Industrial Espionage (Andurhil)

[Zorolo]

The pressing of a button. The rolling of a tape. The sliding on of headphones. The silence after all of these things are done.

Monroe was familiar with this kind of thing, since he normally went about getting his missions this way. The main thing that was different here was the fact that this time, Monroe wasn't simply looking for some bounty, or to kill some feeble person. The bounty hunter had an actual job this time.

The tape continued rolling, and the voice spoke its first words from the tape. Monroe had listened to the tape several times already, but still, he listened once more, making sure he hadn't missed anything of interest. After all, he hid within the compound, getting ready to begin his break in, but he had to be careful. This was why he was playing the tape for about the seventh time.

"Good day, Mr. Vossler. I have heard a great deal about your skills as an assassin, a bounty hunter, and a tactical espionage agent. The skills you acquired from the CIA have truly made you a dangerous man, and my company has decided it is best to tell you about this. We are willing to pay a massive sum of money for the job we are asking you to do. First, however, I think I'll tell you about the item in question."

The strong, gruff voice on the tape took a moment to clear his throat. Monroe knew this part, kissing his ass to make sure that it seemed like the modern fencer was loyal. In fact, the only reason Monroe had come to this damned place to begin with was to get the thing in question for himself. He didn't give to craps about some business, since their people couldn't hope to kill him anyway. Not with what he had now.

The voice continued, explaining what exactly this company was asking.

"Now then, as for the item in question. It is a small box, kept in the center of the building under maximum security. The device is one of a kind, and the maker is the only person that has the knowledge of how to create these devices. He has not written down the method, but I suppose he would probably be worth more then the device itself. If you can bring him back alive, my company will pay you three times what we are offering for the device. If that settles you, then let me continued."

"The device in question is a cloaking device. It's maker has learned the method to bend light just so that a person appears mostly invisible. True, in proper light, you can see a person, and thermal signals are all the same, but still, the cloaking device itself is said to be nearly flawless. The only flaw that has been reported to me is... well... you see... the device isn't exactly a war loving device. The device has the power to sense a person's adrenal levels, and any change to a level where a person could take a dangerous action, the device will automatically shut off. Aside from that, it is a great sneaking device."

"With this knowledge, good luck to you, sir. I trust that you will be able to fulfill my company's desire without problem. I'll see you after you have the device. Remember, we'll be watching you."

The tape clicked, finally stopping. Monroe had all the information he needed to know what he was up against. Vossler removed the tape and tossed it into the air. Seconds later, the pieces of the tape, smoldering, landed on the ground, and the green blade of energy vanished from Monroe's photon sword. "God damn jackasses. Thinking that money is worth that thing. I'm just gonna kill that scientist and steal the cloaking device. Makes a lot more sense then giving it to you morons," the dark clad man whispered as he slid the scientist coat over his jacket and buttoned it up.

Vossler walked towards the front entrance and swiped the card he had snatched when he had killed one of the scientists, a lower level one, and the main door opened. The dark clad warrior walked into the structure, looking around. THe building, was, to say the least, massive. Looking up, the building had octagonal floors, with an elevator that lead up to the top floor, it seemed. Even so, the time had come to begin searching around, and the best way to do that... well, in Monroe's case, it was to simply look around, but try to prevent starting too much commotion.

OoC: There we go. I hope you like this opening. Shall we begin? ^_^

[Andurhil/Cookie]

Tanya stood in perfect attention, eyes straight ahead, chest out, knees straight but not locked. Her right hand rose in a firm salute, her expression unwavering, and promptly returned to her side. Someone who knew her in person would be rather taken aback to see the usually impulsive and playful female in such disciplined conduct. But this was her job and she was very professional about it.

"At ease," said the slightly hoarse voice of the general sitting opposite from her, lodged comfortably behind the post-modern metallic table which filled the briefing room. The agent immediately relaxed and spread her feet slightly, her hands held behind her back and her gaze free to wander. She was dressed in civilian attire, wearing a casual sleeve-less blouse and a (rather short) pleated skirt.

"Miss Smithson, don't you believe an agent of the CIA should report to briefing in more... suitable attire?"

Tanya gave a small chuckle before replying playfully. "I believe I was on leave sir, when the agency felt the need to call me back for an unscheduled and urgent assignment. I do trust that warrants for a little lax on the dress code."

The general regarded her for a moment, and then decided to skip the "dressing down" and proceed to the main course.

"...Very well. Head of Operations will brief you on the mission specifics."

And with that, he gestured to the female standing some distance to his right, a large computer screen at her side. The woman cleared her throat softly, and then pressed a few keys on the terminal in front of her, the display lighting up and showing the schematic of a building. It was a rotating three-dimensional model of a complex which consisted of a structure roughly octagonal in shape and comprised of several floors above ground, and a vast convoluted expanse which spread underground.

