s a menagerie on the floor. A vice president of an African country, rubbing elbows with a defense contractor. Energy production company CEOs chatting with digital company billionaries. And like a mountain in the middle of one group, Jamie Kantaario shooting the crap with a computer genius, both sipping from flutes of something bubbly. Freya very nearly breaks abit of character and bulldozes her way straight too Jamie and Carl.

But, someone else seems to have a different idea.

Now Jamie and Freya and their sister Athena are big. It’s true, they can dominate a room! Utterly and completely, and gods help anyone if all three were in a room together.

So Freya is not at all prepared for a third body, someone nearly as large as her to step into her line of sight. She stops and it’s swift, it’s like a small typhoon! Or other natural disaster as the security guard who has to top atleast seven foot even lurches forward just as Freya does the same and the pair lock hands. Grins on both their faces, as a space opens around them. Freya grinning brightly, “Well look at this, if it isn’t a little prick!” The man snorts and pushes the giant of a woman. Freya moving her leg and pushing Skye to the side. Like a battle between two titans. The giant of a man grinning, “Geza Ingwe, you know this Freya Kantaario.” Freya cackles, barely moving under the pressure of the other man. Her cleavage heaving even as the arms of her suit bulge.

Jamie almost seems to materialize beside Skye, having crossed the room and standing beside Skye in his equally large presence, “Oh my, what is she and he up too here?” Carl is standing at the edge of the circle on the far side from Skye and Jamie sips his drink casually.

Skye looked across, momentarily spooked, as she looked across at Jamie.
“Shit, fancy seeing you here. Please tell me you’re here for pleasure. Please. I’ve had too many surprises today.”
Skye didn’t so much beg, as politely, convincingly ask. Jamie was ex-Raven, he knew the score as much as Skye did, and while he was the quiet one, he was by no means any less savage. He was rotated out at the moment, on reserve and whatever the fuck was going on, he was here, joining this exclusive party, and she didn’t want to know how. Had he turned? Was he going rogue, turning inside out? If he was, she was making a plan. He was a good hand to hand fighter, but Skye had tangled with giants before. It was never easy. But don’t ever let the bear get too close or you’ll get mauled as she turned across, her neck craning to him, Skye looking across to Freya meeting the large dark-skinned Eswatini man that must have certainly be that guard.

Jamie grinned down at her, “Why Skye, by your tone you sound worried. Are you pleading? Skye really?” Jamie’s deep tenor chuckle filling the air.

.
“It’d be a real shame to have to kill you and Carl too, but somehow, I don’t see it. You’re far too good for that. And your sister is right there. I mean, come on. Your parents would be really pissed. Anyway….enjoy.”
Skye shot back to Jamie, knowing she was teasing back, her initial spook going as she looked over, waving to the Canadian of Carl and then walking back up to him, heading onto the balcony one tier up looking down on the giants, as she approached Carl.
“What’s your score here? You know, he has R&R for good reason. You don’t have to work all the time, especially when family’s on the case. Freya’s got his angle covered. More than covered. But you’re welcome to join in….just keep in mind this is a sensitive one..”
Skye replied, a little ticked off, but then again, she was keeping her image- or at least, trying to make it clear that while it was always nice to see an old team mate again, there was already enough to keep an eye on as is, and things were a little careful here.

Carl waved back and motioned as Freya began to push, sliding Geza back a step, and by the sound of it bets are being placed now.

Carl smiles sipping his drink, “See Uncle Carl and I are here on BlueSword business. Mom was having a problem with some systems at the base in Perth. And Vale Systems has their fingers in it. So we were supposed to come here and talk with Andros about things. And I wanted to body slam him myself for what I finally learned he did to Freya.” It’s hard to tell if he’s serious about that. He sniffed, then in a lowered tone while holding his flute in front of his lips, “Is this an Op?”

Yes dear god he just came out and asked it!

Skye sighed, adjusting her own dress a little, brushing her hair aside, knowing that well, if he hadn’t seen it yet, maybe he would soon in terms of what was going down. It felt like a reversal of earlier- she had been in control, yet this, sudden help, it felt…nice?
“You seem good enough a judge of character, I’ll let you pull the dots together. I think you and I both want a chat with Pavel. Just don’t kill him. There’s something more going on than what you know. And it’s never good when they have you know what.”
Skye mumbled across to him, out of sight and vision from any other cameras, goers the party unable to see it as she turned back to Geza, then back to Jamie.
“That giant has the look for Freya. She’s straight honeypotted him. Look, just keep the security detail busy. And that roid freak. I think I’m gonna need a drink to deal with this one. This is a mindfuck. Can’t believe you thought to help, it’s….charming.”
Skye wittingly commented, looking to Carl, a smile on her red lipstick illustrating that yes, the Scot had seen her.
“You’re looking well, old man. Never thought I’d see the day of you in a suit and tie, but here you are.”
Skye smirked, then looking to Freya, only hoping nothing had escalated. Enough shit had gone down as is, and in the little lounge area upstairs, she knew she had to keep mingling and getting to work.

Jamie hums sipping his drink nodding slowly, sub vocalizing, “So it is an Op, and Freya is…” He kinda trails off. Watching as the pair are still wrestling on the floor. Carl passes by to stand beside Skye, “She’s a distraction. Our little girl is growing up.” He chuckles lightly.

He looked to Skye and motioned his head, following her as she moved towards the lounge, “Everyone has to be a functioning adult sometime in their lives. And it’s my turn I guess, Madam…” he stares at her name tag, “Caldwell?” He quirks an eyebrow, leaning on the railing beside her looking at the floor below, the little wrestling match apparently having come to a stalemate. As Ingwe and Freya had relaxed. Jamie standing by the pair now. Freya seemingly doing everything she can to draw attention less to her standing as a leading mind in science and more to down right sex idol she’s portraying right now. And seems she has eyes both male and female on her. Even Geza Ingwe can’t seem to keep his eyes off her chest.

Jamie chuckles, “Well done you two. Almost had me worried there.”

Carl mutters, “What’s the angle kiddo?” He gives Skye a look, “How bigs the op, and even though we’re not in on the team, as a professional courtesy I’m offering the limited BlueSword presence to help out.”

Skye looked across to Carl, the older man one she’d not worked with personally, but heard good things of. Worked with a British asset, funnily enough, and whilst his heaviest days fighting were behind him, if he was staking this out with Blue Sword, it may have made sense to bring him as well as Jamie to the party, as Skye looked on from the balcony on the floor above the main area, the lounge bar containing a piano, a bar, and more crowds of people, among which Skye hoped she’d find Pavel.
“Appreciate it, Carl. We’ve got numbers here too, help is good. The plan is to get some quiet time with Pavel. That and find some stuff. Buy us some time because we’re doing a little digging. Up top, and down under.”
Skye stated across to him, once again staying out of any obvious sightlines, before looking down.
“This is going to be quite something, isn’t it….”
She commented to Carl, seeing Jamie, Geza and Freya talk. It was one less thing to worry about, and well, it opened the door to Pavel rather nicely.

Freya grinned at her younger brother, “Surprised to see you here little sib.” Geza looked at the pair in awe, “Little sibling? As in younger? But you are both so large!?” Freya turned and brandished her presence like a silk glove. Even reached up and for a moment looked like she was going to brush his cheek. Instead she smoothes aside a lock of hair behind his ear, “Now then Geza, since when does size equal seniority?” Jamie for a brief second there bristles even, protective brother syndrome. But calms as it’s so innocent an action in fact.

Freya actually giggles, “Come on, let’s get some drinks. After that little match I need a drink.” She turns slightly, doesn’t quite flounce, but the motion of the ocean is like an unsaid invitation as quite a few people follow along in her wake, like some big feeder in an ocean, trailing smaller fish. The three giants making for one of the drink and food tables.

Carl’s eyes narrow. It’s been a fair bit since his fighting days. His active combat days in the past. 15 maybe almost 18 years ago now. He’s been in a command situation since. And maybe even another promotion coming his way. He looks up, then down, “Give you what, eight? Ten operatives tops?” He lowers his voice as a waitress passes by, “Take on Jamie down there and he and Freya can keep the big helps eyes on them. And a fair number of the fryer fish too by the looks of it.” He looks to Skye, “My run and gun days are behind me. But I can still talk up a good shitshow. A hand slipping into his suit jacket and bringing out a carbon fiber knuckle duster, definitely not Canadian made, “And just hope it doesn’t come to a dust up right?” He nods, “you kids do you thing then. I’ll try and keep the big’uns in line. And hope they don’t cause a blood bath. Signal or something if you need help yes? How that sound?” He gives her an arch side eye, and a crooked eyebrow.

“Jesus, not bad at all.”
Skye replied noting the carbon fiber knuckle duster, aware he was ready for a fight much like she was. Now that would be interesting.

“Alright. I’ll let you know. You do your thing, and I’ll keep you in the loop. Just give me a heads up next time, aye? Let’s not try and make too much of a scene.”
Skye retorted, knowing that Carl had certainly pulled some stops here to assist, and seeing the three giants go off on their own way, could only be very impressed indeed at the sight of it. Coming in close, Skye offered her hands up to Carl, hugging him. Skye knew the illusion would at least distract, given they’d been chatting for a while, and well, she had to tell the team what was up.

“Team, heads up we have some more help here. Few up top, and out of the building for us so we have friends. It’s….it’s too long a story to explain. Should keep the party stable in case anything goes down.”

Skye spoke softly into her throat comms, the hug covering for it, and Carl probably getting the picture a bit more. As she pulled back, she looked out at the night sky, then back at Carl, shrugging her shoulders.
“I guess you never got out of the game, eh.”
Skye smiled back at him, the gleeful Scot a little alive in this moment, able to embrace the party now, and despite the chance encounter they had gotten, this was rather a good omen, rather than the bad this party had kicked off with.

Carl chuckled as he held her, letting her use that moment to relay the news, “No, you never really do quite leave the business. The business can’t leave the good ones behind because the good ones know how to play it.” He gestures down at Jamie and Freya and Ingwe, “Take them. Jamie and Freya. I met their parents on the field. Victor once palmed my face and tossed me 4 meters with a shove of his arm for flirting with his then fiance. The future. Me, I’m the past. But don’t you dare down play the past. We’re the ones with the experience. I’d bet my partner would have been faster to offer help had he been the one here.” He gave her a pat, then downs the last of his drink.

Below Freya now leans on a railing, clustered about her, Ingwe who seems almost smitten. As he can’t keep her eyes off her, and he struggles to keep his eyes northward of her low cut suit jacket. Opposite him is Jamie, like a protective hawk. And clustered about them several people, trying to get the three giants attention. Clever methods indeed employed. One asking how her mass projector tech is coming. Another commenting on her figure. Which almost got a cuff from Jamie for their trouble. Someone else edging up to Jamie and the lithe young woman leaning up against his, pressing against his side and looking up at him with puppy dog eyes, “You are very handsome young giant.” Which set Freya off into booming laughter. All the while Ingwe laughing along.

Things seem to have turned around abit here. Hopefully for the best.

Skye enjoyed the scene, and just hoped the two wouldn’t tag team him. She did not want to know what the fuck happened in that family sometimes, and sometimes, it was for the best.
“I get the feeling. I know what you and yours did. And Victor, and Natalie. Hushed names in the past, but as always, the torch has to keep burning. One way or another.
Skye nodded agreeingly with him, watching on the railing, before looking over her shoulder back at him.
“How do you think they do it? I mean, Jamie with that girl. That’s a weapon he has, and she looks like a firm breeze might knock her over.”
Skye giggled, playing with Carl, this people watching session rather entertaining as she looked across to the old Canuck, still glad she hadn’t needed to think about making any moves at this party to make sure they stayed out of trouble.

Carl chuckled softly looking down at them, “How they do what? Play a crowd? Chalk that up to their mothers teachings. Natalie could pull an entire battalions attention on her and only her from a mile away just by a motion or a single word. Or how they play it and manipulate the crowd? That’s their fathers teaching. That man, though he didn’t look it, could guide a conversation and make it seem like it was the subjects choice to give up everything Vick wanted to know. Together, the both of them teaching those kids how to work the business. Heaven help us if the three siblings ever went bad. Their walking Geneva Convention problems. And can play The Great Game like no one else.” he sniffed a little, “If they were to go bad…”

He kinda trailed off as Ingwe tried to make an excuse to get back to work. And Freya snaked an arm out and caught him about the shoulders pulling him back and against her side, and her lips just missing his cheek, “Oh come on hun the other security have it handled you can stay with us.” Jamie manages to keep the look of annoyance at his sister fishhooking the man with her wiles. She’s not supposed to be dating until her late 80s if he has anything to say about it.

Carl hums, “If they were to go bad, we’d be in alot of trouble. Clearly.”

Skye looked Carl in the eye, absolutely deadpan, the expression as she realised perhaps she’d misled him a little there with her dirtier small talk.
“Carl…..I mean how that girl down there thinks she’s gonna survive Jamie if he decides to take her up on her suggestion of a night in bed. Don’t think you don’t know what I mean. I’ve seen it, and it’s like a wee fucking cruise missile.”
Skye’s face remained stone-cold like, before cracking a grin and a wild laugh, smirking at Carl and knowing she was winding him up, embracing him further, looking down.
“Oh, I really need to get a grip of myself. Look after yourself. I can’t promise it’ll all be clean tonight. But you know me well. The girl in the red usually gets what she wishes for.”
Skye added to end their little chat, pecking him on the cheek, as she turned from the balcony, heading over towards the bar and with a singular glance, taking in Carl one more time, leaving him there and then, the tease that she always was. Oh, she loved it sometimes, just to stir shit, and well, she knew they would talk just the same about her. She had spied Pavel in the corner of her eye making their way to the bar, and right there, was as good a chance as any for Sam, Xan, and most of all, Pavel Andros, to be there.

Carl snorted, “I’m sorry…I promised their parents to never ever think on that when it comes to my adopted nephew and nieces. Only know Jamie would probably split her like a log.” He cackled, then waved to her, “Go on Kiddo. I’ll keep an eye on the children.”

---

Samantha had prepared for today’s op meticulously. Getting ready for the Singapore op had taken most of Samantha’s time lately. Well that and recovering from her injuries from the Aralsk operation. Samantha had been trained to be invisible and blend in her time in the CIA as a field operative. She carefully applied her makeup using it to visually change the angles of her face. This would not affect facial recognition programs that relied on bone structure points. Facial recognition programs relied on existing database matches. They needed something to compare the image to. She used some subtle latex foam prosthetics to widen her nose, add more of a point to her chin, and rounder cheeks. The changes were just enough so that any facial recognition software would get an inconclusive result. It was easy for Samantha to plant fake identification information into official databases for the team. If facial recognition is used, it will match the name on their fake ID. Samantha made sure the team’s real identities were there but buried beneath encryption and classified status.

Freya was the distraction while Sam needed to blend in and disappear in the crowd. Samantha applied fashion makeup over the prosthetics blending them until they were impossible to see. The makeup gave her that natural glow flawless look that was popular with women executives. She had chosen to wear a wig that was a chestnut color with golden highlights cut into a chic bob that framed her face. She had chosen to wear a champagne pink silk suit with a soft dove gray silk top that was low enough to show some cleavage and clung enough to entice men for a further look. Her jacket was unbutton and framed her curves tastefully. She looked every inch the conservative executive woman. Her jewelry looked simple but looked high end. Diamond stud earrings were paired with a custom heavy gold chain in rose gold with a stylized medallion in a matching color with pearls set into it. The center of the medallion is a large cabochon fire opal. A diamond tennis bracelet was on her right wrist. She was wearing designer 3 inch heels in a nude color. She was carrying a black leather designer bag with rose gold accents and a decorative chain handle. Her fingernails are tastefully done in a French manicure. Sam looks every inch a conservative wealthy woman with classic style and grace. Sam was wearing blue contact lenses which hid her gray eyes.Samantha’s tattoos were hidden under the sleeve of her suit jacket. Of course the outfit is the opposite of Sam’s personal style. She might wear hot pink but soft pinks and nude heels? She was more likely to be found sporting jeans and a vintage tee with her chuck taylors.

Between the makeup and the hair, Samantha looked convincingly different to those who were not trained in observation. She knew the team would still pick up on who she was. Samantha applied all that training from the CIA as she made her way into the party. She waited in line quietly tapping away on a decoy smartphone. Pretending to check her work email as she stood in line. It was finally her turn as she stepped up to a concierge style desk. There were two guards manning the entryway in sharp dressed suits. There were two more guards nearby in similar suits. Samantha’s eyes noted the open gun carrying guards. She kept her expression calm and bored as she appraised them with a critical eye. Security was tight and none of them were standing around looking bored. Their heads were on the swivel and actively scanning for issues.

A dark haired guard with a well groomed beard asked for her invitation and id. His voice held a hint of a South African accent. She smiled and nodded graciously to him as she handed over her invitation and fake ID. The man’s eyes lingered for just a moment on her cleavage before he handed her ID back to her and kept the invitation. “Welcome Miss Ashley Barrington. I am sure you just missed the notation on your invitation but I am going to need you to leave your cell phone with security. You will be allowed to retrieve it as you exit the party.” He held his hand out patiently. Samantha scowled at him “Surely that little clause was only meant for lower level executives or people from small companies. I represent Diamond Technologies.” Her voice read entitled West Coast elitist. The guard never lost his neutral smile but his eyes hardened and narrowed slightly in anger. “I am sorry Madame, but there are no exceptions per Mr. Andros’ orders.” He inclined his head and held out his hand in a clear demand to hand the device over. “Let me just lock and power off my device. I wouldn’t want any of my information or device to be compromised while in other’s hands.”

