The sounds of trade, legal and otherwise, drifted off Victoria Harbor and into the maze of warehouses and processing facilities that lined the water's edge despite the late hour. The lights of the Hong Kong reflected off a pair of lenses as they focused on a particular warehouse. From atop the roof of a nearby building they tracked the movements of several figures patrolling the fenced area in front of the warehouse's entrance. Those closer to the building and sitting underneath the lights had their hands on suspicious bulges beneath their heavy winter jackets, while those in the shadows carried their sub-machine guns openly.
After several repeated patrols the binoculars were lowered and placed back into a nearby duffel bag. It's owner picked up the porcelain mask lying next to the bag, painted to look like a fox, and quickly put it on before getting to her feat. She leaned down and rustled through her bag for a few seconds before pulling out a large crossbow and a coil of cable that she lay at her feet.
The masked woman drew in a deep breath and sighted along the crossbow bolt, aligning with her target before pulling the trigger. There was a soft twang as the tension was discharged, followed by an all but inaudible hiss as the bolt traveled through the air before embedding itself in the brick wall of the warehouse.
She quickly tied the other end of the cable around a nearby air vent before slinging the duffel bag over her shoulder. Grabbing the crossbow and holding it over the cable, she leapt from the roof and zipped along the cable and across the dark street below.
Reaching the warehouse, the masked woman planted her feet against the wall and flipped off of it, spinning in the air a couple times before planting both feet solidly onto the head of one of the men patrolling the yard. He didn't even have enough time to be surprised as he crumpled under the sudden impact and had his head driven into the ground.
Bouncing off her victim and moving further into the shadows, the masked woman dropped into a head swivelled from side to side as she tracked her targets. She turned in place, sliding one foot just above the ground, as she pulled back the string on her crossbow. Pale liquid sloshed in it's container as another bolt slid into place and the wire of the crossbow was drawn back in one smooth movement. Another twang and hiss was followed by a muffled grunt as another man dropped to the ground.
Two more guards followed their fellows into unconsciousness in the cool night air as those that remained began to look nervous, fidgeting and fingering their guns while their eyes darted from shadow to shadow, searching for the person responsible for their friends' disappearances.
It didn't help them at all when the lights above their heads suddenly shattered, dowsing the area in darkness. One of the guards managed to give off a strangled scream before he was dragged around the corner in a sleeper hold. The last three exchanged glances before hastily drawing their own sub-machine guns.
A scream of pain caused them to spin, the muzzle flashes from their weapons discharging offering flickering moments of light, before each source was silenced until one remained.
The last guard stared around with panic filled eyes as he ran for the door. Just as he put a hand on the handle, a soft feminine voice whispered in his ear. "Mistake number one, you turned your back on someone who just took out all your friends. Your second mistake was thinking I'd let you warn everyone else."
The guard had only a moments to try and understand what was being said, as he had only a passing familiarity with English, and then the moment passed and he felt a brief sensation of pain at the base of his neck. Then, nothing but darkness.
The masked woman removed her hand from the guards neck as she lowered his body to the ground, wiping off the syringe on the back of his shirt and slipping it back into its case on her belt, before ripping off his sleeve to reveal the stylized tattoo of a curling monkey in green covering the guard's shoulder.
She let him drop back to the ground as she pulled out a zip-tie and wrapped it around his wrists before doing the same to the other unconscious guards. They were dragged to the edge of the property before the masked woman returned to the building's entrance.
She put her ear to the door and hissed softly. Leaning back, she set her duffel bag on the ground before retrieving a pair of small vials from within. She pressed them one at a time against the thick backs of her gloves, giving them a sharp twist that drained the contents into the gloves' reservoirs. A pleasant chillness began to radiate out from the drains as the vials' contents were distributed by the hidden pipes and mechanisms in the gloves. Once both vials were empty she put them back into the bag and stood up, studying the door with a trained eye.
Suddenly the area was drowned in light as powerful floodlights turned on with an audible buzz. The lithe figure let the hood of her jacket fall back as the light glinted against startling cobalt blue hair. The sounds of muted conversation and the cocking of hammers drifted through the door.