"This is the Augere Technologies Inc. headquarters. There has been a lot of intel coming in lately that suggests they have been working on a revolutionary new cloaking technology, codenamed "Evanescence". We don't know who leaked this intel, but we do know that several criminal organisations have also become aware of the existence of this technology. Therefore, it is safe to assume that they will attempt to acquire this technology for their own uses. It is imperative that we do not let this happen."

At this Tanya gave a firm nod, and the Head of Operation paused for a moment to take a sip of water from her glass on the table. Refreshing herself, she continued.

"Your mission is to infiltrate the facility and recover this technology before hostile parties can take hold of it. Your secondary objective, if possible, is to extract the scientist who developed this technology and bring him to us. As per the norm for civilian infiltration, you are to use minimal force in engaging the security units. You are to exercise stealth and avoid detection at all costs. Is your mission understood?"

The female agent brought herself back to attention and replied loud and clear, "Yes m'am!"

The general gave a nod of satisfaction and addressed Tanya once more. "You're clear to proceed to Weapon Control and then deployment by UH-60 Black Hawk. Dismissed, and good luck."

"Sir, yes sir!" she responded assertively and gave another firm salute before turning to go.

****

The rhythmic whir of the chopper blades was muffled by the stream of sounds issuing from the mp3 headphones in the female's ears. Her eyes were closed, her mind absorbed by the riffs and bends of Jimi Hendrix's version of "Catfish Blues". She was in a completely different state of consciousness at the moment, not asleep yet not fully awake. This was her meditation; this was the source of her ki.

Her eyelids began to slowly part, the spark of cognition in her bright blue eyes. She was at one with the world now. Every sense in her body tingled with alertness, every muscle was disciplined and primed, her mind was clear and lucid. The hair on her skin stood on end slightly from the electric rhapsody flowing through her ears as a shiver went down her back, and a smile spread across her lips. Now she was ready.

The headphones were removed from her ears and hastily retreated within the folds of her slightly unzipped jumpsuit, the zipper promptly rising to conceal them along with Tanya's navy blue sport top. Looking up at the marine in charge of the helicopter's rappelling system, she caught him gazing rather stupidly at the area the zipper had just concealed.

Tanya couldn't help but smile at the silliness, but she quickly cleared her throat as a hint for him to return to his senses. Clearly startled, he took a moment or two to regain his composure. At that moment, the voice of the pilot alerted the both of them that they had arrived at the target.

The marine started readying the rope as Tanya stood up. She took a minute to inspect her two beloved pistols, pulling them out of their holsters and giving them a twirl. Her katana was firmly fastened to her back, and so was her backpack. Satisfied, she gave a content smile and walked over to the marine who timidly offered her the rope. She gave him a wink, placed both hands firmly on the rope, pinned it between her knees and fast-roped down.

Her feet made contact with grassy ground which was sent into a tumultuous dance by the helicopter's rotor blast. She quickly barrel-rolled away from the gusts of air and took cover behind a boulder as the helicopter ascended once more and its form began to steadily diminish as it flew towards the edge of the horizon. She was on her own now.

Quickly disappearing into a formation of dense trees, she made her way towards the complex. It was one or two miles from her drop-off point to the complex, and she covered most under cover of the trees. However, the small forest ended a good thirty yards from the fence surrounding the structure.

Doing a quick check for surveillance equipment and guards, she made her way towards an exposed portion of the fence. Retrieving the wire-cutter from her backpack, she skilfully severed part of the fence and replaced the tool. With a quick fluid motion, her nimble body slipped through the small opening.

The mission had begun.

[Zorolo]

Monroe spent a good deal of time walking around the ground floor, taking in all the scenery he could and taking note of the weapons the guards were carrying. High quality machine guns, also equipped with shotgun add-ons. Well, that made starting a fight a little bit more tricky, even if Monroe had the tools to deal with these guys, he couldn't fight forever. Or could he? The bounty hunter wasn't really sure, but he did know that fighting with every guard in the building would end in death.

The scientist poser slid one arm from his lab coat and trench coat and rested his right hand on the handle of his revolver. His trusted Colt Single Action Army had never let him down. The little used weapon had one key component that Monroe absolutely loved about it: he could control the firing speed. He had to make two movements before he could shoot, and not just one, as double action provided. These small differences... well... to him, they made all the difference.

The bounty hunter walked up a small flight of stairs into the second floor and passed some of the scientists, who didn't look at him. For all they knew, he could be the new guy that had joined only a few days ago. Monroe overheard two men talking as they walked and stood against a wall, listening in on their conversation. Maybe they had information that he could use. After all, the anonymous source that had sent him that tape didn't help worth of anything.