She made a big show of resetting the password and security protections before powering it off. Samantha hit the buttons in a special sequence that would trigger the device to turn on its microphone and transmit what it picked up while appearing off. The device would act as a communication router for the team strengthening their signal and connectivity while in the building. She handed the device over with obvious reluctance. She watched as he slipped her cellphone into a plastic bag and filled out the paper tag on it and tore off a receipt for her and passed it over. “Mr. Ardose hopes you enjoy his party.” He waved her on through. Samantha’s body language would read annoyed to anyone watching her. She made her way into the party with a confident step and an air of she was supposed to be there and others were lucky to be in her presence. She gave a small satisfied grin as a passing waiter offered her a glass of sparkling wine. That went perfectly and the device was protected and where she wanted it. They might even pick up some of the guard’s chatter or people passing through the checkpoint into the party.

Samantha began to note who was attending the party. Samantha recognized politicians of note from America, England, France, Finland, Poland, Russia, and Australia. It was no surprise to see power players from the tech industry here. She caught sight of George Conners, a tech genius of the start up company, Whisper Technologies. He was the latest innovator to rocket to wealth with his updates to cellular technology. She was envious of his jeans, blazer, pun filled graphic t-shirt and Converse sneakers. He was of average height with a thin and lanky physique. He was rocking a messy looking hairstyle. She found it curious that he was talking to Veronica Summers from Wurth Public Relations Firm and Don Timmons from Dragonite Security which was a private American government contractor. That was not a trio she thought would run in the same circles. She recognized criminal kingpins mingling with the crowd as well. She spotted representatives from the Russian Mafia, South American Drug Cartels, African Warlords, and Middle Eastern Dictators. This felt like a meeting between the criminal underground who got their hands dirty and the wealthy elite who used them for their own ends and protected them.

It was about that time that she heard Skye giving them orders over the comm system. She hid her smile behind her glass, happy to know it was working well so far. Samantha began to look around the room casually as if she was checking out who was at the party. She scanned for familiar faces and to check where her fellow team members were. She would make eye contact and then move on so they knew she had seen them. She tried to hide her amusement as Skye and Freya walked past her with an entourage. She had to give Freya props, the woman knew how to draw attention and keep it. She even spotted some women who followed the battle goddess with their eyes and moved towards her. She managed to keep a straight face as she heard Skye announce that had unexpected help on this op.

She spotted Michele on the other side of the room and gave her a subtle signal that told her she was going to start her run. Michele was her backup and lookout. They would start out separately to keep from arousing suspicion. Michele would catch up with her and help bug Pavel’s office while Samantha hacked into his personal computer. Their first stop though were the executive offices one floor below them. They had to retrieve their gear from Melissa Waymire’s office where it had been shipped. Samantha began to ease her way causally around the room towards the stairwell. The bathrooms were in the same corner of the room. How convenient for her. She made like she was heading to the bathroom. As soon as the guards were occupied trying to see what had drawn a crowd and if they were needed, she slipped past them. They were focused on the wrestling giants and placing bets on the men. She almost wanted to stop and put money on Freya just as a sign of feminine solidarity. She shook her head. The guards were obviously of the sexist variety where men were always better.

She still had her wine glass in hand. There were two more guards at the landing with the door to the floor below. These two stood relaxed with arms crossed in front of them. “Guests are not allowed in this area, mademoiselle. You will need to go back up the stairs and rejoin the party.” The guard had a heavy french accent and was shorter at only 5’6”. The man he was paired with was of average height but muscular. She smiled and sashayed drawing his attention as she moved closer to him. "Well maybe I was bored and looking for some fun.” Samantha leaned into his personal space and knew he could see down her blouse some. He automatically looked. She gave him a flirtatious smile. She handed him her wine glass. “Be a dear and hold this for me.” She began to dig around in her purse. “I mean the least I can do is give you my number. You have the most delicious accent. I could just eat you up.” She laid it on thick before grabbing a pen. She pulled out a notepad and began to write. She tore off the note and went to hand it to him. He was grinning thinking he was going to get lucky. His partner was rolling his eyes and sighing. Samantha hit the button to launch the barbed needle directly into his hand as she spun and hit the button again as she stabbed his partner in the neck with it and hit the button. Both men had just started to react when they both collapsed like puppets with their strings cut. The sleep agent on the darts was working great!

Samantha grinned and pulled a pair of gloves out of her purse. She pulled them on and activated her special contact lenses which displayed a holographic HUD over her vision field. She activated the haptic gloves that connected to her laptop in the office somewhere on this floor. She used the information provided by Skye to get into their camera feeds. She couldn’t stop the feeds because that would be noticed by Pavel’s automated security. Samantha accessed the cameras that were on motorized mounts and changed the angle so that they looked at the ceiling, after looping the video in the cache on the cameras buffers creating a clean image loop. She couldn’t review all the footage to make sure it was pristine first. Time was ticking on this op already. It would be enough to help their team get in and out though. Of that she was confident. They might get picked up on one camera out of 10 but the odds were in their favor before someone spotted them. She guessed they had about a 20 minute window before someone figured it out and raised an alarm.

Samantha checked the two guards for security key cards and weapons. She tucked one gun into the waistband of her pants and the other in her purse. She grunted as she moved the heavy lugs away from the doors. She didn’t have a handy room to hide them in. The best she could do was a shadowy corner. She then slipped through the door into the hallway. She looked both ways. She was grateful for the floor plans as she knew which way to go. She moved quickly towards the office she needed.

(sorry it double posted on me!)

---

Accessing the company network would be no small order. While hacking it remotely wasn’t an option, that didn’t mean accessing it onsite would be much easier. The security was locked tighter than any vault, and one slip up would set the entire place on high alert. The Raven team had come as prepared as they could, even more so thanks to Sam’s inventions, but they still had to work as carefully as possible. Which is why it was surprising that Skye and Freya of all people got into an altercation with the head of security literally moments after walking in. Well, okay maybe not a shock for Freya, but Skye? She wouldn’t let something like that happen so early in the op without reason, and if Xander was thinking correctly, he knew what that was.

Dressed in a pristine white dress shirt, crisp black slacks, a black vest and bow tie, and a name tag that read ‘Henry Ferguson’, Xander was probably wearing the fanciest outfit he had ever been in. While he hadn’t done much to hide his face, a clean shave and a haircut seemed to be enough to not rouse any suspicion. And the cameras wouldn’t be able to get a good look at his face either, as a pair of very sophisticated glasses he wore would blur his image on any sort of CCTV.

Unlike everyone else, Xander didn’t come to the party disguised as a guest. He was part of the catering staff. It allowed him to access places the others couldn’t get to as easily, and in this situation, an excuse to go somewhere none of them should be. At the moment, Xander found himself strolling towards the exit of the security complex pushing a cart draped in a table cloth with various fancy foods piled on. Not the most inconspicuous way to be walking in a restricted area, but walk anywhere with enough confidence while holding something and most people won’t question it. At least, it usually works.

“Hey!” A guard hollered towards Xan. He quickly approached and stopped the cart. “What the hell are you doing back here?”

“My apologies, sir.” Xander said with a slight head bow, attempting to suppress his accent as he spoke. “I was asked by Mr. Andros to bring some delicacies by to make sure all of you were well fed.”

The guard glared at Xander, clearly debating if he trusted the story or not. Finally he shook his head. “Whatever. Just next time make sure you have someone escorting you. We can’t have anyone running around here unattended, you got that? Now get back to the party.” The man stepped aside, but grabbed a few snacks off the cart before Xander quickly wheeled it away.

–--

“Excuse me. May I freshen your drinks?” Xander appeared next to Skye and Freya. He was still wheeling around his cart, but now he had a tray of various beverages on it. He waited politely for them to take a new glass and leave their old one, preferably with a certain keycard as well. He did his best to maintain character, but upon seeing Jamie, he couldn’t help but toss the man a cheeky wink. “Hope you’re having a pleasant evening as well, Scion.”

---

Samantha moved quickly down the hallway. A set of guards came from a side hallway that intersected the one she was in. She shot one with a knockout dart while she whipped around and used a quick combination strike to the man’s sternum to knock the wind out of him before sweeping his legs and knocking him to the floor. She shot him with a knockout dart before he could react. She didn’t stop moving a pale champagne blur as she moved towards her target. She didn’t try to hide the bodies because the clock was ticking already.

She used the guard’s card to enter the office she needed. She found the package she had shipped sitting in the middle of the desk. The box looked like an elephant had stomped on it. She was glad her gear was protected in an inner case that required her biometric signature to open. She placed her fingers on the handle where the fingerprint reader confirmed she was alive, had a heartbeat and was her after a finger poke. The case popped open, and she retrieved her equipment bag by slinging it across her shoulders.

She pressed a hand to her throat to activate her hidden microphone. “Chaos has retrieved her toys and is on the way to her playdate.” Chaos filled the team in on her progress. “Big brother said we have about 20 minutes before we have to leave.” Her team would understand that and know she had somehow neutralized the cameras and that they had about 20 minutes before she thought they would be found. It wouldn’t do anything about the motion or heat sensors but those were only in the more secure areas anyway like the server room. They were going to be Glitch’s problem. She would only have to deal with the ones in his office.

She quickly left the executive office. She tore off a piece of duct tape from a roll she kept in her kit. She taped the door lock so it would stay open. “Frelon the gate is open and waiting for you.” She used code to tell Hornet that she had left the door unlocked so she could retrieve her gear. Samantha had faith that the Frenchie would catch up to her. She took off for the corridor that would lead to Pavel’s office.

It has been a long time since I did this, doing spy stuff. Mateo thought as got he got past the entrance guards. Vicente Rodríguez was his cover while he got in without a hitch. Skye seemed to have a problem which surprised him. Freya he could understand, but Skye. Hopefully, it will be fine regardless, and they can do this mission without a hitch.

Though there was that one part of the briefing that Skye failed to mention that he realized during it. This party of Pavel's would attract all sorts of people. Including criminals, and he could identify several already. But that means there is a chance that someone from the Tejedor Cartel would be here. A certain Thiago Tejedor and Mateo honestly might try to kill the man here and now if he sees him. On one hand, he is on a mission, but on the other hand, that man murdered his parents and almost him. Chances are that Thiago would not recognize him given it has been fourteen years since that day, and Mateo has grown up since then. So walking up to him and getting his revenge might be easy. Granted there might be guards with him but, that did not matter to him.

Still, Mateo knew he had to keep his murderous thoughts in check and keep up his visage as a calm guest intact. Plus, Thiago may not be here, so there is no point in getting worked up for nothing... yet.

So Mateo mingled with people and acting just like another guest. After a bit, he spotted Skye, Freya, and Xander disguised as one of the catering staff. Nice to see that Skye and Freya out and about now after being with security, and Xander seemed like he was doing well. A smart play disguising himself as one of the catering staff. He probably can get in places here easier than them. Well, too late to change, but, nice to see that the rest of the team was playing their roles well.

As he was thinking of whether or not to approach the three. Did Mateo hear Sam on their comms and knew it was time to get this party started in earnest. So he casually and, not attracting attention, hopefully, walked to where Sam was. They are now on the clock, and he needed his gear. Hopefully, Thiago is not at this party, for if he is and Mateo missed him. Well... Mateo will feel... better not to think about that right now and focus on the mission. That was his last thought as he entered the hallway. Time to steal some data.

The atmosphere was certainly getting busier, as more guests came in, the sleek wooden floor getting more busy as the team were getting caught up, one by one. From Freya tangling up with the guard, Carl keeping watch over the rest, Xan serving drinks, Sam breaking and entering, and well, the others doing what she hoped was their little part to play, Skye kept her own attention turned to the fact this was business, not pleasure. Though the sight of Xander with a tray of drinks, including champagne, as she took the glass, sliding the keycard under.

@Awesomoman64

"Why, thank you...Henry." Skye replied back to the waiter, the incognito Australian fitting in just perfectly. The handoff was slick as anything, the pass sliding across under the other like it was barely a thing, the two proficient at their craft. They had to be, because any slip-ups here meant it was certainly going to hell.
"You seem to be a rather dashing waiter, out of all of them. I'd say you'd almost have a knack for it." Skye added, giggling, making it out she was flirting with him as she walked up to his ear, her height allowing her to just lean in and peck him on the neck, then whisper up in his ear:
"Pavel's behind you. Leave me to this one." She whispered to Xan, using the chance to look over and see him.

And there he was, Pavel Andros, talking to two other businessmen, the late 30-something tech billionaire exactly the depiction of wealth you could imagine. Smart casual with a shirt that on the surface looked not that expensive, but in reality, was in the thousands of dollars, with a watch to match, and sunglasses on his temple that followed. A sharp look in his eye and obviously some physical training at the gym, but one that of course, just masked the nerd underneath. He was a weasel trying to play at being a big man.

Looking back into his eyes, Skye gave a wry blush and left him with that, walking across to the bar, champagne glass in hand and one keycard lighter. The piano playing away, the soft tones filling the void between conversation, it was a rather classy place to be. The redhead certainly felt the part, her presence unlike her usual warhawk self, in this instance, smooth and easygoing, like she was a part of this. A chameleon, moving like any of the bastards she didn't like did.

@LadyAmber
With that interaction, she kept her ear out, hearing Sam's voice call in her ear, knowing she'd already started her way in but being unable to respond. After taking a separate entry, Sam was headed down into the gutter of the offices, and had gotten her kit, as well as already getting into the cameras. Not bad at all, considering everything- and well, making her moves. No doubt Michelle would be following Sam down into the gutters, the master thief so quiet Skye sometimes forgot how quiet she was in these situations. Alas, you let professionals do their thing, and they got results. Skye knew that all too well in her own method.

-----

While unable to reply just yet, Skye looked back over to Freya, Carl, Jamie and Geza, the sight of them getting together and interacting on certainly enough to turn the heads of the party. Including guards. But not Skye's, as she took her champagne and sipped it down, the red-head, red-dressed Scot moving towards the group, glass in hand. There were security around, but well, it was free-flowing. They were talking all kinds of tech, as Pavel cut away from the group, Skye watching as she knew she'd missed this chance. That was because the twat had something to say, heading towards a raised podium across the floor, where one of his lackeys held a microphone, hooked up to the speaker system of the place. The vibe died suddenly as the speaker kicked in, the pianist finishing his piece, anticipating as the man on the platform put mic to lips.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we thank you for coming to our party tonight, and hope you are enjoying your time! We hope you enjoyed your free drinks, and that the music is to your liking, please give it up for James Nicholls on the piano! And now, for a special speaker, the Chief Executive Officer of Vale Systems, Pavel Andros!" The suited man stepped down as Pavel emerged from the group of suited men he was talking to, the small crowd applauding as he took the microphone, hand up, waving to the group, this corporate little bit of hand waving inevitable. Of course there was something like this.

"Thank you, thank you Christopher! Hello all, once again, thank you for coming and taking the time out of your busy schedules, but I know many of you will have been on our journey as key investors. So many faces I recognise, so many people working to make the world a better place, and without you, we change the world. Vale has been recording record share prices this year, and through my leadership, where would we be?!" Pavel started, the crowd chuckling to his more likely than not, sarcasm that was probably really how he saw himself.

"We have been at the cutting edge of technology for over ten years, and our time in Singapore has been one we have seen particular growth in our design and sustainability sectors, through engagement with the local market. Our journey has proven that we can disrupt the market, and do things better, cleaner, faster. From cutting edge solutions in electronics and computing, to our proven record in ore to chipset management, we have proven that the future is Vale."

"But most of all, I wanted to take this opportunity to say to you now, that your trust in Vale's values is one I take to heart, and it's why I take the opportunity to announce our investments in our new, large-scale, Vale Systems, World Engineering team. For too long, we have suffered the effects of climate change and resource scarcity. No more. Our Ferrovia One project starting later this year in the Canary Islands is on the front line against our changing climate, stabilising and bringing frequent rain back to North Africa and Spain after years of drought, and with our new satellites, we are finding new deposits of rare earth minerals that will better humankind and allow us to optimise the way we find, mine and manage our vulnerable resources, making Vale a market leader. We are investing in AI systems to help us fix the big problems, the challenges of the world through connected, linked systems for major infrastructure providers. "

The bit people didn't mention, or at least, if you were somewhat read up enough was that Pavel was full of shit. Ferrovia-One was an overhyped idea of hybrid iron fertilisation blended with wind, solar and seed fertilisation for clouds- and was incredibly inconsistent as an idea. Incredibly risky even, and even national governments had an issue with it in dealing with multiple heatwaves, and given it was being funded to protect agricultural interests, was rather closed in on a certain problem of other companies Vale worked with. So too was the satellites, that bit in particular, Skye knew something was sneaky there. And the AI? Shit, he was getting his claws inside the system. Not because he was with Artemis as a goon, but no doubt, it would be rather handy.

The crowd took it in, but deep inside, Skye had her concerns- sure, it was noble, but once again, overpromise, lie, and turn the wheel. Oh, what a guy.

"We are delivering the future of that world you once dreamed about, today, and we have natural computation models that are years ahead of the curve. We have invested in computational power that now makes us a market leader, and we are putting that to use, while generating record growth, return and achievement. And I thank you for your investment, because you're with us on this journey to make a better world."

"You can all sleep easy that you may be drinking champagne, but you are all making real change. So please, enjoy yourselves, and enjoy your evening with Vale. Thank you, once again for coming, and thank you for your support."
Pavel finished to the crowd's applause, stepping down from the platform after drinking it in, the crowd calming down and back to their conversations.

