Angel's Fury: Flight of the Angels
Chapter XI
The Fury operative found it novel that the client wanted to meet her in an abandoned church; but more specifically, inside a confessional. Alone and armed, she waited. Arms crossed and feet propped up on the wall precariously balanced on the edge of her chair, she had the perfect view of the hall and door through the crack of the curtains. Her left hand was resting comfortably atop her bandolier of knives. Her right was ready to draw her pistol. Legs were ready to push her out into a roll. Yep, she was ready to roll. Her eyes never wavered from the crack in the curtains. She still found it amusing that they wanted to meet her in such a place. She'll have to remember this.
"It's good to see you've come as agreed."
At least the employer was punctual. "You realize you're asking for something quite underhanded."
She watched as the silhouette of the man shrugged. "The employer wishes for this to be dealt with…quietly."
"That's obvious," the operative deadpanned. "Who's the hit?"
The informant opened what sounded like a briefcase and slipped a manila folder through the bottom of the divider. "Complete intel of everything you need to know: habits, guard rotations, the works."
She picked up the folder and quietly browsed through the documents. It was very thorough. "You realize he's technically not military."
"I could care less," the man stated disinterestedly. "Employer was very specific."
"And what about civilians?"
"Zero casualties?"
The operative raised her eyebrow. "I see." She closed the manila folder and let out a slow breath. She hadn't heard that statement in a long time. "Is there anything else?"
"Just make sure he's dealt with," the man stated. He then slipped something else underneath the crack. "Thought you'd might want something to deal with any…detection." A soft rustling indicated that he had stood up. "We'll expect results."
Her smile shifted into a confident grin and picked up the small device. "Don't worry. I'm the best in the business."
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It was nice to actually be out and about in the sun like this, instead of being on a ship, or in the cockpit of a battlemech. The operative easily navigated her way through the afternoon crowd. Pausing by a small vendor, she offered the old man a pleasant smile as she purchased his fruits and continued on her way. She made a few mental notes over odd things that came and went. This town seemed to be full of immigrants. That had to have been at least the 5th white person she saw in this Arabic community. Other than that she made little contact with the population. Reaching her hotel building, she silently slipped inside and made her way to the elevator. Amusement continued to glimmer within her russet eyes when she reached her floor and exited the elevator. She glanced around. Everything looked cleared. Drawing her key she entered her room.
Hearing the distinctive click of the door latch, Olivia Scarlet finally allowed herself to relax. Discarding the cloak, she unclasped her bag and tossed it in the direction of her desk, and fell face first into the mattress. It had been a few years since she had taken up a mission like this. Almost a decade to be precise. The last time she had taken up this kind of mission was before she had stepped up as 2nd company captain.
She took up this mission when she came across it when sorting missions with Alexandra. Officially it was an Objective Raid. A closer inspection revealed to her as a carefully hidden assassination. She felt guilty when she tricked her goddaughter into letting her take the mission without really reading the paper. However, she was sure that she would've seen through the ruse after a few good reads. She had told her that she'd bring others with her. That had been half a lie. She did take a lance with her, but told them that they were on vacation, and she'd cover everything. When questioned, she merely stated she was conducting the raid on her own. They had attempted to argue. No one argued with one of the students of Alexandra's mother. And thankfully due to the 'sensitivity' of the mission, they would maintain radio silence. Alexandra would be none the wiser.
Renting a shuttle, she headed to this backwater city on her own and set up base camp here within this hotel earlier this morning. She knew that if Alex ever found out she'd be furious. And unless she was as cutthroat as her mother was, she'd most likely cancel the contract, or handle it differently. Her mother would've recognised the necessity of discretion. She was a lot more open with underhanded missions like these: Silence and verbal reports only. She never had the opportunity to teach that to Alexandra. If she had been taught, maybe she would've brought this to Alexandra's attention. Perhaps it was time to tell her about this aspect.