"So, the device is completely finished. It's going to have its test run tomorrow at noon. Then, we'll finally get to see what Doctor Abarai has been working on. After all, he hasn't come out of his lab in two years to work on that thing. I'm sure it's probably perfect by now," one scientist said to his friend as they stopped to drink the coffee they had just made.

"Yeah. I hear that the Doc is in one of the chambers in the basement, resting right now. They're gonna give him an all expense paid vacation after the test is done. Lucky guy," the second scientist noted with an exasperated sigh.

Monroe wandered over, trying to seem as new and uninformed as possible. "Excuse me, but what are you guys talking about?" the former FBI agent asked, sounding as if he had not the faintest of what was going on.

"Oh, you must be the new guy. The one they hired a few days ago. Yeah, well, Doctor Abarai has been working on this device for like two years, and now that its finished, the company is going to pay for him to go on vacation to relax now that his job is finished until he starts on his next masterpiece."

"And where could I see this device?" the dark haired man asked, sounding as plainly interested as he could.

The second scientist looked at the bounty hunter and shrugged his shoulders, deciding to tell the man, Monroe hoped. "It's in the middle of the building, on the thirtieth floor. However, it's under heavy protection, and no one is allowed in. They have some kind of special guard there. They said they were hired hands, but wouldn't say from where. Either way, no one gets in there without authorization, which only the president of the company has."

"Thirtieth floor you say?" Monroe asked, and the man nodded. "Thanks. By the way, how do I work the elevator?"

"Wow, they really didn't tell you anything, did they, new guy?" Vossler shook his head and the first scientist sighed and laughed a little. "Since you're new, you only have access to the first five floors, which are available by stairs. You need a higher clearance to use the elevator to go into the underground levels or to go up. Good luck, new guy. You'll need it."

"Thank you," Monroe jokingly said, although masking it in the best way he could. Well, apparently he'd need to find someone with a high enough clearance to get into the place he needed to get to, but those guards didn't sound pleasant. They were probably either FBI super soldiers like Monroe was, or Geno-soldiers that had been built by the CIA. Either way, they weren't good news. Monroe would have to tread softly till he got there, he'd need everything in his arsenal to get through those people alone.

[Andurhil/Cookie]

Tanya darted across the complex grounds like a fleeting shadow, her movements almost feline in nature. Spinning on her feet, she turned around and took cover behind a rectangular ventilation shaft, sliding down to a crouch. The shaft was part of an array of shafts which no-doubt fed the vast underground expanse beneath her feet with oxygen.

The sound of the rotating fan blades inhaling the air whirred in her ears as she spied from the side of the metallic shaft, searching for her entry point and for any dangers. Noticing a security camera to her left which was turning towards her, she immediately pulled back so as to avoid detection. As the camera swerved away, she barell-rolled closer to the main building, taken cover behind a shaft further ahead as the camera turned back.

Some distance to her left was the main entrance of the complex, guarded by two armed security personnel. Furthermore, there was a static camera directly above them, keeping the blast doors under constant supervision. And to the side of the doors, a key-card lock. However, she wasn't planning on going in that way.

Stealing another glance behind her, she spied her entry point in the distance; an air vent on the side of the building, at the base of the wall. Blocking her route, however, was the camera watching the ventilation shaft array and the single guard patrolling the area, and who was now heading straight towards her position.

She pressed her back against the shaft as the guard walked past next to her. He was mere inches from her, yet she couldn't react for a few more seconds, the camera was aimed directly at them. The guard moved a bit further ahead and then started to turn towards Tanya's direction.

Time seemed to slow down as he turned, Tanya waiting for the very last moment before making her move. Then two things happened almost instantaneously; the guard made eye contact with the female spy and the camera's point-of-view moved past the both of them.

Before the man could so much as speak, Tanya kicked his feet from under him, bringing him to his knees as she sprang to her feet. The guard went to reach for his weapon, but Tanya's boot connected with his head in a quick spin kick, sending him toppling to his side, unconscious.

In the two seconds she had before the camera's eye was upon them once more, she dragged the guard's body behind one of the shafts and barrel-rolled further ahead, taking cover just in the nick of time.

From there she had a clear vantage of her target. The vent was very small, it would be a tight squeeze even for Tanya's small and lithe body. She smiled to herself knowing that a male operative would never hope to fit in there. Reaching for her backpack, she produced a compact electric screwdriver and prepared for her infiltration.