After Pavel's little speech, Skye knew he would be swamped. So she gave it a little while, finding a corner to drink her champagne in, before looking back to Xander, then back at Pavel. In time, she'd make her move, as the team went through the site.

---

Skye had the chance in the interim to chat with other guests, keeping up her façade, aware that right now she needed to move off that whole idea of a bodyguard, and well, someone who fitted in here. She was a ghost, and no doubt, she'd have a fair amount of bullshit to get through, but if you believed your story well enough, it worked. As Sam would have seen, this place was full of well to do businessmen, Vale employees, execs and directors, even a couple of Sheikhs, but worse than that, well, Andreas Tejador. Shit. That one wasn't part of the plan, but then again, he was milling around the rest. She adjusted her frequency, picking up Mateo. She'd seen him come in, and mingle a little himself before likely going downstairs to join Sam on the servers.

@Theyra
"Mateo, recommend you don't come back up. There's one of the Tejador boys up here. Looks like he's out of the way, but don't get tied into anything. Stay focussed on the task at hand. We'll sort him another day." Skye commented calmly, out of earshot and mumbling into her comms, before recentring herself, looking around, and then finding Pavel once again. Right by the side of a bar, under a little porch area, and right for the taking. She had to hope Mateo had his wits on him- he'd figured it out no doubt the sort of crowd that was here, and she hoped he trusted her enough with her word. There were bigger fish to fry, and Skye was very aware she was depending on a lot of trust here to get this done.

It was a strange place to be. Skye knew that the themes that Pavel had touched on were the very real problems that many wanted answers for. Inequality, climate change, all noble things to try and fix. Even she had to admit, some of it felt needed. But the encroachment of that world on politics, the order of things, it felt like it was in the tipping point. Artemis was chaotic and fuck, they weren't eco-terrorists, they just wanted carnage. And to make money, which just felt at odds with Pavel, and what he was doing. If they were tied up, then Skye's concern was more significant than that. They were up to something in the end, and while Skye knew how close previous groups like Artemis had come before in establishing a new world order, or straight up destroying the world as they knew it, just bombing things felt like a misdirection for a greater play. One that needed some answers.

With a sly move through the crowd, Skye came up through, seeing Pavel just about finish up with one group, making her way through, seductive as ever, her Scots accent sticking. There was relatively little in the way of guards, now that Freya had most of their attention, leaving a only a couple of bodyguards in the close vicinity.

"Pavel, that was an excellent speech, aye, no' bad at all. I think we met last year, back in....Dubai, I recall?" Skye introduced herself, knowing full well that well, rubbing ego was the way to go. When you were working on social engineering, you became an echo, and slowly, but surely, you crept in. It was confidence trickery- you made them believe you, get in close, then bam, get them. You play a very specific game, Skye said to herself. This wasn't like trying to convince someone in her team to work, no, this was getting inside his head without losing your own. Making rapport, getting confidence, and then in exactly the right moment, making them do what you want.

The fact she was also a redhead in a red dress, and rather ripe for the taking was always a thing. Pavel was a serial womaniser, suppressed enough by an army of lawyers to make sure nothing ever got out, and while his business mind would tick, Skye's mere presence would start it away. A sultry-toned Scot, her voice like a Highland breeze just being enhanced by the champagne she'd been drinking. She looked every part of the elegance she was, and Pavels' heart rate only increased, even in his confusion.

"Maybe? I am not sure, but thank you. Sorry, who are you again?" Pavel replied, turning his head across, Skye standing at the same height at him, and no doubt catching him off guard, her charm back on again.

"Skye Caldwell, freelance consultant. Used to work for Jottunheim a while back, but doing my own thing...we met while I worked there. I heard a lot about your own work on superconductors, so just had to meet the man who's big in the game for them again, we chatted a bit about it last time?"
Skye remarked, back to her usual game. There was a way to play social engineering off, and she was experienced enough a field operative to know how to do it. Her stoicism paired with a little ability to play naive, be someone she wasn't could come out to full effect.

"Really? I had some run in with your old boss....she is quite the character, hey? Talk about dominating the workplace....it could make someone want to get out there." He smugly remarked, not giving anything away, but oh, Skye knew it all in the here and now, and played along.

"Yes, you could say that....I was in her R&D team, a while back. Needed my own thing after a while. But your business is certainly doing well. The industry turned their heads after your work in South Korea on their new Maglev line."
Skye started, making sure she could tap into that ego of his. It got him good, that was for sure, the Eastern European accent of Pavel broken up with the Greek Cypriot and predominantly Americanised, Silicon Valley exec tone he held.

"It did very well, yes. You know, I don't think I'd get anyone who knew superconductors here. Tell me, where was Freya up to?"
Skye had him in. Oh, but she didn't know much, but well, this was what she had gambled on a little. That initial confidence, curiosity would just keep digging.

"Well....NDAs and all that, but she was doing some very interesting tests. I can't say, but near room-temperature superconductors for coil and electromagnet systems. Really interesting. The industry will be certainly changing again when that stuff gets to market, including your material sciences program and engineering consultancy." Skye knew a little jargon, she'd gone in prepared, well, enough to hold her own here.

"Well...whatever NDA it is, I'm sure I could pay off her lawyers. That is, if you were willing to discuss a little more?" His business brain turned, because well, that instantly got something going, as he leaned in close, a little too close. Fuck, he was a freak. But of course he was, with his history and Skye looking the way she did, the athleticism rather than sheer muscles making her look like she was just some runner of some description while out at the party. He got in close, eyeing up Skye, already giving her absolute creep vibes. It felt odd, he wasn't obviously attracted to her like the 20 year old girls he probably courted, but hell, even this felt weird. Skye had dealt with worse, but hey, you did what you did to keep their attention, as Pavel put a hand on hers, Skye slowly pulling back as she replied.

"Uhhh....we get on well. In fact, as an old colleague, and she invited me too.....shit, I wasn't sure about this. Feels bad. But...I guess I kind of made most of it happen. So thought you might be partial to it. Though if anything, purely because I'm looking for work..." Skye played that fiddle rather well, the other one that didn't have strings and was quite small. Pavel had strict orders to his team to not let in anyone else beyond Freya to this party, given their past run in, but right now, this was too interesting. Skye knew that she had to risk it with that, but it gained trust, and established that well...maybe she was smarter than she seemed. Unluckily for Pavel, this was working nicely.

"You don't need to worry with me. It is more than consulting makes, yes? I get it, you're worried about trade secrets you worked on, and you sound honest. Come on, let's grab a drink and talk more. I'm rather interested in what you have to say, and make some introductions. Dave Harris there, Director of Materials Science there would love to..." He started, Skye putting her hand up, shaking her head knowing this had to be contained- the guy across the other side of the bar couldn't join. Not for their chat.

"Oh no, that's ok. Look....if it's alright, I don't want anyone to know. I'd prefer if we could talk about it in private. " Skye added, pulling out a document from her handbag, sliding it in front. This was a bad time to realise it, but she'd....borrowed? Borrow, yes, borrowed, one of Freya's documents. And it looked like one of the composites that Freya had gotten from Vale, albeit modified, in a way that no doubt, would raise some eyebrows. A glance from Pavel confirmed it was the real deal, well, passing enough to look like something confidential.

"Interesting. Why pick this party, Skye? You could have just gone to Dave if you were looking for work, and look, he knows..." She had him now. Hook was in, line....now...

"Because any other way gets me sued to oblivion by her. And this got me in. I know what Freya does to people too......so could we grab a quiet spot downstairs instead? I'm not sure how else this works, without the two of you killing each other, and she is over there, your security looks like they've got a handle on her. It's not something I can do easy. Then we can get the contract drawn up with lawyers tomorrow morning, and get back to this party." Skye astutely responded, knowing this was tapping into all of it. She was making it clear she wasn't stupid- no, she got this full well, right when it mattered.

The history with Freya, and the others. In a way that suggested she knew the rumours, and yet was on Pavel's side, with a goldmine of something he wouldn't be able to turn down. That and for him, it was a spot of revenge. Skye knew how to get inside people's heads, and very expertly, knew she could make Pavel see things in a particular way. No matter how clever he was, no doubt he'd made his own hole and right now, Skye was giving him the option to be clever about it. That, and well, her charm had burnt through the remainder of his defence, leaving him fixed on her, and wanting only that time. She knew what she was doing, Skye very much aware while she wasn't some casanova, she was honeypotting him quite well.

"You have my interest. Fine. You don't mind if Alexei comes with me?" Pavel suggested, looking over his shoulder, the bald-headed guard coming through.

"Sure." Skye replied, letting it sink in.

Ahh fuck. He may not have been as big as the giant Freya was currently holding up, but he was at least 6"8, and an absolute beefcake. There was no way in hell that the pepper spray would work on him. The sleeping agent would basically be like trying to use it on a bear, and the acid, maybe that would hurt a little. Which left the other tools. And putting them together. Finding a way to do that would be tricky, but it would get her the seclusion she needed.

With that, the three broke from the crowd, and heading down to another set of stairs, headed down, into the offices. Where they were going, Skye wasn't too sure, but she made sure Freya had seen them going, as well as Xan. They were headed down to a meeting room from the mumbling Skye heard Pavel call to Alexei, and the Scot only hoped they weren't going to get into the way of the others.

---

Samantha had just used comms to update her team on her progress. She knew that no plan survived contact with the enemy. Sam seemed to be ahead of everyone, which was okay since she needed to open doors and help with security. She was about to run out the door to her next objective when she ran into Mateo. Sam opened the door and looked both ways in the hallway. She motioned Mateo inside and closed the door to the hallway after he slipped past her. She grinned at Mateo. “Welcome to the party Jaguar.” She led the way to the large cardboard box on the huge executive desk. She had already opened the inner case which held what gear they could fit inside. “Your gear should be in there. What we could fit.” She kept watch while Jaguar grabbed what he needed. She gave him a respectful nod.

When he was ready, she gave him a grin as she once more touched the microphone at her throat to activate her team comms. “Jaguar has joined the hunt.” She let Skye know that Jaguar had decided to help the team hit the digital targets. She paused and listened at the office door before opening it. She then cracked the door and looked both ways before she slipped back into the hallway.

The desperate and aggressive groans of an increasingly hungry belly pulled Michele more quickly the closer she came to the dining room. Soon enough, her nose caught the wafting scent of the meal being prepared… Hamburgers? She couldn’t help but roll her eyes and snicker just a bit. Had she never spent time in the United States, she might not have cared much for the grease-lathed meat patty sandwiched between copious amounts of carbohydrates… she might have preferred a more typical French cuisine, perhaps Moules Marinières. But her stay on the other side of the Atlantic had warmed her to the customs and meals of the other side of her heritage. And the smell of grilling beef and melting cheese captivated her hunger; her stomach decided for her that a burger would be the perfect way to celebrate surviving her first Raven Squad mission.

Attempting to hide that she was salivating, Michele entered the dining room. Her path brought her into an instant beeline towards the griddle. She nodded towards Sam, who was the first to greet her as she entered. “bonne soirée !” she spoke as she walked by, this being said more broadly to the team as a whole. She found herself a seat at the table as Xander handed her his burger. “Merci.” She bowed her head so much as her sore neck would allow. “I think,” she continued, now addressing Skye, “there are still some… kinks to work out in my control of the armor. But it should go better next time.”



Michele had miscalculated. She had misjudged her situation. It had never occurred to her that a group of mercenaries could drink each other under the table so much as the Raven Squad lot.

She sat, trashed and laughing with a masculine bravado as her comrades swapped tales of their past endeavors. The table rounded on her as she downed a shot of tequila… they were looking for a tale with a punchline; something to snort drunkenly over. So she regaled the party with a story about a meticulously botched art heist she had played a bit role in a year or two earlier.

"... and so…" she chuckled, wiping a hand down her face as she reached the end. "After everything we went through, we bring the piece to our client… and he looks at the boss… deadeye… and he says, "You dumbass!!! I told you to get me an authentic Monet, not Manet!"



Michele arrived on site a few minutes behind the rest of the team. The staggered arrival process was key to maintaining their cover; six people with no apparent business connections showing up as a group might arouse suspicion among security.

As Sam would be going through the security check, Michele parked the "borrowed" Mercedes CLA Coupe in the lot overlooked by the penthouse. Slipping out of the vehicle she unveiled herself as wearing a simple black dress contrasted by a white pearl necklace and white leather purse with diamond studs. It was more feminine a look than she cared much for, but it was all necessary to look the part of an honored guest. She held at the car briefly to apply the finishing touch of red lipstick before making her way steadily up to the checkpoint.

It was a slower go than was normal for her. She had sworn off high heels for most of her life; so the factor of balancing with six inches of lift didn't come second nature. She wobbled the first few steps before finding her footing, and continued gracefully from then on. Still, she looked forward to getting the task at hand started. Along with the assortment of gadgets awaiting inside, Sam had also thought ahead to customize the women's footwear. Every pair of heels retracted into the outsoles, and converted the kicks seamlessly into flats. No need to bring an extra pair of shoes for the heist!

"Welcome ma'am."

Hornet had arrived at the checkpoint. "Good evening sir." She curtseyed to the guard.

"Name." The guard checked down a list of guests.

"Ulick." Michele swallowed her pride slightly, and produced the fake ID Chaos had supplied. "First name Eileen."

"Ah. Eileen… Ulick…?" The guard seemed taken aback.

"Yes. My parents had a strange sense of humor." She laughed and rolled her eyes reminiscently. She'd have to get back at Chaos for that one someday.

"Oh. Very well then. Place your cell phone in the secure container and come in. Enjoy the party."

"Of course." She left her phone with security and entered the party. She waded carefully through the buzz of dignitaries and degenerates alike. They reminded her of the clientele she used to pull jobs for… scumbags that masqueraded as saints. She bit her tongue back, and made friendly with a few other guests; Eileen Ulick was, after all, a high rolling investor looking to add Pavel's dealings to her portfolio. All the while she eyed across the room towards Sam, waiting for her cue to move.

When Chaos slipped out and down to the executive offices, Hornet casually worked her socializing around the floor until she was positioned by the access to the lower level. Luckily she didn't need to wait for too long. Chaos was good and worked quickly. Within a few minutes the call came in over the comms that the team's gear was ready for them.

Unnoticed by prying eyes, Michele slipped out of the festivities and into the offices below. Checking that her way was clear of security, she snuck across from the stairwell and into the open office. In haste, she found what she needed, stuffing the new equipment into her purse. "The bee is in the hive," she spoke over the team comm. She tapped the heels of her shoes together Dorothy-style, and they lowered into a more wieldy pair of flats. "Ready to make some honey."

Just a few moments ago

Freya casually placed her empty champagne flute on the proffered tray. And unless someone looked really hard the security keycard nestled among the remains of the icecubes in the flute. She smiles and plucks another from the tray, playing the part, handing it to Ingwe first. She slid a hand down his hand after he took the champagne flute. Oh but it's a good play. Ingwe having eyes only for the great giant of a woman. Jamie standing there looking quite angry over all of it.

The big man stopped though a second, and turned slowly. Looking right into Xander's eyes. He quirked a brow then a big toothy smile crossed his face. He nodded and under his breath grunted, "Glitch, well look at you, I thought you were off shift too?" Jamie smiles, and as Xander passes Jamie whispers to him "You need anything you let me know, I've got your back."

He then quickly turns to narrow his eyes at Ingwe and his sister. As Freya is leaning in and just hairsbreadths from Ingwe's lips. Jamie almost growls. Which causes Freya to dart back, "Oh I'm sorry...I might be starting to feel the bubbly." Meanwhile Ingwe is slightly breathless and red in the face, his lips half puckered and seemingly quite empty headed right now. Freya turning slightly and smiling at first her brother, who gives her the stink eye for what she's up too, then past him, and manages to catch the eye of Samantha "Chaos" Dalton as she passes through the main room giving one of her fellow female operatives a smile and a wink of luck.

During all of this Carl is standing near by ostensibly watching the kids, the three giants in the room. Shaking his head at the antics of Freya and Ingwe. As well as watching Jamie do the protective brother routine to a tee, the siblings managing to play off each other, repeatedly drawing the rooms attention to them.

Between moments of keeping Ingwe off his game. Freya greets other party goers. One an up and coming defense contractor, who is fairly well known in some shadier circles for taking some really...dark...contracts. She grins, "Kortsky! Well look at you, love the suit. How was that thing in the Congo? Big dust up wasn't it? I mean after that crazy thing with that guy the Hyena years ago I'm surprised they want foreigners come in you know?" Jan Kortsky clears his throat and smiles, "Oh you know things need to be done sometimes Dr. Kanatarrio, and people like us need to clean it up. Good to see you by the way I've heard great things about your projects. I hear something about a mass driver? The army and navy have been trying for years, but I hear your tests are going well. When are we going to see a demo hun?" Freya chuckles, "Stick around tonight and you just may. I brought some toys." The man almost looks giddy, "I look forward to it!" Kortsky says and then scampers off, likely to spread the news.

Jamie hums, "Didn't realize you were here on business business too sis." Freya grins and hands Jamie another champagne flute, "Business and pleasure lil' brother." She then turns back to Ingwe, "Lots and lots of pleasure if you're lucky." The man who had been drifting snaps back to attention on Freya, going blank eyed and completely attention on the large well dressed...and let's face it flaunting woman.

"Wait, what Skye?" Mateo said when he heard about there being a Tejador being here. Mateo stopped in his tracks and thought for a moment. She did not say who it was from the Tejador cartel, and that was important. This is not a small event, and it could be one of the higher ups in the cartel, but could it be Thiago? Slow anger started to rise in him. If it was Thiago, and he missed a shot at getting revenge. Then Skye will be in trouble for this, and who knows when he will get another shot at killing that man.