Pushing herself into a sitting position, she decided to double-check her gear, and then get started on the material. Getting off the bed, she knelt before her suitcase in one corner of the room and opened it. It was nothing more than a bag full of clothes. That soon changed when she opened up a hidden compartment to reveal a disassembled sniper rifle. She quickly scanned through the contents, making sure that everything was accounted for and then closed it. She quickly opened up a second compartment with a hidden SMG. Again she gave it a cursory look through and then closed it off. Assured that everything was ready to go, she rummaged through her belongings and brought out her pencil case.
She let stood up and stretched until she felt her back pop. She sighed happily and proceeded to sit down at her desk. As she sat down, she jumped in surprise. She reached into her pocket pulling out a pocket device. She gave it a cursory glance and then tapped a button to clear the message. Settling into her seat, she opened up the dossier and began to read through the extensive report. A fond grin graced her features. "Thorough as ever," she murmured.
When she had finally finished the dossier, she realized she spent nearly 4 hours reading the document. It was one hell of an extensive document. She closed the folder and stood up stretching out the kinks from sitting down for so long. She put the dossier back in her bag and strapped it back on and came to a sudden realization: "I'm hungry," she stated aloud. She grabbed her poncho and headed out the door, locking it behind her as she left.
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Olivia stepped out onto the street scanned the street before her. What was there to eat in this town? And for that matter, where were all the restaurants? She decided to leave it to chance and pulled out a coin and flipped. She caught it and opened her palm: heads. With her course determined she pocketed the coin and turned right. Calmly strolling down the street she'd occasionally glance from side to side, taking in whatever caught her eye. She noticed a few vendors as she passed, but none of them looked really appetising.
It actually was a really nice evening. The breeze was quite pleasant. She couldn't remember the last time she really experienced such a beautiful night like this. The orange glow brought a certain charm to this town, she thought. She just wished she wasn't here on the job so she could really enjoy the view. This would probably be a very nice vacation spot. Maybe after this job, she'd bring Alexandra and Celina here for a couple weeks to relax. She did remember the younger sister mentioning the two of them hardly spent time together anymore. And the more she considered it, the more she liked it. It would also give her a chance to really get reacquainted with the two of them again. She owed it to her friend.
She paused in midstride and pulled out her pocket device again. She grinned recognising the number. Pulling the wireless earpiece from its mount, she hooked it onto her ear.
"Hey Richard, long time no talk," she happily greeted. "How are you?" She stepped out from the flow of traffic and leaned against the wall of a building looking into the crowd. "Not bad, not bad," she answered jovially into the phone. She paused to let the person speak. Her eyes landed on a particular venue of interest. Her eyes lit up in surprise and wonder. "Oh wow, really? She's pregnant? Congratulations!" The surprise and joy was evident across her visage.
She pushed off of the wall and rejoined the crowd. "I'm doing well actually. My niece just recently graduated from University, snagged a managerial position almost immediately." She paused for a moment as she navigated out of the crowd to take a good look at the location itself. She nodded to herself; it looked like a respectable bar. "She wouldn't tell me anything. I'm guessing she doesn't want to let me in on what the company is doing just yet. I don't know. I just know that she's happy," she pushed the door open and entered, "but I'm not entirely sure about her sister though. I wish I could do something about it, but I'm really busy most of the time." She moved the mouthpiece away and said to the waitress, "I'll just sit myself down. Thank you."
She released the mouthpiece allow it to rest against her cheek again. "I really wish I could visit, but you know I can't. I hardly even get to see my own nieces for more than a few days." She deftly navigated through the crowd and tried to speak against the overbearing background noise. "I know, and I don't like it, especially since Kigiku passed away." Finally breaking through the crowd, she sat down in a private corner. She sighed heavily in annoyance. "She's closing off from everyone," she explained while giving the crowd a scan. "I really don't know what to do. I'm just hoping I can drag both of them out here. Maybe that'll help her loosen up." She smiled and politely declined another waitress's service. "Listen, I've gotta go, but it really was nice talking to you. I'll give you a call when I get the chance. Please, give your wife my regards and congratulations. Cheers." She removed the earpiece placing it back on its mount, and pocketed the device.