The moment the camera offered her the next window of opportunity, she sprinted across the rest of the distance between herself and the complex wall. She immediately fell to her knees and began work on the vent, unscrewing the fasteners which held the vent cover in place, removing them in a matter of seconds. Before the camera returned to her position, she had already crawled inside the vent and replaced the cover.

As she began moving further inside the building, she became aware of one important fact. Even though they looked amazing on her, her breasts were really impeding her progress along the vent. She was actually getting quite frustrated at the extra effort she had to exert simply to move along. Nevertheless, she pushed such thoughts away and turned her attention back to the mission.

Her mission intel had revealed that the device in question was on the 30th floor, and the only way there was via an express elevator which required top-level security clearance. However, satellite imaging had revealed that the air vent she was know crawling through also fed the elevator shaft, and that's where she was headed.

The humid air inside the vents had begun to make her feel hot and sweaty, so she unzipped her suit slightly to give her more room to breathe. Through various gratings at the sides of the vents, she could spy a formidable number of guards patrolling the corridors, along with a multitude of labcoat scientists heading to different areas of the complex.

After a few more minutes of laboured crawling, the tell-tale sounds of the elevator shaft began to reach her ears. Eventually she was behind the grating which directly connected the vent to the elevator shaft. Seeing as how she was on the inside this time, she couldn't unscrew the grating, so she had to resort to other tactics.

She waited until the lift had moved past her on its way upwards, then turned onto her her back and gave the grating several kicks, forcing it to break off and fall down the shaft with a clatter. When the lift moved past her once more, she slid out of the vent and landed silently on top of the elevator itself.

All she had to do now was wait until someone took the lift up to a floor sufficiently close to the the 30th floor, and she'd slip back into the air vents and seek her quarry.

[Zorolo]

Not as easy as I thought this would be, Monroe thought to himself as he walked around the lower floors. The scientist look alike had headed up to the fifth floor, the dining area, to go find someone's card to steal. He needed the highest level security clearance, and that wouldn't be hard to find. After all, the only people left were the highest level scientist. Problem wasn't finding someone, since there were quite a few people were at the dining hall, but the problem was acquiring the card key.

To acquire a card key, the bounty hunter guessed he would either need to sneak it off of a scientist, or beat it out of one. He'd need a shadowy place to do that, to make sure that no one caught him in the act of knocking out a scientist. Made more sense to knock them out then kill them here. Blood would be a bit much right now. Anyway, the white suit he wore would look better without obvious blood stains on it. Now then, where was his stooge that he'd take the key he needed from?

Vossler's eyes scanned over the crowd of people as they moved from the lines of food towards the table. One after another came the people, holding not so much food, which surprised the modern man. He had his tray filled with food, even if it tasted like crap, it was better then nothing. Anyway, his body would metabolize it for energy anyway, nothing else. Aside from that, the time had come to scope out where his target would be. A nice part far over near the stairs leading down would do nicely to hide the knocked out person.

Two scientists moved off the line and headed over to a few tables from where I was sitting. These large, round tables were strange, and the fact they had massive trees in the center was strange, but what the heck. After all, they made it all the easier to hide a body under them. The two moved over to a table in the middle of the room, and the dark clad man sighed. Next.

Another small group, probably about four or five scientists moved past my table, sitting at a table next to it. They all sat down and began chatting. There were far too many to knock one out and not have the others notice he was gone. No, Monroe needed something more along the lines of a solitary person that had no one to watch his back. What Monroe needed was... walking right past him, actually.

A lone man with thick glasses, a slightly greasy lab jacket, and a plate of food half the size of what Monroe had just eaten walked past, looking to be in deep thought. Thinkers, they are always so easy to pick off. Not to mention this guy seemed to talk to himself. Oh, he was just asking to get knocked out. Now, all that was needed was to know where the hell he was sitting.

Finally, Mr. thinker sat down at the table nearest to the stairs, and the dark clad man began to skulk towards him. As soon as the man sat down, the enhanced human struck, pressing pressure points and knocking the man out. Too easy, to say the least. The former assassin removed his knife from under his jackets and cut the man's card from his strange laminated protector attached to a wheel of string. Man this guy was lame.

The fake scientist slipped his newly acquired card into his jacket and moved swiftly out of the dining hall. He had places to be, stuff to steal, and escapes to make. Like lightning, the bounty hunter began to head downstairs. The click of his boots against the stairs echoed as he ran downstairs as if he had made a discovery. Neither guard nor scientist looked twice. No one here seemed to care in the least, after all, as long as you looked like one of them, it was fine.

As the dark clad man appeared upon the first floor, the floor had become quieter. There were less people, Monroe noted. He moved towards the elevator and swiped his card. As the door clanged and opened, the man entered. He found himself in an elevator with three other scientists. Well, this was certainly an unexpected annoyance. He had to get to the thirtieth floor, and pressed that button. The other scientists looked at them.

