Chapter 25
Black Ops

Early the next morning before Kim left to meet up with Section 9 she saw Jared sitting in the living room holding a rather large SMG.

Kim: Jared what you doing up?

Jared: To give you this... the Ninjai. It fires .50 cal APIE rounds that can punch through elemental armor at medium range, you have a multi-spectral 2x/10x/50x scope, and with the built in silencer even on it's full auto it makes minimal sound. If you're going to do this I want you to be armed with the best I only wish I could make it lighter though.

She took the bull pup submachine gun into her hands, looked down the scope and flipped thought the different vision modes. The room was dimly lit by the first rays of sunlight lighting the room just enough so Kim could make out the thin outline of a smile on Jared's face the same smile that father showing of his new born child would have.

Kim: Thank you really Jared thank you.

Jared: ...you better get going I'll see you in what in 24... 48 hours or so?

Kim: Yeah 48 hours, bye.

Jared walked out side and watched a government car pick Kim up and drive off into the sunrise.

Kim please be careful I fear that you don't understand what you are getting into.

He returned to his room and got ready for that days round of press conferences.

Inside the car...

Kim sat quietly reading the briefing that was handed to her by the driver.

The primary objective of this mission is intelligence gathering on the whereabouts on former archon Katrina Steiner, known and unknown terrorist cells whereabouts and any other valuable info. Lethal force is highly discouraged and should be turned to as a last resort.

Mission Notes:
You will infiltrate the orphanage compound through a sewer entrance about 5 miles north of the actual compound at 0000 tonight where you will come out of a access point on the north side of the building near a rear door, once you have reached there you are on your own. No confirmation on air, ground, and mech support so if you need help call the cops but don't expect much help from them.

Extraction: If detected then proceed to use entrance as your exit if possible. If entrance is in someway blocked then through any means go to the Section 9 safe house codenamed Molotov once there if no tails are seen proceed to your home and await a debriefing the following day.

We expect that this mission will only be a few hours but if you don't show up with in a day we will send Hybris on a smash and grab rescue mission.

Kim I realize that I haven't given you much to work off of but it's all we have on the place. Should you see the administrator DO NOT attack unless you are attacked first! I wish you luck.
Victor

It was going to be risky going in with so little info but it couldn't be helped. The car soon stopped in front of the section 9 safe house that was codenamed Molotov there she waited until about a hour before the mission was to start. The agents at the house had issued her the standard Ninja suit and NVG's but otherwise she was going in light only bringing a wrist mounted computer to download any files on Katrina's whereabouts and anything else that might be useful, her combat knifes, brass knuckles, twin .45 cal pistols with five 10 round clips each, and top it off her Ninjai with 10 extra clips plus the one already loaded. Kim left and entered the sewer at exactly midnight as planned beginning her 5 mile trek through waist deep shit filled water towards the orphanage.

Jared meanwhile cracked open another bottle of coke just then. His mind was on the Ninjai and more importantly Kim's mission, he hoped that the gun despite being practically untested would work if needed.

If needed...damn it my gut is still telling me that something is wrong with this mission. Kim watch yourself please.

He looked out patio door at the Solaris night skyline.

Jared: A disturbance is coming.

Kim finally reached the manhole that lead up to the backyard of the orphanage.

Kim: I wish I had a wire cam with me.

If she had the wire cam she could have stuck the thin wire mounted camera through a hole and check to see if the coast is clear but instead she had to slowly lift the cover and check manually. All she could see was a lit bare light bulb hanging from a wall fixture and the outline of a small swing set otherwise everything else covered in darkness.

No one home and no cameras this not what I was expecting.

Creeping out of the manhole and replacing the cover she checked area again for any signs of someone else hiding in the darkness. She tried opening the door and found it to be locked but it was easily bypassed by sliding her knife blade between the door frame and the bolt then sliding open the door.

This is too easy.

Little did Kim know a small hidden camera in the door frame recorded her entry.

Operator: Sir we have an intruder it's as you expected sir it's the girl.

Administrator: Good lets see where she goes then gas her.

Operator: Should I ready the tart guns as well?

Administrator: Hmmm... Yes just in case if she figures away out of the gas room.

The man looked back on the monitors showing the girl making a dash to his office.

She is easier on the eyes now then what they are on the TV, maybe the Archon will let me keep her afterwards?

Kim finally reached what seemed to be the administrator's office, silently she started his computer up and plugged in a cable to a port in the front of the system and started poking around the files.
She came upon a folder named "Carlson Files" even before opening it she knew it had to have something from Jared's past possibly something they could use against the administrator. She wished that she hadn't opened it...

Oh my god this sicko actually recorded very thing!

Kim finished gathering files on everything she could find from finances to the movement of people in the orphanage.
After shutting down the computer she rummaged through the desk and found more paperwork mostly bank statements but on thing that stuck out was a message from Katrina Steiner herself.

To: Administrator
From: Archon

FLASH MESSAGE ACCESS CODE... 5XY58YJ89 BURNING WATCHTOWER.

Trojan man reports that Solaris based Section 7 agents on our payroll have confirmed that Sub-Target Athena has been chosen to infiltrate the Cradle expect immediate contact. If possible capture and interrogate on whereabouts of Hybris. Once this is done capture Hybris and interrogate him when done eliminate them but be sure to record their deaths and leak it out to the media.

Make sure it's a bloody death.

END MESSAGE

Kim's heart was racing now she had to get out of there fast and report her finds. Placing everything back as she found it she walked quietly towards the door that's when all hell broke lose.
Alarms began to ring all around her as Kim bolted towards her exit but a steel security door had closed and blocked her way out. To make matters worse some sort of knockout gas was being pumped into the room that was making her lose focus, bringing her weapon up she let lose almost a whole clip into the door lock letting it open freely.
Kim turned out of the office and retraced her steps down the hall towards the back door when out of two rooms she hadn't seen on her way in four full suited elementals came out firing their support class machine guns at random, she dove to the ground and took out three of the four with what was left in the clip but the remaining elemental managed to duck behind his now dead comrade and use him for a shield. The gas was now really getting to her as she shook her head to clear it a bit before loading a clip, pulling back on the bolt and loading a round to the chamber, Kim then leveling the sights on the vision silt of the now charging elemental. It only took only one round to take him out and clear the way out.

Almost there! Almost there! Almost there!

She was about to open the door when it seemingly exploded open to reveal a dual clawed Gnome walking in.

Gnome: Leaving so soon?

Kim tried to raise her gun but the gas that was being pumped into the hall had sapped the last of her strength as she fell to her knees. The final blow came from 5 large tarts hitting the back of her neck. The world started to become blurred as she fought the sedatives until finally she went black.

Administrator: This is going to be fun...

Back at the apartment Jared snapped up from his corner like he had been hit with a PPC round, he looked into the darkness of the room saw nothing but his untouched bed, his workbench littered with parts for the Ninjai, and his crate. Outside the street was unusually quiet aside from the road crews putting the finishing touches on the patch in the road.

Yet why do I feel like something has happened?

He now knew what had awakened him... his gut, He remembered one of the first lessons his father taught him.

Jared: When in doubt follow your gut.

Kim was due to come back in less then 24 hours if she didn't come back by then he'll call up the section 9 colonel and shake the tree and hope that he can find his friend before the first heavy match in a few days.

Next Chapter

A Night in Hybris's Hell