She took off her poncho and placed it down next to her. She leaned back trying getting the best view she could. Now that her attention wasn't divided, she became increasingly aware of the heavy music that blasted through the room. The bass, pounding and pounding, resounded in her chest in tune with the beating of her heart. She watched dispassionately as patrons on the floor danced and swayed in time with the beat; grasping and groping one another; kissing and caressing, not even knowing who they were dancing with. The scent of lust hung heavily in the air that she felt the overbearing feel heavy upon her chest.
Olivia shook her head at the sight before her. It wasn't one of the seedier bars in town. But it had its share of undesirables. Her eyes eventually landed on a nice looking boy who seemed quite nervous, and perhaps a bit lonely. Quietly pushing up off the table, she slowly sauntered towards the bar.
She lightly smiled as her following slowly trailed her. She could feel their eyes on her, watching the gentle sway of her hips, the supple curves of her waist, and the size of her ample bosom. No matter the discretion, it couldn't fool her eyes. Men, and most women, were predictable that way. As she stepped up to the bar flagging down the barkeep, she crossed her arms below her breasts and leaned forward, further accentuating her assets. Their eyes predictably wandered, despite their best attempts not to.
"Barkeep, bottle of Keiths," she called out flashing the barkeep a seductive smile. She reached over and accepted the drink, slowly caressing his hand. The look on his face was priceless. She cracked the bottle open taking a swig of it followed by a contented sigh as the cool liquid quenched her parched throat. She glanced over towards the young man next to her and flashed him a pleasant smile and greeted gently and seductively, "Hey there." Her smile widened watching his flustered reaction.
"Uh…hi," the man sputtered in confusion and surprise. His eyes shifted uncomfortably back and forth.
"How's it going?" she asked taking another swig of her beer. Her eyes glimmered in amusement at the stiff nod. "I think I'll bring my nieces here the next time I come here. I'd think they'd enjoy the weather."
"You…you think so?" the man quietly asked.
Olivia laughed. Boys like him were absolutely predictable. "Although I'd think the younger of the two would enjoy it more," she commented wistfully, taking another swig of her beer. "She always was more outgoing than her sister." She took another swig of her beer as she mulled over something. "You have any young nieces or nephews?"
"No," he answered, drinking his own beer. "Got a kid brother," he muttered quietly.
Olivia hummed, mostly to herself. She opened her mouth to speak again, but based on the way he was nervously looking at her, she decided to drop the matter. She offered him an apologetic smile and decided to back off on her advances. The poor boy looked like he was about to fall apart at the seams. She kept silence and decided to look at the enormous shelf of liquor. She whistled in appreciation at the sheer amount of alcohol the bar stocked. Whoever owned the bar really knew what sorts to carry. Across to her left, she watched as a group of girls huddled with one another, excitedly whisper back and forth giggling. To her right, she watched with great interest as men made poor attempts at picking up a few women. She rolled her eyes. Poor examples of what a gentleman should be. Putting down her empty bottle, she gathered up her poncho and moved to leave. She took hardly a steep when she suddenly tripped and fell onto the boy.
"Oh damn it, I'm so sorry," she exclaimed, backing up away from the boy, panic-stricken.
"No…no it's alright," he mumbled, looking down at his drenched shirt. He offered her a sheepish smile. "Always seem to happen to me, y'know?"
"I'm really sorry," she frantically apologized. "Let me at least pay for your drink, it's the least I can do."
"No, it's alright, really," he weakly assured, his eyes traveling towards something more appealing. "I…I'm used to it…"
"You sure?" she asked, crossing her arms beneath her bosom. "Could I at least pay for your shirt?"