The clock is ticking, and he has to make a choice, head back up and see for himself or focus on the mission. After calming down some and taking a long sigh. For now, he will focus on the mission and trust Skye. But if it was Thiago, then he will have some choice words with Syke about this. "Nevermind, Skye, I will focus on the mission out." He will ask her later who it was after this mission is over.

So Mateo continued down the hallway until he met up with Samantha. After getting his gear and making sure it works, he made a respectful nod back to her just as he left the room and went into the hallway. Time to get this party starting in earnest, he thought to himself and repeated what Sam did and opened the door a bit to make sure the hallway was clear. It was clear, and so Mateo left the room and disappeared into the hallways. Time to get this party of theirs started in earnest.

Skye felt the fear, but whatever it was, kept it down. That stoic nature, trust. It came from doing this over, and over, and over. The term "operative" covered a lot, but you killed people, lied to people, stole information, did everything, Skye knew the members of her team had seen it themselves, but in that regard, Skye had to be one of those who still played it her way.

They were in the same area as the infiltrators were now, and Skye knew that they would be sneaking out of the way, and staying out of Skye, Pavel's and Alexei's reach, knowing they were unmarked and unfollowed aside from the occasional patrol. But then again, no better place to get the support if things went to shit. Though knowing the fact it was likely soundproofed, it would be risky. Worse so, because Skye knew with this chat, she had to get what she could, and play the situation out. The office was like a house almost, wooden decor reducing the wide open spaces down on this area, with Pavel's office being a large, tinted glass suite of its own kind in his own area.

Entering the office, Alexei standing at the back, Pavel took a seat, his strength clear to see in this position, the power a CEO had in his lavish, almost luxurious Singapore office one to behold. It was clad in a modern style with wood finishing and a soft wooden floor that felt like it bled money, without being tasteless. The sort of guy who didn't fly Emirates clearly, because he valued warm, clean aesthetic over garish, loud noise.

"So, you're in the presence of a CEO, a man with power. You are lucky indeed."
His voice carried, as Skye shook her head, now knowing pretenses were off. She needed Alexei out of the picture. This wasn't going to go perfectly, not the way she envisioned. He wasn't going to leave Pavel alone if she asked nicely, so she'd have to force the matter. It meant being a bit difficult, and well, setting her expectations a little too high.

"Is that how you address a lady like me?"

"I address you how you I like. File please. Before we talk anymore, I need trust. Then we talk terms, conditions, and all that shit." Pavel couldn't hold back his tone here, seeing the girl across from him as just another pawn in his game.
He felt angry to be doing business here, but he'd get his way, after all, he held all the cards and if she was so desperate to come into his clutches, he wasn't taking her tone. And she would come around after the money, just that he didn't like being spoken to like that first. Skye knew it was his weakness. And she was using it against him.

"You know I'm not giving you that. Not without you telling me what it's worth to you."

"It seems to be going down in price, as well as your life. And such a pretty lady, too. I would make a woman out of you." Pavel slyly retorted, leaning over the table, his womanising gone and now something far more sinister. It was like a switch tripped and out went the rich CEO, in came in the monster that had done what he did to Freya's workmates, and the other girls that were rumoured about.

"They commonly say that, but I'm smarter than you think. No dice. It's 50 million, and that's the preliminaries, only." This was a rather aggressive interview, but Skye was driving it up, not down. It would put Alexei in position and she'd know if he was armed, or not.
Skye retorted, as Alexei walked behind, Pavel sighing.

"I don't accept a waste of my time. I always get what I want. Alexei, if you would remind her of the situation." Skye smirked at him, watching as he went for his Sig Sauer pistol, Skye rolling back on the chair as she drew her own chunk of acid out of her handbag that was contained in her purse, swinging out simultaneously and grabbing his arm, twisting it over and smacking the weapon out, though the big man certainly had his wits on him. A hard hit came from him as he twisted out and threw Skye against the glass of the office, hurting plenty as he walked over, dusting himself off, pushing her back up the cracked glass, and wrapping hands to throat and up her neck, the air beginning to be squished out, Skye watching as he silently pushed tighter.

"Not my kink!" Skye wriggled, using a heel to get him in the groin and smashed the acid-filled perfume against his throat, allowing her to pull him down like a mountainside, wrapping herself up on top, punching him hard in the head. It wasn't enough as he rolled back, hitting Skye hard in the head with a response, enough to push her off and roll across and grab his pistol. With a pickup of the pistol by Alexei, Skye had no other options left, the whip cable off her purse taken as she charged, Alexei firing a couple of rounds at her, and yet unlike the anticipated effect would be, Skye didn't stop. She simply lept up with a kick, aware nobody normal would do this. The whole getting shot thing, that is.

It was why you had a ceramic lining in your dress, because it helped that idea out.

Alexei tried to grab but the kick sent him down as she wrapped the cable around his throat and pulled, winded as Skye lept onto his now weakened grip and turning the Sig Sauer in his hands out into her grip. The cable she held with her legs and knees was working, but this pistol was faster. With it, she pulled his hand back towards him and clacked him in the head, tapping twice with the trigger in his hand bent back towards him, the claret spilling bloodily from the bald Russian at point blank.

With Alexei out, Skye panted, exhaling as she drew the pistol up again, seeing Pavel try to get up and past the mess, of course, Alexei making it easy for the two to block the way out as they were at the door of the room. He'd been scrambling through his drawers, but his draw wasn't fast enough as he fumbled the pistol into hand, Skye already having hers raised before he could take hold. He wasn't even holding it right.

"Sit the fuck down. You're not going anywhere."

---

"You work for a competitor? Then I'll pay double what they want. Jesus!" His shock was palpable seeing his bodyguard get iced, but even more so, how easy Skye made it look, considering the size of Alexei and his talents. It seemed freakish, his nerves clear to see.

"It's not money I want, Pavel."

"Then who the hell are you? And what are you after then? This is in the way of a greater good, whatever you think you're doing, this goes so much bigger than what you are!"

"The greater good? You mean how your tech is in the hands of a shadowy organisation?" Skye's voice carried, as she knew the exact words she'd let slip.

"No idea what you're talking about....."

"Bullshit. I know you're in with Artemis."

"Well, it's like I don't have a choice. Artemis want the same thing, and nobody is going to change a thing. You can't see this, can you? The world is going to shit. How do you think the world keeps turning with all the gadgets, everything you get?"

"And you think that makes it okay to fund organisations trying to create a dirty bomb? Or is it just so convenient your algorithms are all over their work?" Skye was fuming- oh, she knew what Artemis might be like, probably enriching the rich for their own good through anarchy, but this, oh this was pandering to the worst.

"Because nobody will do what is needed. You live in fear, I live in opportunity. So tell me, what do you want? If you want to kill me, do it. They'll eat you alive by the hour. You do not know what you're messing with, MI6, CIA, whoever the fuck you are."

"None of the above. And I'm not going to kill you, Pavel. You're more valuable to me alive."

Skye pulled up her handbag once again, containing a vial that was encased inside a lip balm canister, drawing it out. This was nothing like what Sam had prepared- nope, this was a Skye special, from back in her day. She didn't want the team knowing she had something this awful, given that well, if Xan got his hands on it, the pranking would be terrifying.

"See this? I think it'll tell me a lot. It's a truth serum, I put this in you, and you tell me everything you know about Artemis, what you do, and who you've been hacking lately. Side effect is though in about five minutes, you'll be in a state of mind that is what you feel like after ten shots of vodka...and you will crap yourself. Choice is up to you if I inject it, though."

"What?"

"You'll need to go back to the party after our little chat. Your security isn't coming for you because you're not to be disturbed. I can get you up there, but what happens to your image, reputation, all of what you are is up to you."

"So that's it? You think Artemis will let me live if I tell you. I'd be a dead man walking."

"That is it. It's a risk you have to take. Gut tells me you'll live because you're too important to them. And to yourself, Pavel. Just get better bodyguards, yeah?"

He sighed, knowing he was truly screwed. There was no way out of this. And to him, his image was all that mattered. Being the best, on top. There was no fighting his way out of this. If Skye could do that to his henchman, and the pistol that she had was centred right at his head, there was little chance he would have.

Trick was, she had to engineer him a little here. Skye knew what she had spilled was risky, but it was enough to make him scared because she knew what he was involved in. It was enough to make him run to his network, rather than hide- the fact that someone like Skye had come in and done this would make him talk to his friends in a panic, realising he was under threat. It was more the idea of the fact that the bad men were coming after Pavel, more than anything. Making a man who thought he was invincible feel very mortal, and save his skin for now, before the team got the details they needed of him and his wider connections.

"Alright. After a few years ago and the original setup of Artemis fell apart, a group of government officials, CEOs, companies, realised that drastic measures need to be taken to protect us from our own mess. I heard it was much worse, what is on the table is better, and that is all I know. Artemis is going to put the world back on course, after some....setbacks. I'm just a supplier and I don't know shit, I promise, but the cabal on top in Artemis, they want to fix this whole thing. They don't want anarchy. They just want an order."

"What are you fucking talking about?"

"None of these solutions are going to work to solve all of our problems. They're all linked. Governments that don't work. Overpopulation. Climate change. Inequality, resources, water, food scarcity, all of it. There will be anarchy soon. People fighting over basic amenities let alone smartphones. And nobody wants to do a thing. We are out of time for the solutions. The only answer is to control, and that is down to people like us. People won't listen to speeches, technology, promises, they listen to fear. People will die, but we might keep things intact, and ourselves too. You kill me, there'll be another tech billionaire who has the same idea." Pavel paused, clearing his throat, his swear and fear dying back as he backed himself, Skye respecting that bravely enough, he was trying to justify it.

"Listen, you seem clever enough. Whatever your name is. You don't have to do this. You can replace Alexei, call it here and give in to reason. If you want to stop Artemis, I don't care what government, company, anyone you work for, it won't stop. It's inevitable. Because if they don't the wave of shit comes for us all and it all burns."

"No thanks, you seem like an asshole to work for. You know, I know about Pascha and Talisa. They thought they could do the same after they did what they did. They were going to fucking nuke major population centres, and kill billions for their cause. Because they believed they could repopulate the world with perfect people, and rule the ashes. And you think otherwise? Or did your overlords not tell you?"

"Not like that. They were a rogue element. They don't want to kill everyone, but you know as well as I do, the brakes need to be put on all of this. And it keeps me where I need to be. And the rest."

"Sure there's no more? You want more power for yourself in your crypto-fucking-fantasy? Control corrupts, and soon you will kill plenty more than you imagined. Starts with a few, ends with everyone. Way I see it, you're part of the fucking problem."

"Not just me then. I just host their servers and they keep me off hitlists of people like you, and keep business going. I promise, I've got nothing to do with any of the dirty work. Just a lot to gain if it goes right. And it's so much bigger than you think.....all of it. All the people in this. Listen to me, you can't stop this. You're either with them, or you'll be next. I have my bunker when it all goes to an end. Do you?"

"Well, clearly it's not working, keeping the riff-raff like me away. I feel fucking sorry for you, Pavel. All that money, status, power, everything. And yet you talk you're above it all, keeping your hands clean of blood and talking about people like they're things. At least I'm honest about killing Alexei. Not sure about you."

"So you'll join that world of hurt then. Whoever it is that is paying you will too."

"That's not for you to decide. I'm not getting any answers I like, so let's cut the crap."
Skye pulled the vial out, and knowing Pavel was scared, would get the last bits she needed, one way or another.

"Shit.....wait." Pavel mumbled, as he put his hands up, now the shoe being firmly on the other foot.

"There's my satellite network. It got used in a hack on an organisation I don't know anything about....a difficult one. My contact wanted it stopped badly. They came for something that was valuable to the organisation, and whatever it was, it was critical enough for me to throw everything I had at it. I want you to know that, before you do whatever you do to me, you won't be able to do anything with it, given it's out of reach. Even if you hack my computer, I don't see you living long enough. That's how it happened. Look, now you know, it won't matter." He retorted, chuckling, yet somewhat still in fear and worried. Gloating now was probably worth it, given he knew he'd done enough not to die.

Pavel knew his security would pick up the pieces quickly enough for this chancer, well, if Skye was alone they would. Little did they know that they were occupied, disabled, or worse, being snuck into.

"The security will lock this place down, or Artemis will find you again. They seem to know you personally. And I bet they're trying to send a message, whatever it is the Cabal want. It must have been you. Make them know they noticed whatever you are. So good luck putting it to use. With or without me, they get what they want."

"That sounds like you can't even own up to it. Like you're scared of what you gave them, and have to lie to yourself to keep it going. You know what I said about lying?"
Skye retorted, eying him up, rather sick of his semantics. Fuck, he was so much like a Bond villain, he had gone DOWN in her estimations. At least he'd just been a regular twat before that, but right now, he was a weaselly, snarky little bastard.

"You really deserve a bit of clarity."

With it, Skye took the concealed balm and with a flick, pulled the syringe and dabbed it straight into his neck, pushing him against the wall as he squirmed, before leaning back.

The cocktail wasn't exactly a truth serum, but more like a mix of rohypnol, anaesthetics and other psychoactive drugs from the time of MK Ultra, fused in a chemical cocktail known in the industry as "Runner's Martini". It would put him under for about three minutes, and waking up after that in recovery would feel like getting roofied, being so drunk, high and out of his ass, he'd start spewing all kinds of nonsense, as well as in time, fluids and other bodily functions that didn't need thinking about. There was no antidote, and it lasted for a good hour of utter comedy till his stomach was cleared. The sort of thing you used because you wanted a target incapacitated, and then very much awake, but a bumbling, utter train wreck. The sort of drug that wasn't a sleeping agent, but more like a spy's wet dream. A perfect distraction that ruined people.

Pavel had spilled some interesting details too. The satellite launches and network that everyone knew about clearly had some effect on the mission in being able to tap into comms and could have some wider impacts beyond that as well as other activity that Artemis had for communications or untrackable data, but they wouldn't be everything that they needed. That was likely to be on the servers, and computers, including right here, in his office. That was one part- and likely it held much of Artemis's information, not just the hack itself. That bit was small change, what was more important was who was tangled in it- namely, this shapely bastard and his role in it, and the wider network would emerge from that. That, and the fact that they weren't done here for information. Sam had bugging to do, and they would find out who, what and where he was calling when all was said and all was done.

What concerned Skye was the fact Pavel clearly wasn't all the way in with Artemis's activities. He was involved, but more likely than not, doing it for his own protection, and everything pointed to that. Like he was paranoid about people coming for him and taking his crown. For his own defence, which in some way, scared her a hell of a lot more. If even Pavel couldn't look after himself, then who the fuck was in the middle of this? It suggested Artemis's motives were far darker than anyone knew. Not just some corrupt government, but if they'd convinced Pavel he was safe from what was to come, Skye almost wondered how bad it would get.

A few years ago, a black on black debrief document came out after a mission involving a suspected set of nuclear launch sites in Kerala and Idaho being hijacked by fringe elements of Artemis, the kind that Skye's predecessor had to go and deal with- even then, most of it was redacted. It was a lunatic thing to have read, but it had been stopped just in time, and very, very quietly, everyone had been sworn to secrecy given the world as everyone had known it had almost ended. And it probably wasn't the first time. Not that the main elements of the team knew this, of course. What she wondered was that perhaps Artemis were thinking the same. If at all something like that could happen, then it wasn't just some shady anarchist group. Perhaps they were even bringing modern day feudal lords like him over the table. Live, in a new world, or die, with the old. Just how they were doing it, Skye didn't know. But it didn't sound good, and Pavel had been convinced he had to be there on the right side of things, and blackmailed to whatever was required.

The last bit though, that one sunk in. Skye had to wonder. Maybe it was a nudge, to let whoever she worked for know, they were being noticed now. Pavel probably had no idea, but perhaps, he'd put the dots together and finally saw his enemy in the flesh, not on other side of a screen.

---

On that note, Skye started the process for any HVT's personal details- biometrics for scanners in particular, and anything on his person. There was no personal alarm on him, and his security team were probably too busy with Freya, as she got to work. In the field it would have been too much work given it took time to do a full scan, but with the hidden phone, she could do that, starting to get his handprints onto their network, as well as his eyes, where he sat out cold.

It was going to be an interesting process to say the least- Skye now had clear space to properly talk, and address the team properly given they were all at work.

@Wayward@LadyAmber@Theyra

"Change of plan, team. I had my chat and I'm in his office, currently with a very out of it Pavel. Guard details are minimal, but keep your eyes open. Hornet, Chaos, Jaguar, I'm getting his fingerprints and his retinal image. I need to get him back upstairs soon, so I might need a hand sneaking up to drop him at the top of the stairs. Recommend you get to me soon as you can, that gives you time to hack his computers. Jaguar, the servers the next level down will be more difficult to break into, but Chaos might be able to help from Pavel's computer. We do not have much time, so everyone, hustle your shite."

Skye seemed confident as ever, firm as ever even as the team lead dusted herself off, the marks on her neck clear to see that she'd nearly been choked out, but hey, once again, not dying was always a top thing to do when you were held by a Russian bodyguard.

Could recommend that, checking her dress and the metal rounds falling out from where the weave had stopped the rounds. If they weren't hollow points, she'd be hurting a hell of a lot more, when the adrenaline wore off.

She felt for Mateo, who clearly was going to be a little more pissed at Skye than she was comfortable with, yet couldn't blame him for. No doubt Freya might be the same. She had a lot of apologies to make, but sometimes, the greater good like Pavel said, needed a few sacrifices in the short term, as awful as she had to agree with him there was. Besides, she knew she'd have the details for them both soon, there'd be a way back at some more revenge. Opportunities and all that, and she hoped that she'd make it up in the long term as a result of this work, as likely the network might include some people they wanted to see.