"Well if that's the way you want to play it," she muttered as she dropped into a roll, the space she had occupied filled with a wave of lead. Without breaking stride she rolled back to her feet and kicked in the warehouse's door. Her hands twitched before igniting into pale blue flames. Cupping her hands in front of her face, the masked bluenette waited a moment before tossing the ball of gathered flame through the open door way.
As she dashed inside to take advantage of the panic she'd caused and before any of the guards could get a proper bead on her, the masked woman failed to notice the pair of eyes watching her carefully from across the street.
Her mind was focused solely on the task in front of her. In moments she was on the first of the shocked thugs. It helped that the interior of the warehouse was mostly empty space beyond a darkened manager's office and some large shipping containers. The guard received a knee to the gut, bowing him over before the masked woman rolled over his back and into the midst of the mob.
The second guard was just beginning to get over his disorientation and trying to raise his weapon when the bluenette grabbed his hands with hers. He tried to let out a scream as the flames ate at his flesh, only to be cut off as the masked woman pulled him forward and slammed her head into his chin.
The remaining guards had dropped their pistols and sub-machine guns in exchange for knives, bats, chains and axes. The masked intruder let the unconscious thug collapse as she regarded the others with a disdainful tilt of her head. Behind her mask she scrunched her nose at the smell of cooked meat that filled the air.
With a roar the thugs charged as one. The bluenette flowed around the overextended strike from the closest thug, hammering a trio of blows into his side, before continuing on. The guards were fighting scared, and it showed. Their attacks were hesitant, their every movement unsure, and the woman in the fox mask moved through them with a dancer's grace.
Her leg flickered and one guard dropped to the ground, screaming as he clutched his shattered knee. A second flicker and he fell silent. The flames on her hands subsided as she slapped them against the ears of the next closest guard. The bluenette grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him into the path of an incoming aluminum bat.
As he slumped to the ground she stepped forwards into the bat wielder's reach and grabbed his outstretched arm. Pulling it towards her, she spun on her foot, his chest bumping up against her back and his breath bursting out of his mouth next to his ear as she drove her elbow into his gut. She slammed her head backwards, wincing internally at the loud crack, and grabbed the bat before it could hit the ground.
She turned around to face the last guard, the bat resting against her shoulder, her head cocked and eyeing him the way a hawk might eye a rabbit. He held his knife out in front of him as if it was a sword. The masked woman made a show of setting the bat on the ground before holding out her hand to the guard, curling her fingers to beckon him on.
He charged silently, eyes intent and focused solely on guiding his knife to its target. The bluenette deftly redirected the first strike with a deft tap on his wrist. The guard grinned as a second knife slipped into his free hand. His blade scored a line across her thigh before she could jump back and out of his reach. The guard's grin widened as he held up the bloodstained knife like a trophy.
The two of them stood about a foot from each other, and their eyes met, both dark and heavy with purpose. The guard was still grinning as the masked woman launched a snap kick that collided with his chin and shattered his jaw. The warehouse echoed with the ring of metal as his knives slipped from his slack fingers and bounced against the concrete floor.
The masked woman left the guards where they lay and walked past the two shipping containers to the warehouse's office. She eyed the room carefully, ignoring the computer and the file cabinet, before settling her gaze on carved jade relief hanging on the wall. The bluenette pulled it away and grinned at the safe that the relief had been hiding.
The masked woman reached into her pocket and pulled out another vial. She carefully emptied its semi-gelatinous contents onto the safe's hinges. Stepping around the corner, she lit up one glove and tossed a small fireball at the safe before taking cover. There was an explosive thump as the compound detonated.
Grinning behind her mask, the intruder gingerly pulled away the smoking door, revealing all of the safe's contents. She reached inside and pulled out a pile of books and cash. She filled her arms with as much as she could carry before heading back towards the warehouse entrance. She carefully stepped around the unconscious guards and kept a cautious eye on the street before stuffing her ill-gotten gains into her duffel bag.
She repeated the trip until the safe was empty. The masked woman stood up and turned to eye the two shipping containers. "Now," she muttered under her breath. "If I was trafficking in people, where would I put them?" She could go through the ledgers she'd grabbed, or she could simply go for the container that was locked and chained shut. "Survey says, behind door number two."