"Miss…please…just….let me be," he sighed.
"If you insist," she sighed. She gave him another apologetic smile. She turned to leave, but paused in midstride, as if a thought suddenly crossed her mind. She turned back to the boy and said, "It's the least I can do." And then she kissed his cheek. She winked coyly at him and then walked away, giggling at the look that had been plastered across his face.
The young man for his part simply sighed and shook his head. He slowly reached up and touched the cheek she had just kissed. That was one hot lady.
Olivia stepped out and rejoined the crowd, blending in with the sea of beige and tan as she pulled her hood up. And as she walked, the grim line of a smirk crawled up upon her seductive visage. All too quickly, the sultry cougar morphed into the merciless huntress, who had triumphantly stalked, hunted, and killed her prey. She wondered how long it would take before he realized it was too late.
"You lose," she whispered. Her eyes bore a light psychotic glint as she grinned.
That had been a refreshing exercise in basic tailing. An exercise that had cost her tail his life. She could still remember all the basic lessons she had been taught in tailing one's target, and he had failed miserably.
"Remember Olivia, the basic rule of blending in is to become your story." A young 15-year-old Olivia nodded understandingly. Going through a final prep, she was preparing for yet another practical test of locating and tailing her target. And overseeing it was her instructor: Kigiku Carter, captain of the 2nd company, and mother of her charges Alexandra and Celina Carter.
The Imperator had docked last week, and Kigiku decided that it was time for another exercise. Today's activity involved the nearby city where her mark was already in the city, unaware of what was about to transpire.
"I understand," she stated. "What's the restriction?"
The older woman merely shrugged her shoulders. "Use your best judgement. I'll see you aboard the Imperator." And somehow, even carrying her 2-year-old Celina, Kigiku donned the look of the menacing commander well. Her hair was dark as the blackness of space, held back in a low ponytail that reached her mid back. Her razor thin eyebrows arched ever so slightly, as her eyes of auburn stared down at her expectantly, demanding nothing but results. Her posture exuded nothing but confidence. Her shoulders set and squared away, she stood tall and proud. Dressed with only a sleeve-less black t-shirt to cover her torso, Olivia could see the edges of a massive and complex tapestry of art peeking out around her shoulders and neck. A former warrior of the Combine, she was the epitome of death incarnate.
And despite the mask of cold indifference that the woman donned, she was the woman whom Olivia called friend, and her saviour.
Nodding, Olivia turned and marched towards the city, and quietly blended into the stream of pedestrians.
She knew who her target was: Tanya Nguyen. Olivia knew that Tanya could already blend in scarily well when she wasn't trying. She understood the reason why Kigiku wanted her to tail Tanya: one day, she just might have to hunt down people of a higher calibre than her.
Walking through the streets, she went over the various adages and phrases she had been taught by Kigiku about being an assassin. Her favourite was this: "Nothing is true; everything's permitted." It may be mired in age, but even to this day it held true for all assassins. She couldn't take what she saw at face value. Everything always had to be considered. And watching it in practical applications always sent a chill up her spine whenever she thought about it.
Like now: as she casually strolled through the street. She was dressed in a simple red-t and cargo shorts. She looked like the average 15-year-old girl wandering the streets window-shopping. But yet hidden underneath this guise was a trained killer, armed with knives, a small pistol, and the knowledge to incapacitate or kill a person in more than a hundred ways. And to the average person, none would ever be the wiser.
She casually scanned the streets, searching for her quarry. At the same time, she browsed the wares for anything of interest. She had the entire day to finish this, and patience was a large part of surveillance. She was never fond of searching her mark, but she knew the importance of it. She had to go through drill after drill after drill to perfect her discipline. And every time she went out to the field, she'd get better and better.
The fact she was taken in and trained in the first place was a blessing unto itself. If she hadn't convinced Kigiku to take her along and train her in whatever she wanted, she'd probably be still on that godforsaken planet either still fighting for her life, or already raped and dead along with every other weakling out there.