Bad move, jackasses. In a flash, the dark clad man whipped out his knife and had cut the throat of one scientist, stabbed a second through the heart, and stabbed a third in the forehead. All three died moments later and Monroe took off his lab coat. As the elevator went up, Monroe heard something. A very faint noise. Someone had landed on the roof of his elevator. Vossler spun the knife into a back hand grip. Bad move. Hell, he'd even wait to see if this person came in before going after em.

[Andurhil/Cookie]

Tanya crouched down low on the elevator as it slowly moved upwards. She knew that the elevator was the only access to the medium and high level sections. These sections however were disjointed between them, so the gamble was whether the person inside was headed to a floor above the twentieth. If they didn't, she'd be forced to break cover prematurely and acquire a keycard.

Floor doors began to move past her as she continued upwards. This meant she was past the tenth floor as the low-level floors had no access to the lift. The female spy simply waited, completely silent. She had considered entering the lift from the hatch beside her, but an unconscious body in an elevator would definitely arouse suspicion. If her plan with the elevator happened to go awry however, she'd promptly reconsider.

Sighing softly, she reached for her mp3 headphones from her still slightly unzipped suit, placed them in her ears and pushed a button. As the music began to play, she closed her eyes and cleared her thoughts, waiting for the elevator to stop.

[Zorolo]

The elevator continued its upwards movement as the dark clad man stood in the ever bloodying floor. The dark clad man unzipped an inside pocket and removed his earbuds and plugged them in his ears. Quickly, Sympathy for the Devil, by Guns N' Roses, blasted in his ears. He never felt more alive then when listening to music during the hunt. In this case, it would be people like himself he was killing, but hell, he'd recalled they were just programmed dummies, pretty much. There were a few other prototypes like himself that had their own thoughts, but he doubted they'd be here. Why would they be?

The ringing noise as each floor past kept the dark clad man attentive. Monroe was ever ready, mentally going over what tools he had at his disposal. His Photon sword was ready for action when he needed it. His knife was sharp as ever, and had cut down those idiot scientists with ease. Vossler mentally counted his bullets, recalling he had them all. He hadn't used or tested them all yet, but he would this time around, he was sure. Anyway, it was another good chance to up his kill count. It had been a bit low of late.

Finally, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Monroe stopped, quickly looking up and tossing his knife right through the hatch, the tip going all the way through, he imagined. The titanium knife was quickly removed from the hatch and he returned it to its proper place, hidden beneath his jacket on a sheath upon the kevlar vest he wore. Everything was in order, and now, it was time for the real fight to begin.

Monroe stepped out of the elevator and walked up to a massive, twin, heavy steel doors. He wished he had known that sooner, because then cutting through them would have been faster. Still, this was the proper way to infiltrate some place. The bounty hunter swiped the card and the doors opened. Stepping into the room, a new song came on: Civil War.

[Andurhil/Cookie]

The spy gently bobbed her head to the tune of Black Sabbath's "Sabbra Cadabra" as the elevator continued on its journey. It might seem odd that she was listening to music while on a mission, yet it was something that helped her concentrate on the task at hand. Nothing like a good dose of endorphins to get the mind primed and alert.

The elevator came to a halt. Tanya opened her eyes and looked at the shaft wall adjacent to her, a slightly faded thirty-one visible on its surface. That meant that the elevator had stopped exactly on the thirtieth floor, the floor she was headed for. Frowning slightly at her unexpected luck, she placed one hand on the elevator's surface to steady herself and used her other hand to remove her headphones.

As she listened to the doors opening, a metallic clang suddenly ringed in her ears. Turning towards the source of the sound, she gasped slightly when she saw a large knife protruding from the elevator roof hatch, the blade lodged dangerously between her second and third fingers. The knife was retracted just as suddenly, and Tanya pulled her hand back, inspecting it for injuries as the doors closed once more.

Curious, she pulled out one of her pistols and held it aimed down the hatch as she yanked it open. What she saw was far removed from what she had expected. The elevator was filled with the bloody corpses of three labcoated men, the crimson liquid spreading across the floor and seeping into their clothing. Grimacing slightly, she holstered her weapon and closed the hatch. She was not the only person infiltrating this facility.

She gave a slight start as the elevator was called from below and began descending. Tanya knew she only had moments to react, so she leaped at the shaft wall, latching onto metallic ladder embedded in its surface. Looking down at her feet, she saw the air vent leading onto the thirtieth floor. Giving it a few kicks, she managed to break open the cover. Descending a few steps down the ladder, she reached for the vent and pulled herself in.

It was only a matter of minutes before the dead bodies were discovered.