She studied the lock for a few minutes, pulling it and twisting it around, before igniting her gloves. The lock began to heat up and started to glow as she held her hands around it. When the heat became too much for her arms, which weren't as well protected as her hands, she took a step back and doused the flames on her gloves.
With a muffled grunt the masked woman raised her leg and brought her foot down on the glowing lock. The heat stressed metal shattered explosively. A shard of hot metal traced a line across her arm, going through the fabric of her sleeve like it wasn't even there. She hissed in pain but grit her teeth to keep from flinching. The chains were tossed aside as she grabbed the door and hauled it open.
Inside a group of girls, ranging from prepubescent to being just shy of adulthood, huddled together and stared at the bluenette with looks ranging of fear. The girls flinched as the woman took a step towards them. She stopped immediately and held her hands up. She backed out of the container and pushed the door open further, until the girls could see some of the unconscious guards on the floor. The first few who noticed stared with wide eyes before turning to the others. The masked woman watched the warehouse as the girls huddled together in a hushed conversation.
All the while the bluenette was studying them carefully. Her hands clenched tightly as she took in their almost uniform gauntness and the dirt and grime coating them. Her teeth ground against each other as she noted that one of the girls clutched a torn dress that barely covered anything anymore. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to know one of the thugs had decided to help himself to a sample of the goods he was guarding.
Finally the girls seemed to have arrived at a decision as they got to their feet, the stronger among them helping those who could stand on their own. They gestured their thanks to the blue haired woman as they started to move past her. They paused as she held up a hand, their eyes darting between each other and the warehouse exit.
The masked woman shrugged off her hoodie, revealing the bulletproof vest sitting over a sweat-stained tank top, and putting several scars on her arms on full display. A toss of her head made her hair, free of the constraints of the hood, settle in long flowing waves down to the small of her back. She tossed the jacket at the girl with the torn clothes. The girl quickly tossed aside her old clothes as the masked woman averted her eyes.
When the she turned back the girl was staring at her gratefully as she snuggled in the oversized fox masked woman gestured between the torn clothes and the unconscious guards. It took a few minutes before the girl seemed to understand what the bluenette was trying to get across before pointing a trembling hand to the guard who had used the aluminum bat.
The bluenette nodded slowly and waved the girls towards the door, giving the apparent leaders a small map with directions in several different languages on the back side. She watched them until they disappeared around the corner. Now, her part was done. Which meant she should have left immediately, given she achieved all her objectives.
Alone, the masked woman turned back to her handiwork. She stared at the guard the girl had identified as her attacker. Her hands twitched and began to reach towards his neck almost of their own accord. She was inches from closing over his neck when someone cleared their throat and she froze.
"Damn, I know I've got a temper," the bluenette's head whipped around to the door and her gloves ignited on reflex. "But this is something else."
"Durak!" The fox masked woman flinched and one hand moved halfway towards her mouth before she could stop it.
Shego stood in the open door, surveying the devastation with a raised brow. The green and black clad woman stepped almost daintily over the first unconscious guard. Her eyes paused at the sight of the bubbling skin on the first guard's hands before moving to the bluenette's gloves. After a moment they moved upwards, taking in the visible scars and muscles on the fox masked woman's body.
"Well now, the Triad's pesky fox spirit is a Russkie, imagine that." Shego smirked at the bluenette. "You're pretty far from home, ain't ya?"
"I could say the same of you." The masked woman's voice seemed to echo in a way that wasn't due to the warehouse's natural acoustics. "That's a better question. Why are you here?"
"Who, me?" Shego affected an innocent look. "I was just in the neighborhood waiting to do my job when I heard the most interesting rumor. Care to guess what it was about?"
"No, but I imagine you'll tell me anyway."
The humor faded from Shego's eyes as she glared at the bluenette. "You definitely suck the fun out of things like a Russkie."
"I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment." The fox masked woman started to edge her way towards the wall opposite Shego. "So, are you actually going to tell me why you're here, or do we have to play twenty questions first? Because I'm sure these boys' friends would just love to sit down and join us for a chat when they get here. "
"Damn, kitten's got some claws on her." Shego grinned as she pushed off the wall and walked over to stand in the middle of the hall. "Let's have a little talk then. See, I'm looking for certain someone..."