Her eyes caught a sudden particular flash of movement in her peripherals. Suppressing base reactions, attributed to many years of training and discipline, she continued on her way along the path. She eventually stopped by a nearby shop and scanned its wares, and glanced to her left.
Wrong target.
She huffed like any child her age, slamming down the book she had been reading back onto the table. She jumped in surprise at her own lapse of discipline. She offered the clerk an apologetic smile. She slowly backed off and faded back into the steady stream of people and resumed her hunt. Looking for Tanya was like the proverbial needle in a haystack. She was just that damn good.
Hardly half-an-hour passed, and she was getting frustrated. She knew she was getting frustrated, and needed to calm down. She slipped out of the massive traffic of people and leaned against a wall. She took a slow and deep breath, feeling the air fill her lungs as her belly slowly expanded. And as she exhaled, it felt as if a portion of her worries and frustrations left her with her breath. She took another and repeated the process, continuing for the next 5 or so minutes. She eventually opened her eyes, feeling renewed and ready to resume her hunt.
"What would she do on a day off," she quietly questioned herself. To tail a survey a particular target, learn the habits and quirks of the mark. Knowing what they did, who they hung out with, what their timetables were like, it was a necessity to facilitate surveillance.
And then it hit her. "She likes music." And it was with renewed vigour that she pushed off the wall, and dived into back into the mass, questioning and searching for the location of any and all possible locations. Never asking in a given area more than once, she jumped from area to area, like a ping-pong ball on the court, asking around narrowing down her search until she was sure she had all the locations. Her questions eventually led her to a conclusion: only one place sold music.
Even with her desire to find her prey, the asset needed to stay calm. Memories of being told to stay calm at all times rung in her mind. It took all her willpower to not suddenly rush straight to the music store where she was sure Tanya would spend hours just browsing through music, listening to samples for whatever caught her interest. Olivia could already see it: the look of amusement as she scanned the selection; the gentle bobbing of her head to the beat of whatever she was listening to; the wide grin as she chatted with other fellow music enthusiasts. She was also probably wearing her hair in its usual off-center ponytail.
Her efforts finally paid off when she entered the store. And Tanya did exactly what she predicted: chatting with a fellow music enthusiast with gusto. Her rust-coloured hair was definitely in her signature style. Olivia didn't share Tanya's infinite passion of music, but she had her fair share of it. She browsed through the aisle before coming across a particular genre of music that caught her eye. She glanced down at her watch before deciding to take a look through the selection. Occasionally, she'd glanced up through her peripheral vision, keeping track of her mark.
She lightly quirked an eyebrow catching the subtle signs that Tanya suddenly became aware of something. Olivia watched her politely excuse herself and walked towards the exit. She silently cursed herself for being so careless. The mark was now aware of her presence, and started to implement counter-surveillance techniques. Her mind worked as it tried to put together a strategy. She needed to keep track of her target for as long as possible. She glanced at her watch and took note of the time. She'd wait for a few minutes and then she'd follow her out. Unfortunately, she'd have to reacquire the target first, without being caught.
"Just my luck," she muttered under her breath. While passing the time, she mulled over what she needed to do, and how to avoid being spotted. She'd definitely need to make sure her cover story stay. And then a thought hit her. "I wonder if that would work…" It was a gamble, but if it worked, the payout would be well in her favour. She eventually put down the wares she was browsing and headed out. She glanced down at the dirt. There were footprints. Tanya's footprints. She recognised those boot prints anywhere.
"Not bad," she muttered and followed after them. She found her once; she was confident she'd find her again. She eventually rejoined the crowd and allowed the current to pull her along. Her eyes surveyed back and forth across the street, catching sight of a number of various shop and stalls that would piqué her attention from time to time. Her stride was easy, and casual. Something in her gut told her that Tanya would be in this direction.