@Awesomoman64@BigPapaBelial
"Frigga, Glitch, recommend you tell Carl to short Vale stock, and stay on top of their security until you see me. Trust me, it'll be the best financial investment you ever make, so Glitch, make sure the cameras are all eyes on Pavel when he comes back. We may need to go with Plan B for our way out. When we do, follow my lead and don't stop. That's a way I don't want to use if the alarm goes off, but we might not have a choice."
Skye looked around after she'd finished up, and pulling up his computer kept her eyes open, knowing that Sam, Mateo or Michelle could get to her now- likely it would be Sam in here and Mateo to the servers, though she knew that they would figure that out for themselves, as she cut the comms to Mateo, last of all.
@Theyra
"Just trust me on this one, Mateo. We'll get him, we'll have ID on the cameras but not here."

She began to pull the slobbering Pavel up against the desk, and with an uncomfortable pull, got him in a position that could be fireman lifted onto her shoulder when ready, sighing, as she murmured to herself. It wasn't the first time she'd done this.
"The things I do for drunk people."

Looking around, Skye could hear the near soundless beat of Mateo joining her in the office, the Scot’s red-haired, bloodied black-gloved hands being wiped up by some disinfectant she’d brought along in her handbag. After all, Alexei on the floor was very dead, and Pavel next to her limp was telling this hadn’t been a clean affair. The cracked glass added to that image, the sight of it reinforcing the fact she’d very much been thrown at that window rather than knocked into it.

Mateo almost silently entering the office and while the sight of the downed men and bloodied hands concerned him. They were on the clock and they will have time to ask about it will be later. “I came when I heard and you looks like you handle yourself well.” Though Skye could hear the concern in his voice.

Skye wryly chuckled, shrugging her shoulders as she looked around, then back at the infiltrator, geared and a little more equipped to the task at hand over the party-going team lead, given he had his silenced pistol and other tools on him now. She appreciated his concern, the man of few words saying plenty beyond what his vocal cords did.

“Aye, appreciate you keeping an eye out, but keeping your distance. I can handle myself, but he gave me a good go. Didn’t think it would go this badly, but here we are. Got what we needed.”
Skye looked around, checking the mag on the P226 and checking around the corner behind Mateo with the pistol at point, then heading back to the PC and checking the cabling and monitor.


“What’s our play, Jaguar? Network access should be here, Sam can clone the PC but you might be able to open up your server run from here.”
Skye retorted, knowing chances were, due to the security of this place, Mateo may have a run at it- or would have a better idea than she did.

“Hmmm, l will see if I can.” Mateo walked over to the PC and started accessing it. After some time with it he spoke. “Yeah I can access the server from here but I have to go to some security to get to it.” Mateo started to focus and let the hacker in him run loose. “It should take me a minute or two for me to get through.” Mateo started quickly typing on the keyboard as he focused.

Skye kept an eye out, her ear to the outside, and the other infiltrators likely to be running loose on the office block. They’d need to be quick, given the fact that she needed to get Pavel upstairs soon, and just in case any further biometrics were needed, it was nice to have him here rather than a scan of what they needed.


“Good stuff. Keep going and get us what we need..” She replied back, knowing that time was of the essence- and they were running out of it, quick. Not much she could do searching for intel- there was barely anything in the draws or desks, it was all digital, making sense after all given all of Pavel’s travel.

“You have to be kidding me,” Mateo sounding surprised and annoyed. The sound of typing would stop. “There is another security program in the way but this one is good.. too good.” Mateo stepped away from the PC and looked at Skye. “It will take too much time to crack through this security program from here and it will be faster to hack into the server directly.” He sighed in annoyance. “So I need to head downstairs. I trust you can handle yourself or do you need help with anything?”

Skye nodded, trusting the Colombian’s judgment, knowing that while they didn’t want to outstay their welcome, half the prize was getting that information and Mateo would know how.

“I’ll be alright. Besides, I don’t think it’s the only time he’s had too much to drink. Do what you’ve got to do.”
Skye replied as Pavel moaned, still delirious and barely even finding consciousness, as she looked back at him.

“Shit, he might be up. Keep your exit in mind, we may get locked down when I get him upstairs and we’ll all need to get creative from that point. Small price to pay for what we got.”
Skye added, heading across to him and scooping him off the floor, taking him in a fireman’s lift and managing to carefully but surely get him over her shoulder, pistol in hand, ready to get going.

“We’ll talk Tejedor later. Believe me, there’s too many people up there on our to-do list.”
Skye knew he would have the doubt in his mind, but firmly and calmly, she had the need to do this now, knowing that Mateo was lethal and precise, like an unstoppable machine when he was at his best sneaking- yet the last thing she needed was for him to break from that. Trust she hoped she'd be able to hold with him, because right now, she needed it.

“I will hold you to that and just be careful. Just in case something else changes plan wise.” Though Mateo knew he can trust her to handle herself, more so after dealing with these two. It always helps to be careful and so with a final wave. Mateo left the office and headed downstairs to the server room. Time is of the essence and they need that data or this mission is a failure. Time to get that data and get out of here before another change happens.

---

Samanatha was relieved that everyone had their gear. She felt the urgency to get going. She could almost feel the clock going tick tock. She had gotten bogged down as she had come around a corner just as a patrol team turned into the hallway from the other direction. They had hollered at her and rushed towards her. She had managed to use a knockout dart on the first one. The second one managed to block her attempt to sweep his legs. The dart failed to penetrate the third guard’s jacket. Samantha ended up in a hand-to-hand fight. She finally managed to take down the guard that had martial arts training. She had taken several good blows from the man. She would have bruises tomorrow. Adrenaline was all she needed to keep going for the moment.

Samantha was once more on her way when she heard Skye’s message. “Chaos en route.” What the hell was Skye doing in his office? She could get answers later. Skye was supposed to be interrogating Pavel elsewhere and keeping him distracted. No plan survives contact with the enemy was holding true for this op too. Oh well, his biometrics would help. Samantha arrived at the office and saw Jaguar headed in the other direction. She rushed in as Skye was getting ready to carry Pavel out.

“Wait let me get his computer open then you can have him.”

“One roofied CEO to go, no sugars.” Skye simply retorted, passing him across from off her shoulder onto the desk with a bit of a thud given his weight, his very out of sorts state very much visible. She knew he was going to be able to respond, but make barely any fucking sense. She would need to get him out of here sooner rather than later, given his condition too- she wanted no drool on this expensive dress, maybe a little less than bullets. The team lead didn’t seem too phase by all of this, yet she knew that Sam had a task to get done here and Pavel was key to that.

Sam helped Skye with him as she got his retinal scan and used his hand on the biometric reader. Samantha slapped Pavel. “Say the code phrase.” Samantha made it a hard order. Pavel laughed and then complied as he said "I am a computer god." Samantha rolled her eyes at that. It fit his disgusting personality to a T. Samantha smiled as she now had full access to his computer. You are a not a very powerful computer god because I now have access to your information and it will be my bitch. His data was still encrypted but she now had access to the security systems. “Thanks, he is all yours.”

Samantha helped Skye get Pavel situated to carry. She helped make sure her dress was not in a compromising position. She helped lift him up into position and made sure Skye had a good handle on him, before she let go. She slapped Pavel on the ass. “The ass is ready for transport.” She grinned at her boss and waved as Skye left with Pavel. She turned her attention to what she needed to do.

“Cheers, Chaos.” Skye replied, taking him back on shoulder, shaking her head at the situation she found him in, the guy not getting any lighter.

Samantha sat down at the desk and began to type like a fiend. She was plugging in wires and moving as fast as she could. She whistled as she looked over his security program. She frowned as she tried to find work arounds for the obviously paranoid overkill security backups that Pavel had in place. She couldn’t cut any automated defenses without triggering an alarm. She had found a work around for most of the cameras already but that left the heat and motion sensors. She had an aha moment as she couldn’t shut them down without triggering an alarm, but she could send them to shut down for scheduled sensor maintenance. Samantha hacked the maintenance calendar application and sent out an update making them all shut down for maintenance. She touched the microphone on her neck, “Jaguar you are clear to hunt, the window is small. 15 minutes before your prey is awake.” She just let her team know she had managed to take care of the heat and motion sensors, but they would only be down for another 15 minutes. They needed to be out of these areas by then.

Sam connected an external hard drive to Pavel’s personal computer. She set the cloning process going, which would take some time. While that was running, she began to work on setting up the bugs they had developed for Pavel’s office. She took out a special set of screwdrivers from her personal tool kit. She took apart Pavel’s fancy ergonomic mouse and planted the encrypted communication chip inside the mouse. She connected it to the mouse’s power supply. She had designed the bug to use the mouse and the computer it was connected to for power and signal amplification. She made sure it was working properly before putting the mouse back together. Pavel was egotistical and even used custom ink pens. She took apart one of his fancy gold plated pens and hid another device inside it. She climbed up on top of the desk. She stretched to reach the light fixture where she hid a small camera unit. She stripped the wire to the light and used an alligator tipped wire to connect the camera to a power source. She hid some standard run of the mill bugs in obvious places for his security to find later. She also hid lipstick cameras throughout the shelving units in his office. They might be found but you never know. Hers were designed to be remotely activated. She would be able to keep them off to avoid detection when the office was swept for bugs. She made sure the standard ones were well hidden. She didn’t want them to think their team was amateurs or didn’t really care about getting the information.

Samantha checked on the cloning process. It was only about halfway done. Pavel had a great deal of encrypted information on his personal pc. She was willing to bet that what information he had was his blackmail or what he felt he could barter with Artemis with. Pavel was the type to hoard information. It would take her time to decrypt it all. Cloning the computer was the only real choice they had. Pavel was tech savvy and knew how to protect his information. Cracking his computer would take time they just didn’t have on this op. She checked how much time had ellapsed. She still had about 8 minutes before she needed to be out of his office. It was going to be close. She made her way to his secretary’s desk and bugged it too. She left behind a pen with a microphone and transmitter in it with one of the custom communication chips. She hid some standard bugs around it just in case they didn’t think to check his secretary. You never know what their administrative assistants and secretaries know about the stuff their bosses were involved in. She tried to keep an eye on the time.

Skye lumbered on out of the of the office, the CEO over her shoulder and the Scot aware she had to get this poor, silly bastard back up top. Leaving him here would risk exposing the infiltrators if a guard found him, which was going up in estimation by the second. At the best, she had to buy some time, and she could do that- by putting him in full view of everyone.

"Ohh....." Pavel moaned on her shoulder, garbling something in Greek that she couldn't decipher.

"Hestia, Hestia Sol....they....they're....it's not mine." Pavel mumbled, slobbering now, waking up more yet not fully in control.

At this point, Skye had no idea what he meant - any trace of that they would find on the computer probably, because Skye didn't really have time for the rest. His details, dealings, emails, all of it. There was good chance that the human touch of his biometrics would open up the computers like they were nothing and find that out. All shite, but hey, it was entertaining as she stayed back around a corner, a suite of guards moving through, Skye staying in the shadows and keeping her hand over his mouth, the tough Scot feeling able to at least dart past. And that she did, up the stairs, as elegantly as she could in heels that were beginning to hurt, her dress thankfully corrected by Sam and not too rough at least. That was, aside from the man she fireman-lifted up a set of stairs, straining under his weight but using the bannister, just about pulling it off.

At the top of the narrow stairwell, Skye peered round, and moved in, coming through an auxillary exit back into the party, the hubub of it making her almost seem like she was just part of the crew. Well, until a few heads turned, and Skye lumbered down his body, the sight of a few more partygoers coming over clear to see, as well as in the corner of her eye, a series of guards.
"What the hell happened to him? Is he alright?" One asked, Skye shrugging in response, looking down at Pavel, then back at the Chinese-accented, tuxedo wearing guest and his partner wrapped up against his side.
"Promise, I found him like this. I have no idea."
Skye's sultry Highland tone carried like a light breeze, innocent and dainty, yet certainly carrying the underlying dagger that she always held back in there. With that reply, Skye could only back away, and moving through the crowd, tried to look for Freya.

To that, Pavel stumbled up, bowling about, and moving into the crowd. Perfect, he was coming to life just when she needed it, the guards squarely looking at Skye and her movement using the bodies to her advantage, now finding a denser part of it, as she heard the man come to life behind him.
"Eyyy! Gettaoutamyway, peasants!" Pavel yelled, and then proceeded to retch, fumbling drunk across the floor and rather spectacularly, through multiple people. He was playing it utterly perfectly, and the minutes this would buy would get the team over the line, Skye watching Pavel climb onto a barstool and to that, she stopped in the crowd to observe.

"I'm the king of the world! And you know it!"

And poetically, and if almost, with a hint of perfect, sweet, beautiful irony, he fell forwards and to no guest, guard or anyone even trying to catch him as he fell flat onto the bar, and off it onto the floor in a heap. And the cocktail then did it's worst. The worst that a guest loudly yelled with the best Canadian accent Skye could have imagined.

"Oh god.....he's crapped himself!"

Skye was now dying of laughter the guards coming in closer, the red-dress, red-haired Scot holding back the scene yet it was etched in her memory, permanently. She could spy Freya talking to Ingwe, but all of a sudden, it was clear, well, he had bigger priorities to deal with. As fast as Skye moved, he seemed to move like a bowling ball through people, and while the team's giantess had certainly pulled him close, right now, Skye had no priorities but to put people, space, and room between her and him. Not if she wanted to have a spinal cord that worked.

"Crap! Team, grab what you need and get the hell out! Frigga, follow on my lead! I'm going for Plan B!"
Skye left her comms open, knowing it was the last chance. Security was going to swarm now. And the sooner Freya picked up the redhead in the crowd, she hoped the better.

And with that, the fire alarm came off, the sound of a loud klaxon making it very clear everyone was getting evacuated. Guards would swarm from beyond, and likely, the police were on their way.

The building was going to go into lockdown and wherever the team was would get an increased presence. Downstairs, the sound of more suit-wearing guards with 9mm pistols and a view to ice anyone they could find were flooding the office, and soon, they'd make it down to the server room. Guards like that weren't exactly ready for a full on firefight, but neither would much of the team. So it was probably better to run, than fight.

There were options here. An emergency stairwell would be available for anyone, but it would be guarded and no doubt very tricky to get through.

The infiltrators had the option of wingsuiting out- certainly, Sam was set for that, but Skye had left it open to the others. From 68 storeys up, it was more than viable and the fastest, albeit longest to setup for which came with risks. Alternatively, they could probably rappel down or use the elevator shaft, but against all odds, they were probably even riskier than literally flying out.

Xan probably had the best option- hide with the staff and eventually get out. It would work, well, unless he wanted to break from here and follow Skye's lead. She hadn't seen him in a while, but no doubt, she'd been helping Freya keep her intended man occupied. Freya would have had that luxury, if it wasn't for the passed out guard from earlier. Which her options limited. And fuck, Skye knew Freya was gonna hate her even worse after if she followed on the team lead's direction.

Skye's current option, the one she knew she was likely going to have to gun for? Well, that was one she really, really didn't want to use. Pretty much suicide, but then again, in this game, you had to think creatively. She'd done it once, but from at least a quarter of the height of this, and it was effectively like the greatest circus act you could probably think of. Doable, but one hell of a way out.

Leap of faith it was into an airbag in a semi truck trailer, a very, very long way down. Last time she had checked, it hadn't been towed.

---

Samantha felt like she had done all she could do. She was packing up all her equipment while she anxiously waited for the status bar to indicate that the cloning process was completed and successful. Samantha knew they were running out of time. She knew things had gone pear shaped. She wondered how Mateo and Xander were doing with retrieving data from the server room. That was when she heard Skye swearing over an open comline, "Crap! Team, grab what you need and get the hell out! Valkyrie, follow on my lead! I think we're going for Plan B!" She didn’t even manage to get out a swear word before the fire alarm kicked in and started wailing.That meant the team had minutes to get out before the building went on lockdown and was surrounded by first responders. Samantha felt her heart begin to race. She was silently urging the status bar to move faster. Mentally she was wondering how much crap the man stored on his personal computer.

The sound of the alarms were so strong she could feel the vibrations pulsing through her body. It kept her heart racing and her adrenaline up. She could hear guards running down the hallway. She ducked under the desk to hide as the laptop finished downloading. Samantha opened her bag and pulled out the wingsuit that she had stuffed into it. She knew it was her best bet for a clean getaway. She pulled out the taser flashlight and the knock out spray perfume bottle. She set them to the side. She peaked up over the desk. The coast was clear so she checked the computer once more. The computer had finally finished. She verified that the process was successful before unplugging everything and quickly but securely storing it in the backpack she had been using. She made sure everything was secure and zipped up tight before sliding the pack onto her shoulders. She made sure the bag was secure and snug before pulling on the wingsuit over her clothes and backpack. She knew she wouldn’t have time to stop and pull it on later. She took a moment to let the team know her status. “Chaos will be taking the sky route.”

Her exit was going to be fast and messy. She grinned with that thought since it was also going to be fun. Base jumping was a hard hobby to enjoy as it was illegal to do in most cities. There was no hope for a stealthy exit now. She made sure the suit was on and everything was fastened correctly. She made sure she could reach the release handle for the modified parachute pack built into the suit. She gave a little jump to make sure things stayed where she put them. Satisfied, she grabbed up the taser and knockout spray before heading to the door to leave the office. All she could hear was the blaring alarms and automated announcement to evacuate the building. She cracked open the door and didn’t see anyone in the hallway. She began to run down the hallway towards the stairwell.