[Zorolo]

As the dark clad man entered into the room, he smiled as the doors shut closed behind the bounty hunter. Time to get to work. The mercenary slipped his gun out from its holster and smiled as he cocked the weapon's hammer and flicked a small switch under his jacket. A small, invisible barrier appeared around the green eyed man that had the power to push away bullet, but none of the guards would notice that. "Hey guys, ready to die?" Vossler asked with a smile as the guards turned to him.

"Freeze!" one guard yelled as he ran to the rail of the second floor of the room. The room had two floors: the first being the ground floor, which was essentially a massive, extremely thick metal floor, with a massive cylinder in the center that held the device the warrior was looking for. As for the second floor, it was little more then a kind of balcony that set up a vantage point for the guards to strike. Suddenly, six guards gathered around the upper point and aimed their laser sighted guns at the bounty hunter, ready to fire. "State your purpose!"

"I'm just here to steal the cloaking device, don't worry, nothing serious," Monroe stated jokingly as he opened up his revolver and dumped the ammo out. He pocketed two of his normal bullets, and replaced one with a #2, and another with a #3. Who knows, maybe a #3 would be handy here at some point? Well, anyway, these guys didn't seem to be too happy 'bout that comment.

The guards opened fire and bullets ripped through the air and towards the dark clad man, who merely smiled as the bullets whizzed around his shield and struck anything else nearby, crushing their way into the metal ground. The sound of metal on metal, along with the bouncing of the bullets against the ground couldn't help but make this any easier. Finally, the clips fell from their guns, and bodies began to hit the floor.

No, those bodies literally hit the floor. Two clicks, two bangs, to bodies hitting the ground. One with a bullet ripping through the front of the head and out the back of the man's mask, and the second... well, it went clean through his heart, spraying blood everywhere. This was sure gonna suck for that poor, stupid sap that got stuck with that job. Anyway, the dark clad man spun his gun around his finger, firing off two more bullets, and killing two more of the soldiers reloading.

Dammit! One of the soldier's had a brain and got away. The other was hiding behind a beam. Great, a good chance to use the #2 had given itself to the modern fencer. The former assassin took aim at a nearby steel beam and fired off the bullet. The bullet bounced off of the beam, bending it slightly, into another beam, and finally through the man and the beam he was hiding behind, causing blood to splatter right in front of Monroe. "****er almost got my jacket blood," Monroe stated angrily as he looked at the pile of blood and opened his gun, placing five new #1 rounds into his gun.

The loud sound of boots against the ground echoed through the room as four soldiers rushed in, all pointing their guns at Monroe as he looked them over. "There he is!" the soldier that escaped spoke, pointing at the bounty hunter. These guys and their SWAT gear and huge masks with strange goggle things were starting to get on Vossler's nerves. "Get him! Bullets don't work though, so move in close!" the escapee yelled as the men all moved their guns to their backs on the straps they wore and drew knives.

Monroe spun his gun around his finger carelessly and looked at the four men. This wouldn't take long. Quickly, the modern fencer holstered his gun and drew his photon sword, holding it ready to strike. The first man rushed, stabbing his knife forwards, and quickly, the dark clad man stepped to the side and the attacker's head flew off, landing a few feet from the three others. Thick, thick burns left on the severed neck and head where the cut had been.

Monroe yawned with his free hand and looked between the last three. "I'm gonna make this quick. Flash Step!" Monroe yelled as he vanished, appearing between the three and slashing quickly. With three quick moves, one man was cut in half horizontally, one through the center of the chest, and the last in a diagonal pattern. The former assassin turned and walked away from the bodies as they fell, turning off his sword and placing it on his belt and turning off his EMSG. Well, that was easy, now for the prize.

[Andurhil/Cookie]

Tanya was still crawling through the vent when the lead barrage began, not ceasing until the magazines had emptied. On the moments that followed, loud bangs began to echo in quick succession, the sound typical of a high calibre weapon. The image of the elevator carnage suddenly flashed through her mind, and she knew that her friend had decided to go all-out on the security forces. I guess some people just don't know the meaning of stealth.

Deciding that it was probably unwise to step out into the heat of things, she made her way towards a vertical part of the ventilation system which connected to the floor above. Using her knees and elbows for support, she quickly pushed herself up to the balcony floor. Crawling around a bit more, she reached the air vent grille and silently removed it, stepping outside with the elegance of a feline.

She reached the edge of the balcony just as the man began to make his way towards the cylindrical chamber which held her quarry. Taking a quick glance at all the bloodshed around them, she quickly pulled out one of her pistols and aimed it right at the back of the man's head.

"Step away from the cloaking device."