Her eye glanced towards her left catching wisps of red. She slowly drifted towards the sighting, and glanced towards the left side of the row of stalls. She headed towards one that looked 'promising'. Eying the wares and observed through her peripheral vision. Her expression was cool and relaxed, but it was as she feared. Tanya was starting to employ counter-surveillance techniques. And at this point her best defence was to keep her cover.
She visibly looked up in Tanya's general direction, and then looked down, only to suddenly look up in sudden realization. "Hey Tanya, is that you?" she called out, abandoning the kiosk in favour of saying hello to her friend.
Said friend muttered, "Hey," while casually staring off into the steady crowd. She was definitely on edge, and the sudden appearance of a friend only concerned her more.
Olivia's expression turned concerned. "You alright?"
"Not sure," she murmured distractedly. "C'mon, not here." Tanya led them into a nearby bar, taking refuge in the farthest corner from prying eyes, and away from hidden ears. And despite how relaxed she looked as she leaned back against the seat, Olivia could tell there was something bothering the senior assassin quite a bit.
"I think I'm being followed," she bluntly stated.
"What?" she exclaimed in complete surprise.
Tanya gave her a stern look, but said nothing else regarding her outburst. "I'm concerned that someone may be after me. Call me paranoid, but considering the line of business we're in, I'm not taking any chances." Her expression was calm and collected. There was even a hint of a smile plastered across.
"That's fair enough," Olivia slowly agreed. "But who do you think would be following you?"
"Not sure," she admitted with a reluctant sigh. "It could be any of my previous marks. Or possibly someone who just has an interest in having members of our company dead. This does have me concerned though."
"What do you recommend then?"
"Go about the day until the tail leaves," she instructed quietly. She smiled at the waitress who gave them menus. Picking it up she began to read through it. "If the tail is smart, the person will break contact to maintain anonymity. If it's a rookie, we'll just lure him or her in, take out the target, and then interrogate. And if necessary, terminate the target afterwards."
"Sounds like a plan," the young charge agreed. While she lacked field experience compared to Tanya, she had been out on her share of missions with Kigiku and other operatives, assisting them on an as-needed basis. Her life before meeting the Angel's Fury had well prepared her for the training that Kigiku had given her over the past 3 years.
"For now, get something to eat," Tanya stated. "It's best that we go about this on a full stomach. No use in trying to shake a tail if we're hungry."
"I don't know…remember the one time Anthony had to go through that one fight on an empty stomach?" Olivia pointed out, remembering a particularly humorous combat encounter.
Tanya snorted at the memory. "That idiot can do just about anything at the promise of food," she muttered under her breath. "Besides, that's nothing compared to now. At least in a battlemech, you can usually tell that you're being followed."
"Hypocrite," the redhead calmly stated. "You managed to pull that shit off with your freaken Hermes! I mean with that ECM Nadia fixed up and MASC, you could probably trail someone for quite a while, and then hightail it out of there without being noticed!"
At least Tanya had the decency to blush as she looked away. "Okay…you have a point there…"
The younger girl smirked victoriously. She waved down the waitress and ordered a couple shots of tequila. She received a look of surprise that demanded to know what she was doing. "Not like a shot will do anything, especially after we eat," the girl reasoned with a shrug. "I'm not that crazy for crying out loud!" Nor was she stupid. But she needed something to help with the uneasiness she was feeling. Her mark was right in front of her, and she couldn't tell if Tanya was on to her not. But either way, she needed to play it cool and just carry on with her day. This was a test of her ability to maintain her cover, and not break it.
They passed the next half-hour talking and eating lunch. All the while they kept their wits about them, albeit for two different reasons. They tried their best to enjoy their lunch. It wasn't overly too hard though, and they were able to enjoy their meals without much of a hitch. They eventually paid their bills, and stepped outside of the bar.
Tanya took a moment to observe her surroundings. "Hmm…seems that the tail has disappeared for now. Let's head back to the ship and report back to the captain. She'll want to know about this."