She ran into the landing and found two guards on comms reporting the guards she downed earlier. She ran towards them but they saw her coming. They fired at her but she kept dodging from side to side. She was too close for the rifles they were trying to use. She jabbed the taser into one guard’s side as the other tried to sweep her legs from under her. She pressed the button on the taser and held it in place as her legs were jerked from under her. She landed on her back. She had the wind knocked out of her. The guard she had tasered hit the floor next to her. She gasped and flipped back to her feet. She sprayed the guard fighting her in the face. She punched him and pulled his head down to slam into the stair rail. As he went down, she kept moving on up the stairs.

She burst through the door at the top of the stairwell. It was chaos with people screaming and crying. Guards were yelling orders at the top of their lungs trying to be heard over the alarms. There was a large concentration of guards by the bar. There were guards moving through the crowd trying to herd visitors out. She grinned as she headed for the open doors to the balcony. She had been spotted by a few guards who were running towards her fighting the crowd along the way. She grinned knowing she was going to make it. She ran and jumped up on a table by the guard rail. She looked out and climbed up on the guard railing. She carefully side-stepped down the rail to an area that would allow her to jump away from surrounding buildings and over the water. It would give her the best chance to avoid the wind tunnel effects between the skyscrapers. There were two guards right on her heels. She gave them a mocking smirk and salute before she jumped as hard as she could pushing up and away from the building. She heard gunfire behind her as they tried to hit her. She was too busy trying not to plummet to her death to look back.

She pushed her arms out to the sides and opened the legs of the wingsuit catching the air immediately. She got a feel for the air currents she was gliding on. The wind pulled at her wig as she guided her body away from the building. She was dropping fast. She adjusted her body position, seeking more distance. She slowed slightly as her trajectory straightened out. She wasn’t going to make it all the way to the water. She poppped open the modified parachute as it deployed and jerked her upwards as it slowed her descent even more. She used the handles to steer the parachute towards her alternate landing zone.

She had done some research into the area around the building knowing this might be her exit plan. She knew there was an open air courtyard with tables and chairs surrounded by food trucks and sidewalk vendors. It had a little grassy area to add a greenspace to the business area. She aimed for the grassy area. She landed and had to run a few steps to bleed off the momentum. Luckily the park was empty since it was evening hours. She looked around and saw fire trucks, police cars, and ambulances speeding by with the lights on. She grinned as unzipped the suit and pulled it off. She stuffed it and the parachute back into the backpack. She was amazed that her wig had managed to stay on. It was a little askew so she pulled it back into place.

She then headed towards the car she had left parked here earlier in the day. She had rented a luxury sedan to keep up the appearance of her identity. Samantha pulled off the pack and unzipped the front pocket to pull out the keys. “Chaos is on the ground. Does anyone need a ride?” She unlocked the car tossing the pack in the passenger seat. She started the car and waited for the team to check in.

As the party continued and both Jamie and Freya realized that Skye had vanished, things continued. The party moved along. The siblings traded a look, and traded a near imperceptible nod. Ingwe seeming to be coming back to himself a little, "Oh my...to be able to spend such time with a beauty as you, thank you for that honor Freya, but I fear I must return to my work. It has been a true moment, one that I will treasure." He starts to move away then stops and spots his boss and Skye coming down, his boss looking a little out of it. Skye leaving the man to the side. Ingwe making his way towards his boss. The sibling looking about and it's Carl who comes up and speaking in Mohican mixed with broken English, "I think we'd better get ready to leave." Jamie in Russian mutters, "Something is off. Very off, Sister we should move." Freya's eyes narrowing her eyes on Pavel and Ingwe, "Shortly." She says in Danish.

It happens in slow motion as Ingwe arrives at Pavel's side, only for Pavel to slip off the bar and slam into the floor. AS the fire alarms go off and chaos begins to erupt, Freya flashes her hands in First Nations Sign Language, Here we go...follow my lead.

The trio, brother, sister and adoptive uncle all stride forward towards Pavel and Ingwe. And even as people are making their way to stairs and fire escapes the three get in close. Jamie moves forward and grabs Ingwe about the neck, and lifts. There's a gasp as the big African man fights for air at the chokehold. Carl isn't as big as Freya or Jamie but he's got a certain flare, a certain presence to him, and that pair of knuckledusters. He steps in and slams his fists knuckledusters in place into Ingwe's balls, causing the man to hunch, which gives Freya time to grab Ingwe by the face and lift him up, and that finishes with a sibling powered suplex, plowing Ingwe's shoulders and head into the ground.

The man lets out a hissing groan as he starts to pass out. The big African man as he loses consciousness gets to see people running now, as Freya stands over Pavel's body. Murder in her eyes, and he can distantly hear her saying, "You'd be so easy to just step on right now Andros, like a bug, under my heel. But, that's not going to happen." She's about to turn around when there's a bam. And Freya turns to see Jamie's driving a huge fist down on Pavel's ribs something popping and cracking, "You won't feel that right away." Carl hissing, "Enough you two, we need to get out. Freya you'll come with us for now. And we can drop you off somewhere else..." By then Ingwe passes out, but he'll remember this.

The trio make for the stairs, the few people who saw what they did, quelled by a triad of looks, two giants and an infamous soldier, no one will talk...right away.

They take the stairs far faster then any of the othe partygoers. On the way down Freya pressing the mic on one of her earrings, "Frigga here, making egress with Scion and Juggernaut Beta. I'll catch a ride with them off site, and meet up with everyone at the rendezvous point. How copy?" Carl shoulders open a door onto one of the lower floors so they can get out of the chaotic flow of those people trying to get out. Jamie coming out onto that level and pointing, "There! External Fire escape."

Soon the three are running down another few levels on one of those flimsy looking metal fire escapes, skirting the main press within.

Before long they are ground side, and trying to make themselves look disheveled enough to pass for just another trio trying to escape. Again skirting and passing the police asking for information, funny how a pair of giants can be so stealthy. It's a large custom-made truck that the three are soon piling into. Jamie squeezing into the driver seat, Freya on the passenger side and Carl in the back like a kid in a baby seat.

And soon a rumble as the powerful engine roars to life. And ignoring the flash of a hand torch as a cop trie sto wave them down. Jamie peels out, and into the beyond they go. As they drive Freya grumbles, "I should have crushed his skull." Jamie looking at her, "Gonna tell me the story of why you're so angry?" Carl groans, "Here we go..." And Freya starts to the story. There's an almighty roared, "You're fuckin' kidding me! Why didn't you!?" As the truck disappears into the darkness.

"Come on, come on, you slow computer," Mateo saying it as a whisper and in Spanish. Time is of the essence, and sooner or later, more guards will show up at the server room. He already had to deal with two, and all he has to do right now is wait for the information to download to his USB, and he can get out of there. Luckily, as he thought, it was easier and faster for him to hack into the server room directly. However, time was not on his side, as he waited anxiously for the data to finish downloading.

Then, it was done, and Mateo quickly retrieved the USB. But as he did that, Mateo heard, "Stop what you are doing!" It came from behind him and not knowing who else was there. He pretended to surrender by putting his hands on his head and kneeling down. As the guards came to inspect him, and one of them laying a hand on his right shoulder. Did Mateo spring into action and after a somewhat quick fight. The two guards were down, and Mateo had to fire on a third who was aiming his gun at him. Though his pistol was silenced, it did not matter to him as his sole concern was getting out of this place alive.

So Mateo rushed out of the server room and towards his exit. Mateo could hear the men behind him as he tried to get away. As he turned a corner, he heard the sound of bullets that just missing him. This only motivated him, and as tried going forward, only to see some guards and quickly turned into a random room. But it was a window room and so with little options. He quickly shot at the glass, and when it was mostly broken, he shoulder-charged what remained of the glass. Out the window, he went, and he quickly opened up his wingsuit suit.

Now, he was gliding through the air, and he knew he was not going to make it to his landing zone or his backup one. But maybe to an improvised one and headed in that direction. For Mateo had done research on the building before the mission and knew there was an open area that was close by that he could land in. A park, and he deployed his parachute when he got sight of it. Slowly guiding himself in, and aimed for the grass. Mateo landed safely, and he was glad that no one was that, thanks to it being nighttime.

As he heard the sirens coming from police cars and other ambulance vehicles nearby. Mateo took off his wingsuit and packed it with his parachute into the backpack. After double checking he was clear and alone. Did he get on comms, "This is Jaguar I am on the ground. I am at a park nearby, and so far, I am clear. Chaos, I can use that ride."

The scene was quickly turning. What with Pavel's incident, Jamie, Freya and Carl all taking care of Skye's tail, Pavel and Ingwe in one, she had managed to break across the rooftop bar, a series of guards chasing after her, guns drawn. Oh, they knew what was up, and weren't taking any chances. Skye had certainly appreciated the spot from Freya- with it, that had bought her some time, time to round more guards on her six and at the least, drag them across to her part of the roof. She was hearing Mateo and Sam at least bail out using their wingsuits, so that was good at least- they'd put distance between themselves and the situation, which was more than reassuring.

With the guards attention now turned fully to Skye, she kept her composure, hearing the rest of the team begin to make their exits, hasty-like too. There was no doubt that in her red dress Skye was a target- with Freya, Jamie, Carl using the chaos on the other side and their pure brute force, they'd be able to smuggle themselves out of the way, so the Scot had no such luck, because all the guards could tell she'd been with Pavel last. And they weren't so stupid to let her go now.

Coming to the balcony, Skye looked over, hearing the rest of the guards follow, her heart in her mouth, looking back across as she slid out of her heels, watching a few come by, pistols at the ready, shrugging her shoulders as she glanced over the glass once more.

"Well, I guess you won't take me alive!" Skye yelled back, and pushing hard against the fear that bubbled in her veins, she ran out of her heels and towards the balcony edge, leaping over and into a swan-like dive....

Freefall without a parachute was strange as hell, and not the less that she'd soon be hitting terminal velocity, if only for a split second. The trailer was there, and well, it was almost a black speck in the distance, but enough for her to go for, as she coiled over, bringing her hands and legs spread, eyes watering, the feeling palpable and just bonkers. Levelling herself out, she felt her dress tightly grip around her freefalling body, steering herself with a bit of movement as she caught air, totally, utterly, in that second.

The night sky of Singapore was a blur, and this was no regular fast ticket out, it was a chaotic, maddening blur.

"Shite!" Skye yelled involuntarily, as she saw the trailer come closer, and closer, and closer....

The canvas ripped apart as Skye fell through it and smacked into the back of the trailer's airbag, smacking hard into the floor as it deflated around her, the grey material almost swallowing her whole in its rubbery, now less stiff embrace, as she coughed, exhaling hard and checking herself, feeling the adrenaline pound so hard it made her ears feel like they were on fire. Every part of her felt like she should be dead, but right now, here she was, alive and kicking. It was another day out, but once again, that part of her brain that had told her this was an awful idea had gotten overruled again. She wasn't doing that again in a hurry. And as she composed herself, she had the moment to check her comms, hearing the team report in.

"All stations, good work tonight. Head to the RV point, and let's put the evening to a close. I'm breathing, don't worry about me, I'll see you there." With that, Skye exhaled hard, checking herself over once more, in her own moment to take it in.

Composing herself again, she rolled off the side of the airbag, finding a spare change of clothes in the back. Something completely the opposite to what she had- a black t-shirt with Slayer on it, jeans, a baseball cap and a set of prescription glasses. Skye had to admit, going from her feminine side to something almost totally androdgynous felt strange, yet well, it worked- the switch worked on people and her ability to seemingly become a chameleon, not through the use of a wig or prosthetics but simply by just taming her femininity altogether. Turning into someone else was a common part of Skye, a part that she'd used. The kind that didn't fear death, the kind that just became someone into the next when she needed it. Yet somehow, some part of her must have felt as human as ever to feel that rush, that spike.

With the disguise on, she pulled on the container's mechanism, yanking on the handle and pulling it upwards and back, the evening light coming through. With it, Skye did the last thing she needed to do- the dress, as well as her gloves and the airbag couldn't remain, so she set up a small portion of lighter fluid and with an adjacent match, tossed it in, setting a small fire up that would eventually catch on the rubber's flammable skin, and leave no trace behind as to what happened when it really caught within a few minutes. With that, Skye slunk out of the trailer, and moving off the street through an alley, making her way out of the search zone, and on foot, as far as she could go. Unlike the rest of the team, Skye didn't have the luxury of distance flying away or a car so she needed to go incognito, and that she did, knowing she'd need to be even more careful on profile now. But she'd get away. Get on a Metro, get to their RV point in the port, and from there, get home. For all most people knew, Skye Caldwell was dead, but there'd be no body to find, not when they put the pieces together.

----







"What was I saying about you not going back to work so quick?" Sophie looked at Skye's ribs, the shirtless redhead sitting on the doctor's bed, wrapped up with bandages around her chest, clearly from the mess that had happened

"It's just bruising. Hurts a bit, but if that's what you say it is, then I'm fine." Skye almost said firmly, as if she wanted it to be better in her own words, rather than listening.

"I told you, there was no way it was not going to leave a mark. Fine. Whatever you do next, try not to get shot without your armour. Or falling out of any seventy storey buildings again. You know, I prefer it when my patients aren't so stubborn. Anyway, standard painkillers for a week, and after that, don't put too much exertion on it. I mean it, this time." Sophie retorted, the Swiss doctor a little frustrated, but alas, aware that well, Skye did as she pleased. It would end badly at this rate, but well, there'd be some sense in Skye to perhaps not go mountain biking now after more bruising. Jumping off a skyscraper came with consequences, after all.

"I do as well. Cheers, Sophie."

With that, Skye left the room, and putting on a navy-coloured t-shirt and grey hat, the redhead was out of the room once more, her red locks allowed to flow like the Highland fox that she was. A defining feature, and even despite the black-coal like dust that had once murkied it, or the dye that had turned it crimson in Singapore, it still remained as ardent as ever, her defining trait that she almost wished didn't stick her out as much as it did.

---

The mid-day New Zealand sun beat down as Skye walked along the track from the support complex up to the main homestead itself, the trees breezing gently in the wind in the small forested patch, still wet from the night's rain, a reminder of course that well, this place wasn't some verdantly green paradise without a bit of it.

It was rather a fine day in a rather fine place. The noise of the city traded for quiet, calm, ocean waves, sea breeze and rainforest.

On that note, her phone rang, and the familiar unknown caller code made it clear that through this particular burner, it could only be one person.

"Oracle, good to hear your voice again. Long time no speak." Skye blurted, knowing Oracle would have gotten the debrief from her- their involvement in the operation had been surface-level, given the need for security. The chance to catch up since Aralsk, and now this op gave them a chance to re-evaluate things, and Skye was not surprised by the call.

"It's been a while. I saw Singapore went well. Risky op, but your post-mission report reads. Confirms a lot of the intel we had, but more importantly, we've got access to a data set I never thought you'd be able to break into. Nicely done. What do you think about it?"

"Pavel seems like a pawn in a bigger machine. He's a committed freak, but they're taking him for a ride. He definitely did the hack to us, and well, the transcript says it all. Doomsday prepping, all into control, all that shit. Sees us as a threat, now we just got to dismantle his network and get what we need on the heads of Artemis, then go put them on ice. What else do you want, really?"

"See what you can get from Aralsk, and the Singapore data will come through. Pavel is going to go to ground sooner rather than later, and we'll need some leads to stop this sooner rather than later."

"Aye, and I anticipate it. Though, I have a quick question. Sol Hestia, does that mean to you?"

"That's Greek, makes no sense. Why, do you think Pavel's got some pet project?"

"I'm thinking it goes past him. Which makes me wonder." Skye retorted, knowing Oracle would think the same, the Scot confident, albeit that seed of doubt in her head still.

"Well, if he talks any more about it, we'll have him as bait. He'll be getting paranoid and closing up shop. Time to see what he does."

"Agreed. I'm gonna need a few more operatives. Stafford's RTB, so too is Hornet. Tough gigs for them recently, so I've sent them off. I'll need a Heavy at least because I think we might have a lead on a few other sites."

"I can get you one."

"Splendid. Anything else, Oracle?"

"Nothing else, just thought to say thank you for the work recently."

"First person to say it."

"Trust me, know the feeling all too well. Let's speak when we have an idea of what to hit next. I'll call you if I need you. Oracle out."

With that, they finished their brief call, the Scot heading towards the house, and after passing the biometrics, heading down into the secure section. The bit of the base that lay beneath the fancy rec room, accomodation, office and billionaire's summer house. The bit she really fancied. The yellow and grey coloured walls gave off a real cutting edge feel, reflecting the white LED light with a certain shimmer, the kind that felt brand new, without dust even. It was remarkably sterile, yet the yellow made it feel....well, like some sort of secret lair.

------

Skye headed first to the armoury and firing range, and as part of her routine for the day, had a bit of shooting to do. The SIG MCX loaded, she flicked a set of ear defenders over her ears, and popping the range open, set herself up, loading a mag, and with a confident slap, setting up the 6.8mm chambered rifle on range. With a brisk couple of taps, she started blasting, pulling the target further and checking her point shooting, aimed pickup, sighting, and her overall feel with the rifle. Important given she hadn't exactly used it in anger in a while, and currency always paid dividends. That said, she wasn't alone- the sound of a semi-automatic rifle a few booths down could be heard booming from time to time, Skye aware that the shooter didn't need to be disturbed yet. But after Skye had finished up her drills, checking the backup sight and doing some TLC, she had the chance to find her, the blonde-haired, half-Maori marksman come housekeeper cycling her Mk14 EBR, her short-cuffed shirt revealing her full sleeve of tattoos.