[Zorolo]

A gun to the back of his head. Well, this was an oddly original scene. This was almost as bad as some corny movie, if not possibly worse since it was actually happening. Then again, people who actually had this kind of thing happen in movies normally weren't skilled at the ability to move beyond normal human limits. For now, however, Monroe stood silently, contemplating his easy escape.

Slowly, the dark clad man lifted his hands and smiled. "Well, you got me. I'm sure I'm just gonna give up and let you have this device," he told this person who sounded female. Come to think of it, that was really the only reason he knew that this person wasn't one of the scientists or a guard. She was, distinctly, female. Judging from her voice, the bounty hunter didn't take too many guesses. He knew what she was here for, and that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Another distinctly woman thing to do.

"Now then, if you don't mind, I want to see this thing," Monroe stated as his body became nothing but a blur. A loud buzzing noise, followed by several loud, searing sounds emitted as well, filling the room with noise as a hand rested on the woman's shoulder. From this view, he could tell a few things: she was younger then him possibly, for one, and two she had a nice can.

Only given a second to stare as the massive, metal shell finally began to react to being cut by the photon sword, which Monroe rested in his left hand, ready to act if she struck back. As the container opened, Monroe saw nothing in their. "We've been tricked!" he noted as an elevator seemed to sound as if moving towards them. It almost seemed to come from inside the canister that had just been cut open.

"****!" the dark clad man muttered as he let the girl's shoulder go and began to move. "We'd better get out of here. We're about to trapped," he muttered, now hearing the sound of marching. This wouldn't be good soon.

[Andurhil/Cookie]

She almost gasped when she felt his hand on her shoulder. In the blink of an eye, he had moved from the side of the metal canister to right next to her. Looking at him from the corner of her eye, she slowly lowered her weapon. The man held what appeared to be a beam sword at an angle, presumably for defense. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she realised he was tactlessly checking her out.

Before she had a chance to react however, both their attentions suddenly shifted back to the cylinder as it split in half. To her complete surprise though, it was completely empty.

Dammit! I've been set up.

"We've been tricked!" the guy next to her shouted..

"Yeah, no ****, Sherlock," she thought to herself, rolling her eyes. A buzzing noise had began to issue seemingly from beneath the canister, steadily getting louder. The guy swore and muttered something getting away. Tanya was about to make a move of him, but he pulled away before she could do anything. She decided she'd deal with him later, right now she'd just focus on staying alive.

Her mind raced as she examined her options, and being pinned behind the firing squad that was no doubt headed towards them was not one of them. And all because of this criminal who had blundered in like a complete *******, killing civilians indiscriminately and causing this bloody massacre all around them.

There was no time. The buzzing suddenly stopped, and panels slid down along the sides of the walls of the floor beneath them, dozens of guards swarming into the room. On the sides of the floor they were on, stairwells opened up at the corners of the balcony and even more guards rushed in.

****...

She slowly lowered her guns and raised her hands in the air, hoping her "partner" wouldn't do anything stupid and get her killed.

[Zorolo]

Monroe looked around and moved his hand towards his EMSG, but stopped. There were too many of them. The hail of bullets would fry the shield before he had a chance to kill them all. That was an annoying fact, but Monroe had to acknowledge that, for once, he was beat. The bounty hunter rested his hand on the hilt of his sword and removed it, tossing the blade on the ground. Almost immediately after, he tossed his revolver down as well. Still, the mercenary refused to raise his arms. Defeat wasn't something he accepted easily.

The guards flooded around them and quickly bound their hands, walking the two off. Shrouds were pulled over the captives heads as they were walked off towards what one could only assume to be their own painful, but hopefully short, death. Still, that wasn't, by any means, Monroe's goal in this. No, instead, the enhanced human had something he wanted to find out first. A sudden, forceful blow to the back of his head caused consciousness to fade. Still, he knew where his final destination was.

o=)--------- ??? ---------(=o

The veil was removed from over the dark clad man's eyes. The first sound he heard was the gentle sound of a rag being used to clean some kind of metal. A bright light at first, one from the eyes readjusting to the return of light, and then the forming of where they were. All in all, a very plush interior room that had all kinds of minute things placed about. A loud fire roared to the right of Monroe. The mantle atop the fireplace held a sheathed, ceremonial saber on it. Someone's family had once been in some form of military.

"It's been a long time, Monroe," a voice reached his ears, causing the dark clad man's head to jerk suddenly. His eyes met the sight of a man with short, blonde hair cleaning a dagger or knife of some kind. The man was massively muscular, wearing a standard combat outfit for the Green Berets, it seemed. "How long has it been since you fled our loving house and became a fugitive?" the man asked, sliding the rag into one of the many pockets on his outfit and looked at the nearly foot long blade of his knife.