"Agreed," Olivia replied back. She glanced down at her watch to take note of what time it was before catching up with Tanya.
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In no time at all the two of them reported back to the Imperator, and headed straight for Kigiku's office, where she was nestled comfortably on her office couch, watching 7-year-old Alexandra happily play some game with the young Celina. It suddenly hit Olivia that Celina was turning three in a couple of weeks. She needed to remember to buy the young toddler something for the occasion.
Tanya politely cleared her throat catching the older woman's attention. "May we have a moment?" Her answer was by an indication to sit down. She eyed the children warily, but the matter was waved off dismissively. Clearly she had no issues with her children listening on something like this.
The elder of the two assassins sat down and faced the captain. "I…I think that someone may be trying to follow me, and possibly assassinate me."
Kigiku raised an eyebrow. "Approximate time, and how long?"
"Approximately 1030 to 1100. Wasn't able to established LOS. Encountered Scarlet and took refuge in a nearby bar. Stayed for approximately one hour before reporting." The Hermes pilot's tone of voice was crisp and formal.
Captain Carter nodded her head, and then looked to Olivia. "Report."
"Established LOS at 1030," the red-head reported, using the format and jargon all members were taught. "LOS lost 1035, re-established 1100. Contact was established, ID remained concealed. Been in contact ever since."
"Wait…what?" Tanya suddenly exclaimed, looking back and forth between Olivia and Kigiku, as understanding began to dawn on her. "You don't mean…you're not saying that-"
"Tanya my friend," Kigiku sighed leaning back into her seat. Her expression was best described as, 'deeply amused,' "that was your tail."
"Damn…a tailing exercise," Tanya sighed and slummed back into her chair. "A freaken tailing exercise…oh man," she groaned and placed her hands on her face. "And I fell for it hook, line, and sinker." Her voice was muffled by her hands, but the mortification was evident. "Oh man…that's embarrassing…I should've realized it when the feeling disappeared…oh god damn it…"
"Sometimes…our worst enemies can be our friends," Kigiku sagely stated. Her grin widened when she glanced over to see Alexandra and Celina watching the meeting going on in deep interest. "I will never do that to you, but beware when you're out on a mission. One minute they're you're ally, the next their knife is in your heart. Be very careful with your cover, and look underneath everything. And remember," she looked at the two of them with the utmost seriousness.
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"Nothing is true, everything is permitted," she muttered as she slit her captive's throat. She pushed his flailing carcass aside and let him very quickly bleed out. Whoever the hell was after her knew what they were doing, but they were either very dumb to send rookies after her, or were very intelligent. She grinned as she winded her way through the alleys. The odds were clearly against her, and her mark was most likely aware of her presence. It was just like old times.
She travelled back to her room, and headed straight for the balcony where it offered her the best view of the city. Ahead, over the rest of the city roof, she could see a large installation. The mark was in there. She actually considered trying to take a shot here, but she wasn't sure where he was. It would be so much easier to just blow the place up. But not only would that risk civilian casualties, she wasn't a demo expert. But she knew someone who had been.
She unclasped her binoculars from her belt and looked through to get a better look at the base. She felt an eyebrow quirk.
"He's baiting me," she muttered. Across the way, she could clearly see the mark standing along the massive steel wall that overlooked much of the city. He appeared to be talking to someone, but from his stance, she had a feeling he was just waiting for someone to take a shot at him. She scanned the perimeter of the base, and noticed to her chagrin various sensor equipments. There was no way she'd be able to kill him, even at this distance. He was most definitely prepared for this. The fact that her room was bugged, being tailed, and the mark was standing out in the open like that, all pointed out that the mission was compromised from the beginning. She smiled in amusement.
"You really know how to set it up Nadia," she whispered. She turned around and walked back into the room. "I guess we're even now," Olivia calmly stated and closed the window doors.