"Practicing your shooting? My, I'd have almost thought that was behind you." Skye retorted, watching her check her ACOG optic, the Kiwi lowering the weapon and look over her shoulder, almost unflinched.

"And kia ora to you Skye. I thought I get to enjoy my hour off without my boss interrupting. And at least you're not giving me shit on my grouping. Yet." Tahlia replied with a hint of sarcasm, very much aware she could give it back, taking her own noise defenders off, making her weapon safe on her part of the range, and finishing up her arrangement as Skye came around.

"Nah. You're not a bad shot still, Taniwha." Skye whistled, the Kiwi nodding in response. She was equally as blunt as the Scot was, if not worse, and despite how much she wanted to heap it on, the respect remained mutual at least in that angle of things.

"It never leaves you. Dad said you get a bond with a rifle, it never leaves your side. Apart from that, I guess team's been settling well." Tahlia added, the grip on the Mk14 tight in her hands, a rifle that had gone through all the fighting that she'd had in Blue Sword. A loyal, precise tool in her hands, a silenced, modified battle rifle that in her hands, was accurate as ever.

Most of all, it was a special rifle, her father's from his time in the special forces, so even though it may have been older, it still fired true and well after many barrel changes and refits. Tahlia was equal parts the warrior he was, and if anything, even more abrasive than Skye was- she was warm but in a way that only a bush-dwelling Kiwi would be, reliant, hardy, and straight to the point.

"Point taken. And yeah, they're not too bad. Cheers for keeping an eye on them. You know, for someone who keeps us turning, you seem to have a knack for the other part of working our buisness. You ever wondered about going back?"

"Nah yeah, that isn't really possible with...well, you know, the leggies. And even with an exo, it doesn't add up, it's too serious a weakness. I'm not seeing bionic legs exactly on the market either. But you know, if I could, I would, heaps."

"Doesn't mean you can't be useful, Tahlia. Keep up the shooting. I'll keep you in mind." Skye nodded, as she finished up her own, walking out with her SIG and putting it back into her section by the rest of her kit, magazines stashed next to her exo, as Tahlia followed her over, her clicking of her titanium-sprung composite legs against the concrete clear as day, as she went straight to the point seeing Skye put the gun away.

"Skye, told yous, I've got no fackin' legs. What am I good for? I keep you lot turning. What do you mean you're gonna keep me in mind?"

"Fire's still in you then?"

"Too fucking right, toa never leaves you." Tahlia replied, the Maori leaking out with a hard, aggressive inflection, Skye even raising her eyebrows.

"Then that's what I meant. Active work, maybe not, the rest, keep that in mind. I'm sure you get your share of downtime." Skye teased back, Tahlia getting the picture as she put her Mk14 back into her part of the armoury, nodding.

"Alright. I'll keep it up here." Tapping her forehead, Tahlia walked out, her legs clacking on the floor, the blonde-haired, Southlander even giving Skye a moment of a run for her money. There was no denying it, Skye could see a little of herself in Tahlia, and it was why she personally wanted her here. Anyone else wouldn't do the things Skye needed, especially given the fact that Skye wanted this team to run, and actually have what they needed. Any bootlicker, or stampkicker wouldn't do, they'd piss her off, and anyone too nice would just drop things. Tahlia actually kept a bit of fire on, and well, it made sure things ran when everyone needed what they needed.

----------

After her catchups in the armoury, Skye headed a level down- with rounds sent, the next visit was to the vehicle pool, and coming in on the team's vehicle tech, Skye found him under a Land Rover, welding away as he heard the footsteps of Skye's shoes, rolling himself from out and underneath the car.

"La Hefa, it's like you've been avoiding me or something?" The Spanish-Mexican chirped as he put the welding mask up, dusting himself off, the sight of the team lead a rare one down here, but then again, present as and when needed.

"No, just....well, you know I didn't want to see you after blowing up two DPVs with modified V8s in them. You know, that sort of thing goes really, really badly with a petrolhead like you." Skye chuckled, as he stood up, looking around back at his work, then back at Skye, chuckling.

"Si, but these things happen. I spent a lot of time on it, but I heard how it went down. Big, big boom, haha!" Javi's excitable nature never failed to give even the tacit Skye a smirk, well, he seemed to have that unescapable energy, that enthusiasm that never died. She fucking needed that today, that was for sure.

"Yeah, pretty big boom ey....so, you got anything you're working on to replace them?"

"I might have some new tools. Got a Land Rover in, already figuring out how to fit rally raid suspension onto it, a .50 cal and a GMG, and some more power too. It'll be a beast when it's ready. And, supposedly we're getting a new VTOL to replace the V22. Something faster, stealth-rated too. Vincente will not shut up about it." Javi gleefully replied, as he showed off the car he was working on, the electric motocross bikes leant against it flanked by the black, stripped out old-school Land Rover Defender.

It sat there mounted with jump seating and a cackle of weapons, making it a hell of a tool- it was the larger variant, so it'd even be able to take two Heavies. A battle bus, no doubt. Light, fast vehicles were perfect for Raven- yes, the use of an APC or IFV would be good in heavier environments, yet nothing beat speed, firepower and aggression with the kind of team that Skye had put together. It was a nice machine, and she appreciated the touches to it, uprated and set for war.

"Damn, word travels fast, thought I was going to tell you. Yep, she's a cutting edge machine. Should be in tomorrow." Skye nodded, watching as Javi clambered around the car, sitting up on the bonnet, his happy-go-lucky attitude one that certainly added some charm to the team.

"It's easy work. You know, you gotta get Sam down here spending more time. What she knows about cars, that chica would do some serious work with me. I heard of her reputation man."

"I thought she might have visited? Then again, between her getting hurt, I wasn't sure if she would have the time."

"Sure, but you know the score. I'm always here, and I got some projects to work on she'll love. You know the deal."

"I know, I know...I might have a few bits for you to work on. Some more exotic kit. I know Freya's gonna want that..."

"Oh yeah, that thing. Yeah, I got it, that and a few more aerial options for the team. This secret agent shit, I get it, you want some cutting edge tools, but you forget, I can make fucking anything out of anything. I'm like Macgyver, but with a blowtorch, an arc welder and a tooling bench, so your wish is my command Queen!" Javi called back, as he walked around the garage, chuckling, Skye putting her hand into her face, chuckling with cringe, and in some amazement for how much energy he had.

"How many coffees have you had?"

"Four."

"Jesus, remind me to get you decaf to you instead."

----------

Collab with @LadyAmber
Samantha was sitting in the rec room at the base. She was sitting at the table with her laptop on the table in front of her. She was sifting through all the low level data from their hacked drone op. She had been busy building gear for the team and involved in more pressing hacking needs for the team. She finally had a little down time to use her analyst skills. Samantha dumped the raw data into a quarantined database on an external hard drive. She began cleaning up the data and sending in her custom built algorithms to sort the data into categories where the bad guys usually forgot to hide.

The team’s resident team lead was the next to follow in, her tired gaze from their evening out in Singapore like a hangover on her head. The op had mostly, mostly gone to plan- a few things always went to shit, but then again, that would be the way Raven rolled. They didn’t do insanely difficult without sometimes breaking a few things, and hey, there they were, back to figuring out what next. A rough debrief had followed, but Skye had a decent idea of what was going to have to happen next- and to that end, was already glad to see Sam at work.

Bringing over a small cup of decaf coffee for sam, knowing right now probably wasn’t the time for a massive hit of caffeine for one part of the team’s hacker trio, Skye took a seat as she took her own cup of Earl Gray tea to hand, dumping the teabag into an open bin across the room with a flick, making it almost look graceful and like something she’d done too many times before. The redhead almost moved with a certain je ne sais quoi, an understanding of the mindset Sam was in, analysing and working away as she leaned back on the sofa, looking over.

“You alright?” Skye must have seemed like she was far too casual for this situation, yet still, approachable and chilled as usual, even if a little sore, the Scots charm in her voice on the warmer side rather than the, kill it if it moves side today.

Samantha was startled to hear Skye’s voice as she had been in her zone as she crunched all the delightful data and made it sing for her. She looked up at Skye and blinked before smiling and nodding. “Hey boss. Yeah I’m good. I am just getting started on all that data I pulled from less secure sources from that Artemis base where the drone got hacked. I haven’t had time to clean and look at that data to see if there is any usable intel there. I usually find something.” She glanced at her screen to see that her pc was almost done with the initial sort on the data.

Skye nodded, knowing that Singapore was slowly coming through, but the Aralsk stuff would at least be coming to some conclusions, given how much they’d recovered. It was a trove of content, and digging through was leading to some interesting content.
“Nicely done. It’ll combine well with what we’re getting from the server farm.” Skye replied, nodding in a positive response, knowing she was deep at work, and no doubt, deep in mind on what she needed to do. The Scot folded her leg over her other one, looking across to Sam once more, rather appreciative of the recent work she’d been putting in.

“You know, the file I had of you didn’t tell me how capable you were with this sort of stuff. I mean, Javi and Tahlia are singing your praises. I have no idea what you’ve been up to, but if they’re impressed, it must be something.” Skye commented, taking her tea and sipping it, a bit of positive reinforcement always coming some way, knowing in that respect, it was true- Skye had every bit to be impressed, and she’d gone beyond. No doubt she’d overcome a lot of adversity- it was something Skye saw in others, and as sometimes dysfunctional as the team may have been, it was as elite as it was from a well trained nous of how to get the most from them. Perhaps it was just experience, perhaps it was almost a personal drive, from her upbringing and mentality on things. It felt like belonging, good even to do right by those who needed that next level.

Samantha fidgeted a little. She was not used to others singing her praises. She was used to doing her best and getting constructive criticism or feedback on what she could do better. She knew what her skillset was but she was still learning to be a part of a team. She had tried her best to put her skills to work for her new team and embrace that. “I grew up wrenching with my father. He was an automotive mechanic. I learned a lot about vehicles from him. It was the only way he had any time for me as a single parent. I helped him out in the garage to spend time with him. I quickly outgrew his knowledge though. I just keep adding more complex tools and knowledge.” She shrugged a little. “I am doing what I was hired for and part of that is supporting the team with gear. I like building gear. It is always a challenge of skill and intellect.” Her computer beeped at her that it was finished.

She began to look over the rough draft of the data. There was a lot in the logistics category. Artemis was moving a lot more material around than she had given them numbers for. She pulled it up and looked up at Skye with a puzzled look. “Skye, do we have any idea of the numbers of soldiers or operatives that Artemis has?”

Skye shrugged, her face blank as she looked across at it, her eyes scanning the laptop, then back to the American.
“Rough estimates are tough. Depends what terrorist, criminal or other private contractors they’ve got into bed with. It can fluctuate from a few hundred to possibly, even a few thousand. They’re rather shapeless, formless ‘wee bastards. But I wouldn’t put it past them they try and run it on a central network for their high end gear.” Skye commented, sitting up, taking a deep breather for a moment, looking across to Sam.
“You know, I remember my da’, he was like that too. Lost him when I was young. I know it hurts a lot. But you keep moving, keep doing like you say the work we do. Fills the void, but, I suppose it never really does till you find a family of your own. I guess in my own mad way, I found this.” Skye chuckled wryly, knowing the topic was fluctuating, but she had to comment. Knowing Sam’s file, it had similarities to her own. Almost too many, but then again, such was life. Special Forces operators, intelligence operatives, people like that didn’t come from perfection.
“Anyway, that’s interesting. We’ll be able to correlate the data with the satellite receiver and control stations from Pavel’s company. He might be able to move, but he can’t make a new one of those from scratch. Highly secured networks after all need a basestation and that needs protection. I wonder….those probably link together.” Skye pondered, knowing Sam was probably half thinking it too, but more likely than not her chat with Pavel, among many, many other things was tying that thread in her mind right now.

Samantha was still reading on her screen and reviewing the data as she talked to Skye. She looked up at Skye as she mentioned her father. “I lost my mother when I was born. I only ever had my dad. His loss is still a deep pain. I think I could handle it if I had lost him to disease or something like that. But to have him ripped away from me by terrorists. His life was not theirs to take. I will one day make them pay for that.” Her voice was hard and full of anger. She went back to reviewing data as their conversation turned to their most recent op in Singapore and Pavel’s organization.

Skye felt the anger, knew what it was like, and had sometimes had to admit, it was hard to not get tied into someone else’s too. Yet the stoicism in her knew that she’d never be able to. It was watching her own family collapse that got her down, but Sam’s, hers was pretty awful to say the least. Anger fuelled a fire, but Skye knew as much as it was a bottomless pit, revenge wasn’t always the way to go. It got you so far, but that ran dry and left its own void sometimes. And that, Skye knew all too well to be careful about. None of this crap about revenge making you feel happy- nah, Skye knew in her mind, her head at least it did, until that ran out. But outside, she knew the words.

“And they will, they’ll hurt plenty for it.” Skye nodded, replying in turn and looking across as Sam went back to the laptop.

She noticed some trends in the data. “Skye what I am seeing mixed into this low level data is military level logistics for soldiers or personnel. Things like food, soap, and gear. Things you would see ordered by a base or encampment of some kind. The amounts points to much larger numbers and some numbskull left delivery addresses for where to send it. We can follow up on those addresses. They might be blind drop points to hand over supplies to other organizations. They might line up with terrorist camps or organizations. We should check some of them out. What do you think?” She turned the laptop to show the indicated data to Skye for her to review.

Skye had a look and peered through, picking up the locations, including supply drops and arrangement.
“Reminds me of Tahlia’s shopping list. Looks like their own.” Skye chuckled, her dry sense of humor always finding a room in, her sultry and confident tones holding true, as she looked through the list, seeing a few uncommon ones on there.

“Chile, Andorra, Finland, Poland….those aren’t your usual places for encampments. The usual, Afghanistan, Armenia and North Korea are there too though. I’ve had enough of those places. They’re clearly disguising it if they are, using it as a backstop.” Skye added, searching through, quiet in her approach as she flicked some red hair from her face, knowing it wouldn’t be much, but enough to at least do a satellite sweep of.
“Now we just need to figure out where there might be a ground station. Satellites are going to be needing something secure, so it needs power, and some sort of access.” The Scot added, her deductive reasoning clear enough, from experience of what she would have thought to do so herself, as she looked over to Sam again.

Samantha reviewed the list of sites and frowned. She began to think out aloud. Maybe something she said would spark with Skye’s deeper operational knowledge for Raven Squad. “That is a highly unusual area of the world for their to be terrorist activity. You are right that is typically seen in the Middle East with warlord activity in Africa. You see some terrorist activity in Africa and South America. You see European nations targeted because they are part of the West and their ties to the economy and white privilege.” Samantha tapped her finger on the table as she tried to pull the puzzle pieces together. “What you do tend to see more of in Europe is crime families and syndicates. You might see political crime in Eastern Europe which fits the Poland locations but Finland doesn’t fit either of those.” Samantha felt like she was on the cusp of something. Maybe if she cross referenced this list with the data from Pavel once she finally managed to decrypt it. That man had codes on codes. She had managed to clone his laptop but getting it to give up its information was taking some time. “Well we could always search for locations in those areas drawing power from the grid. We could use satellites overhead to find hidden airstrips and smaller ports with unusual activity.” She turned to Skye to see what she was thinking.

Skye nodded, noting her train of thought, knowing it would be tough to find, but more likely than not, it would be a start.
“Good call. Chances are, they’ll try and take advantage of something already there, some of those places will be close to it. I can see what Oracle can pull for us, get us some imagery. It’ll be a lot of sifting, but I’m sure we can get it. If not, at least it’ll bring the areas into focus and give us a rough idea of what to start digging up for Raph’s contacts..” Skye replied, keen to see this sorted, as she slurped some more tea down, looking out at the overcast skies outside, and the sea shimmering in the background.

“Bloody hell. I keep forgetting how pretty this place is.” She added, standing up from the sofa, finishing her tea and putting the mug down on the table next to the sofa, looking back across her shoulder towards Sam.
“I’ll be honest with you. Pavel is an ass, and he caused us a lot of shit in Singapore. But I get this feeling, whatever it is Artemis wants, I don’t think he fully understands it. Like he seems to get one part of their goals. But if they’re decentralized, it concerns me. Means there’s a lot more hydras. And we’ll be just responding next time they decide to go for something.” Skye commented out loud, looking across, the scarlet-haired Scot open, if a little curious.

Samantha smiled at her boss. “Well if the satellites don’t reveal anything. I can always do a fly over with a drone and cameras.” She shrugged “I am always down for some decent skiing.”

Skye nodded, knowing it would be a bit of work to cover. But if anyone could, Sam and the intel team certainly could.
“Andorra or Chile this time of year would be pretty sweet. And it beats another op in North Korea.” Skye commented, stretching her hands and clicking them out, knowing they had some leads now to follow, and that would certainly come to fruition soon enough.

---

Samantha grinned as she dug through her closet for something appropriate to wear. Freya had invited her to go out with her. Memories of the last time Skye and Freya had plied her with alcohol had her firming her resolve not to come home sloppy drunk. She didn’t want to feel like a bus had run over her the next day. She worked on drinking some water while she got ready. She knew keeping hydrated would help stave off some of the hangover aspects from a night of drinking. She was looking forward to a night of dancing and hanging out with a woman she respected. Freya was one of the few people who would understand her when she started spouting scientific and mechanical engineering theories and concepts out. It was a refreshing change of pace to not have to stop and explain what she was talking about.