"It's been nearly three months since I left, Commander," Monroe said, adding an extremely harsh tone at the last word. As long as Monroe had known the blonde man, he had only ever been called Commander. Anyone that knew his real name, it was said, was either dead or dying. "Still, what business is it of yours?" the fighter asked, looking angrily at the man.

"We were all quite sad when you left. After all, aside from me, the prototype, you're the only other Enhanced Human with free will. You're what cost the others theirs," the Commander stated as he slid his knife into a sheathe at his side.

"Lovely, now what do you want?!" Monroe asked, trying to stand up, but being pushed back down by the guards behind him.

"I'll answer that," a man said as he spun his plush chair around and smiled. "After all, I am the owner of this company," he said with a smile. The man had short brown hair and looked very wealthy simply by the clothes he wore. Not a bit of wear anywhere on them. "We were luring you in, however, it seems that we have another trespasser that we weren't so luring. I suppose something must have leaked to the feds. Well, it doesn't matter. We're just going to extract what information we can use from you, and then kill you. The girl... she'll be used for other measures, but her fate is the same as yours, ultimately. Good day," the man said as he waved off the guards.

Another strong blow to the back of the head. Then darkness.

[Andurhil/Cookie]

Darkness. The shroud over her face blocked out any and all view as she was led off. She knew that they wouldn't try to kill her just yet, they'd want to find out who she was and who sent her. Not that she was going to tell them anything. She'd just bide her time until she had a chance to escape, then continue her mission. A swift impact to the back of her head, however, quickly knocked her out.

****

Her eyes slowly blinked open as her vision returned, blurry at first but quickly sharpening. She was in what appeared to be a small office. Shifting her arms slightly, she realised her hands were still tightly bound behind her back with plastic straps, impossible to escape from. Behind the desk right across from her there sat a woman with bleached blonde hair tied up into a bun, wearing a dark grey business jacket and a matching skirt. Glancing behind her, she saw two armed guards at either side of the door that led into the office.

"Ah good, you're awake," said the woman with a smile, drawing Tanya's attention back to her. "I'm terribly sorry about the harsh treatment -- but our security supervisor is very adamant about sticking to security protocol."

The spy didn't reply and instead looked herself over. Her suit was unzipped almost down to her belt, and her mp3 player was nowhere in sight. They probably opened it to check for hidden weapons or devices, and they might have felt around a bit too, she thought bitterly. Her backpack was gone, so was her katana and knife -- she was completely unarmed.

After Tanya failed to reply for a few moments, the woman rose to her feet and began to slowly make her way towards the spy. She had noticed the way Tanya had taken in her situation, especially the look down her unzipped suit.

"I assure you that they had nothing to do with that -- I myself took care of it. It was just a security check, really."

She walked over to the front of the desk and sat on it, legs kept firmly locked together. "All we need to know is who you are and why you are here. That's all, and then we can let you go. There is no reason for us to believe you have killed any of our personnel -- we know that your "companion" was the culprit."

Tanya locked eyes with her, not staring, but gazing rather nonchalantly at her. The woman was clearly waiting for a response from the spy, but as the seconds slowly ticked away, there was not so much as a change in expression on the red-head's features.

The woman slid off the desk and walked right over to where Tanya was seated. "You know... we can't help you if you don't help us..." She placed a hand on each side of Tanya's chair and leaned in closer to her. "All you have to do is tell us a few simple things and all this will be over," she added giving her a reassuring smile.

The spy looked at the woman for a few moments, then sprung up in one fluid, sudden movement and slammed her forehead against the woman's nose. She cried out in pain and reeled back, falling against the desk and clutching her nose which begun to bleed profusely, her eyes watering.

"You little... *****!" she bellowed, and the guards were immediately at Tanya's side, one of them pressing her down into the chair and the other getting ready to slam the butt of his SMG against the back of her head.

"Wait!" she commanded harshly, her lips curled up into a snarl as she strutted back towards Tanya, fiercely undoing her hair as she walked. Reaching the spy, she raised a hand and slapped her accross the cheek hard. Tanya's head jerked off to the side, and as she turned to face the woman again, she tasted blood. Before the woman could pull away, Tanya spat blood right at her face.

She growled and gestured to the two guards. "Take her away!" she snarled. "If she doesn't play along the easy way, I guess we'll just have to break her. By any means necessary. I'm pretty sure the Commander can have some fun with her and break her spirit." She leaned in closer and whispered into her ear. "By the time he's done with you... you'll wish he'd killed you instead..."

At that, the woman pulled away, and the butt of the weapon finally connected with the back of her head, knocking her out once more. The next thing she felt was the damp floor of the 2x3 cell they had tossed her into.