Sam was prepared for dancing. She was not one of those women who adored high heeled shoes. She could wear them but found them incredibly uncomfortable. It was part of why she chose to dress in a punk or goth motif most of the time. That allowed her to get away with combat boots. She had chosen to pair her black combat boots with black skinny jeans and a hot pink blouse that wrapped across her torso and tied in the back. It had a ruffle on the top that was pulled down off her shoulders. She grabbed a small black leather purse with a long strap meant for cross body wear. The purse had a large bright chrome zipper on top and a decorative metal skull and crossbones on the side. The purse carried her wallet, keys, and lipstick in it. She grinned as she dropped the taser she had made for the Singapore op inside the small zip up purse.

Samantha did one last check in the mirror. She had a goth kind of thing going on with a Latina vibe. She then went in search of Freya. She thought Freya had told her to meet her in the garage. She wondered how they were getting there or if she would need to borrow a helicopter or something. She paused for a moment. Would Skye yell at them for that? Hmmm… first find Freya.

Who knew?

Like really? Who would have known that Freya Kanatariio of all people listens to Ru Paul and Todrick Hall?

It’s something as the tones of Ru Paul blooms from her room as she flings clothing out of her packs and closet. A frilly piece of something flying, was that supposed to fit her chest or her hips? It’d be floss either way! She dug and dug. And grinned, “Oh we’re gonna have a good time.” The big woman cackles, finding something, striding over, half naked, and looked the piece of clothing on in front of the full body mirror. For the uninitiated we’re just going to put a checker censor over certain things that aren’t covered. With a puff it’s back to the packs. While almost a casual look from between her legs she checks the time, “Damn Sam’s probably almost ready And I can’t even find some underwear!”

She puts some speed in on it.

Soon there’s a bra, something hidden, no straps, and a top, diaphanous maybe but it’s enough there to hide things. Black, with silver thread woven in, highlight yet not scream “ho”. And a bottom, a side cut long skirt, black and silver, dear god she’s gonna kill someone with this outfit. A belly button bit of bling, and some other little bits of glitz and glamour. Oh gods there’s gonna be a pair of bombshells out there. She’s still trying to get her hair and make up on as the time for the meet up arrives.

And is completely not expecting someone to knock on her door.

Sam strode into the garage. She checked her makeup on the mirror just inside the door. It was there so mechanics could check for grease and dirt before leaving the garage. Tahlia didn’t like cleaning up greasy fingerprints and the like. She was hoping the mirror would remind them to clean up before spreading their filth around the base. She nodded happily with her subtle makeup and dramatic eyes. She looked sexy with a hint of fun. She didn’t honestly care much what others thought. She wore what appealed to her. She turned and began to look around the cavernous garage for Freya. Hmmm maybe she had gotten their meeting place wrong. She tilted her head to the side and thought about where Freya’s room was. She nodded and took off in search of the battle goddess. Before long she was standing outside Freya’s room and knocking politely on the door. “Hey Freya! Are you in there?”

Freya mmfs that knock and she’s on her feet, “What?” She spins looking at the clock, oh crap she’s late! She crosses her room in about 1 and a half strides, (the joys of being huge!) And almost rips the door off it’s hinges, “Sam! Sorry! Clothes…make up…hair…” Giantess in the doorway, half done up, but still on the way to be drop dead gorgeous, “Come on in babe. I’m almost done. Was Teddy at the heli-pad? I talked my private helicopter pilot to come pick us up on my private chopper. Luxury is the name of the game. And it’s on me missy.” She grins brightly. Then back into the room, trying to finish getting herself set up. Good work and all being put into it. Her hands flying in her hair, putting it up in this wonderful flowing do, that people would pay to run their fingers through. Biting her lower lip in a form of concentration. Getting her hair just right then moving to finish the make up, giving herself a smoky almost gothy look. The beats of Todrick Hall continue to play as she works.

Samantha waited for the door to open. She blinked seeing the giantess almost ready. She strode into her room at her invitation. She blinked in confusion. “Teddy? Heli-pad? I thought we were meeting in the garage?” She looked closely at Freya. “Luxury and your own helicopter?! Am I dressed well enough for where you are taking me?” Samantha looks down at her deceptively casual yet sexy look. She looks back over at the giantess with a questioning look? “What do you think?” She turns to show off her curves that were accentuated by her clothing. The bright colored top made her skin look rosy and dusky colored. She had added just a touch of temporary pink highlights to her short pixie cut hair.

Freya hums smiling looking over at Sam, “Girl, you’re more then done up. Don’t worry the restaurant is tasteful, nothing to heavy. Then there’s a club I’m sure you’re gonna love. See if you can’t bring some handsome fella back with us for you.” She grinned at Samantha brightly, “Who knows maybe we can find some tall dark someone to bring home for Skye too.” She huffs, “And maybe some hefty fella for me…” She kinda whispers at the end, “In my dreams.” And with a fancy little flick she puts the finishing touch on her makeup. Clearly when she goes out she wants to make a statement. She turns in her seat, “So we go down to the garage, then from there a short walk to the heli-pad, Teddy should be here soon. And we’re gonna party hun!” She walks over to slip on a pair of knee high flat leather boots, fitting them on, and grabbing her purse. Playfully striking a pose, “Come on Sam, let’s go party.”

Samantha had turned to show off for Freya. After getting the giantess’ approval she laughed. “I don’t know if I want to bring some random guy home. I am more than willing to dance with one though! I am all for a good time and to get my groove on.” She shook her hips like the racy Latina she was. “I am ready, Chica! Let’s go!” Samantha tucked her arm into Freya’s it would look like a child holding onto their parents hand. She laughed as they left to go find their pilot. “You know I can fly the helicopter but since you want me to drink you, good call on Teddy.” She let the giantess lead the way as she did her best to keep pace as they made their way towards their transport and nice evening away from the base. She could hardly wait. She was so excited. It had been eons since she had been out with a female friend.

And away they go. Walking down the hall, arm in arm, the sound of Freya’s music fading off behind them. She smiled down at her friend and coworker, “Gotta be honest here hun, was kinda thinking I’d end up bringing you to the lab first. Didn’t think we’d get to a girls night so quick.” She chuckled. Sure strides and good feelings get them through the garage quick, and out into the late afternoon light of the day, there waiting a short distance away a posh sleek charcoal grey executive style helicopter waiting, rotor spinning, and a pilot in a suit waving, coming forward to shake Freya’s hand then do the same to Sam, calling over the roar of the rotor, “Teddy Jalfe, Jotunnheim Defence transportation, nice to see you boss! And this is that Samantha Simons is it you were talking about right? I got that right I hope madam? Any friend of my boss is a friend of mine.” He runs ahead to the door and pulls it open, Freya helping Sam up into the luxury chopper, then hopping in herself. Teddy closing the door and hopping into the front, Freya putting a headset on just as Teddy does too. Freya giving Sam a wink, waiting until she’s got her headset on too before saying, “Sorry I tell my people about my co-workers regularly. Let’s rock and roll Teddy! Wellington bound! Don’t make us late!” Teddy cackling, “You got it boss lady!” And with a rock the chopper lifts off.

Samantha laughed at the sight the two of them walking together must be. Samantha was very petite and short and Freya was tall and curvy. They seemed to be mirror images or fun house mirror images of one another. Sam was darker skinned and Freya was pale. Freya was tall and Sam was short. Samantha walked out of the garage with Freya and towards the heli-pad where a beautiful luxury executive class helicopter sat. Teddy came forward to greet her. She raised an eyebrow at being introduced as Simons. She smiled and shook Teddy’s hand. “That is a nice helicopter Teddy. I would be happy to co-pilot anytime.” She winked at him. “I am Samantha Dalton but you can just call me Sam.” She then climbed up into the helicopter’s rear luxury leather seats. She fastened her seatbelt harness before pulling the headphones down over her ears to protect them from the loud noise of the engine as the rotors began to spin up. She smiled at Freya as she joined her in the rear. Freya’s enthusiasm was contagious and light hearted. “I would love a tour of your lab. I appreciate that you can keep up with me when I start talking about engineering and science.” It made Sam excited to see where this evening led. She chuckled and looked out the window as Teddy lifted the helicopter into the air. She watched as the ground flew past under the helicopter. Before long they were over the open ocean and the scene was peaceful and beautiful. She often didn’t get time to admire where the base was from the air. It was a nice change of view.

Teddy makes a show of smacking his forehead, “Ahhh I’m sorry Madam Dalton! Tell you what, next time I’m by you get the co-seat, this thing flies like a dream, you haven’t piloted until you get your hands on the cyclic of this thing. It’s like flying something with the size of a Comanche, but with the handling of a Bugatti. Weird I know but it’s the only way I can put it. Hey check it out, 1000, there’s Wellington! I’ll bring us to the restaurant. And once I drop you off at the penthouse pad, I’ll radio the limo company so they can bring you to the club afterward. Thank you for flying Jalfe Airlines, remember this is an Airmiles sponsored flight, so remember to swipe your Freya card on the way out.” Freya reaching over and past Sam to smack Teddy on the top of the head as the pilot brings them in over the building with the restaurant in it. Freya growling over the headset, “That joke got old after the second time you dunce!” Teddy only laughing.

Samantha was amused by Teddy and the fact he seemed to know how to needle his boss. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she had already flown similar helicopters and some experimental ones that would put this one to shame.

And it wasn’t long until they were down, Freya pulling the door open, and helping Sam out before jumping out, flipping Teddy off. The last thing either Sam or Freya see is Teddy laughing like a loon when the door closes. Then it’s off to dinner.

And after that, a bit of time later, and a truly wonderful thing it was, it’s into a long sleek hummer style limo to head to a club in the entertainment district of the city. As the vehicle rolls up they can already feel the beat and roll of the music from within. Bass and tempo smooth then hard then wild. The bouncer in the front just taking one look at Freya and Sam and just waving them through into the interior, bypassing the line completely!

Samantha rolled her eyes at Teddy’s and Freya’s antics on the flight over in the helicopter. She found herself relaxing and having a great time with the battle goddess. She was a great conversation partner and just as much fun. Dinner had been excellent and before she knew it they had been hustled into a hummer style limo and driven to the club that Freya had wanted to go to. She could feel the pulsing beat and rhythm of the music as they climbed out of the limo. She raised an eyebrow as the bouncer at the door just waved them through the line. She just shook her head and chalked it up to being escorted by Freya. The giantess seemed to have life bowing at her feet. Which she supposed it should be for a goddess. She smiled at that thought and how appropriate it was. Sam had seen what Freya could do with that battle hammer of hers. It was not long before Samantha had found herself with a strawberry margarita in one hand while she danced with Freya at the bar. The beat making her want to move her body. “Thank you for not making me swallow down brandy or whiskey. I am not much of a drinker. I think Skye is trying to turn me into her. Everytime I enter the lounge area she is pouring me some kind of alcoholic drink.” She smirked at Freya as she ignored the greedy and welcoming eyes of the male fans watching her.

Freya had smiled the whole way, sometimes calling ahead is just the way things go, let’s face it in this world not everyone is equ-wait that’s a difference script. The almighty dollar can move walls sometimes, and Freya has that in spades, even if she doesn’t seem to flaunt it all that often. But sometimes she just can’t help herself. As they enter the club she lifts her arms above her head, and almost like it was timed the beat of the tune the DJ is spinning reaches a drop, as if welcoming Freya and Sam, two new apex predators to the club. Eyes male and female alight upon the pair as if weighing the new comers. Many finding them far beyond their poor means as it were. Others seeing challengers to their reign. Soon though Freya has a bottle of something with a black label in one hand, her thumb stoppering the top as she dances with Sam at the bar, taking tactical gulps from the bottle as they danced. She took a moment to take a nip of a very lovely snack to keep from getting too smashed. She nodded, “Yes I’ve noticed our boss lady likes her cerveza. No problem with it, but I don’t like to go to bed with a headache. Gotts say she can put it away as well as I can.” She grins, “Besides I don’t wanna carry you home Sam, not that I wouldn’t.” She grinned brightly, “But Teddy won’t help me load you up into the chopper and I would rather you go home with some dignity.” She drank again, and began to sway as another musical concoction began, the DJ doing something else with sound out above the dance floor.

Soon though so as not to kill the night with being an overload it’s time to start thinking about calling it a night. Probably helps that Freya got several rapid fire texts, the giantess cackling, “He says he wants us to leave soon and he’ll be in the car.”

Samantha was enjoying her evening out with Freya. She appreciated the opportunity to dance and hang out. She had not enjoyed the man who got too handsy on the dance floor before they retreated to the bar. Not that he had his hands on her for long. She grinned wickedly as she remembered punching him in the face before the bouncers escorted him out of the club. She nodded as Freya mentioned that Teddy was waiting for them with the car. “Fair enough. You invited me along as a partner in crime not to be my caretaker for the evening. I appreciated the opportunity to let my hair down. I would love that tour of your lab when you have time.” She set her empty glass on the bar. It was a good margarita. Not everyone could do them justice since the drink has become so popular. “Are we ready then?” She lifted an eyebrow in a query to the giantess?

Freya shocked the people closest to them when she tipped the bottle almost vertical and downed the last of the amber liquid within, all in one go. She slams the bottle down on the bar counter. A little more dancing on the floor, and that dick wad who had tried to cop a feel was lucky it was Sam who got to him and not her! He’d have lost more then his dignity and got more then a punch to the jaw. But yes soon it’s time to leave, “Yep, senorita I think we better head out. Leave these folks with stories to tell.” She grinned and leaned back Ving her fingers over her lips and flicking her tongue out at some of their admirers, grinning cheshire like the whole time before wrapping an arm around Sam and marching out with her, if she added a little more sashay then she did when they came in well, all part of it. As they leave the bouncer stops them and rumbles, “Look I let you in without the normal charge but you really gotta go with that.” And having landed in the middle of the street, far enough that the rotor blast didn’t hit the people still in line is the chopper they came in on. Teddy leaning on the door, and motioning Sam and Freya over shouting over the noise, “Let’s get moving ladies! I understand someone already tried to call the cops on us and it’ll be a laugh riot if we leave into the dark of the night just as they get here!” He’s pulling the door open and helping them in. And not too long after just as a pair of police cruisers roll up, the chopper rocks and they are in the air.

Samantha laughed as Freya made a scene finishing her drink. All the wannabes who wanted to take the giantess home were left sorely disappointed when she hauled Sam off with her. Samantha couldn’t help but laugh. Freya had almost started a riot amongst the men when she had left with Sam. It was not their fault that the men all thought they should go home with them. Samantha could only laugh. She would have to remember to suggest to Freya that next time she throw her over her shoulder and carry her out caveman style. That was the way these men were acting, like they had any claim to either one of their lives or attention. Most of the women in the club were simply jealous that they were not the center of attention. The remainder were almost as bad as the men who had been ogling Freya as she moved around the dance floor. Freya was big; she was not consciously or purposefully taking attention and space from the other women on the dance floor as far as she could tell. Samantha had her own admirers. She was there to drink with her friend and shake her booty for some fun, not go home with a random guy for a quickie. That was what her BOB was for. It didn’t complain either.

Samantha wondered who had called the cops. She bet it was the guy she decked who had grabbed her ass and tried to stick his hand down her top. She frowned at the bouncer at the door as she overheard what he was telling Freya. Samantha pulled a $100 bill out of her wallet. She stuffed it into the man’s mouth. “There we paid the cover fee. You don’t need to say anything else. We are out of here and won’t be back.” She then ran for the copter and leaped up inside. She had just closed the door when the bird lifted into the air. She started laughing hard as she struggled into her seat belt. She was still laughing when she pulled her headset on. “You know I had just been thinking, Skye would be proud of us. We managed to come home without being drunk or a police escort. Well I guess I have to thank Teddy for ditching our police escort!” She winked at Teddy as she turned to see how Freya was doing. “You good Freya?”

Freya nodded “Yes, oh honey perfectly fine” quick simple words. It made her wonder what was in that bottle that Freya had polished off. But the response let her know that she was okay. Teddy thought her comment was hysterical and was laughing it up in the pilot’s seat. Samantha enjoyed the relatively quiet trip home. Freya was not drunk but she had relaxed into the seat and seemed to be lost in thought or half asleep. It had been a long night and they had just gotten back from a heavy op. She should probably check in with her tomorrow. Singapore hadn’t been an easy op for the giantess. She should have thought about that. Maybe Freya had needed to blow off some steam as much as she did. Although Freya had seemed to want to hook up. She hoped she didn’t crimp the woman’s style. Sam was simply not the sleep around type.

As if maybe reading Sam’s mind, Freya broke the silence, “Ahh that has to be the most fun outside of punting some poor opfor down a stairs, that I’ve had in years Sam, thank you so much for accepting my invite. But I tell ya, you got some stamina you’ve worn out the battle goddess.” She grins brightly and Teddy leans back, snapping a picture on his phone, “I need evidence!” He calls over the headsets.

The evening wound down as they made it back to base without further incident. She had laughed at Freya telling her that she had worn her out. She almost felt bad like she had been following the woman around and just keeping up with what she wanted to do. She grinned knowing that she had a good time. “I had a good time, Freya. Thanks for inviting me. Maybe next time we will try a rage room!” With that parting comment she left to go find her bed.

Freya wound her way to her room arm in arm with Sam into the base. Passing base personnel who stopped to watch the pair. Freya just giving them a look. Parting at her door she caught Sam up in a hug, “Oh hun, next time you get to plan it, and we’re bringing Skye with us too. She needs in on these girls nights too. Have a good night Sam, talk to you in the morning.” She lets the smaller woman go and waits at her door as Sam disappears down the hall. Now that, that was a helluva night.