Hello and happy 2021, dear readers. I realize I haven't been as present as I'd like to in the previous year, and my future career has had a lot to do with that. I've been working in a research lab focusing on brain chemistry, which has unfortunately taken up a lot of my time as an undergrad. However, I've recently found some time to start writing again, and so I worked up the nerve to sit down and write this chapter.

To tell you guys the truth though, I haven't actually played GTA Online in a long while. I mean, I remember Deliver EMP - I remember the pain, the suffering, the teeth-grinding agony that was playing this mission with randoms, but...really not much else beyond that. That being said, just don't expect either this chapter or the one following this to be perfect recreations, as certain details are just really fuzzy to me by now (I did watch some YouTube videos to get a feel for the lab's layout though).

I also realize this story has never followed the online story exactly, but expect the narrative to depart pretty hard in the following chapters, which should mirror Rockstar's own releases - by being released infrequently and with amateurish quality control.

With all that being said, I hope this new year is rich and fulfilling for each and every one of you. So sit back, grab some popcorn, grab some Twisted Tea, and enjoy this chapter. :)


Droplets splashed around Alexia as her limbs broke the surface of the water, propelling her forward with a series of freestyle strokes. Turning her head with every other stroke and taking breaths as she surfaced, she made slow progress toward the diving board, upon which Elena sat fully-clothed while watching her progress.

Grabbing onto Elena's pants leg, Alexia panted with exhaustion, pool water sliding down her face as she floated in the deep end.

"Whew...How was that?"

"Better, but your form is still off. Do three more laps, and this time don't turn your head forward so much."

"Aw come on, man," she said breathlessly. "I've been at this for, like, two hours."

"The Merryweather guards shooting at us won't care how tired you are," Elena growled. "Three more laps."

Knowing it was no use arguing with Elena, Alexia took a moment to catch her breath before propelling herself forward once again.

For most of the morning, Jess had been instructing Alexia on freestyle swimming and increasing her lung capacity, to the point where she could now retrieve several sinkers from the bottom of the pool without a rebreather. Alexia knew that if her team wanted to outrun the Merryweather guards, she would have to become a relatively-strong swimmer in the span of only a couple of days, necessitating the rigorous training she was undergoing. At some point, Elena had shown up and offered to help with the lessons, eventually taking over completely so that Jess could take a break.

As she kicked and clawed her way forward, Alexia tried to imagine herself inside the Merryweather facility, clenching her eyes shut to help envision the dark discharge tunnels she was to be swimming through. Following proper technique, she turned her head every other stroke so she could take a breath, then slowly exhaled the air once her face was back underwater. The only problem with this was the sunny San Andreas morning reflecting white light off the water and into her face, which did little to help her immersion.

This weather presented no problem to Jess, who sat lying in a patio chair in her bikini to sunbathe. Looking up from a magazine she was reading, Jess flashed a brief smile as her friend made it to the shallow end.

"Keep it up, Lexi, you're doing awesomely!"

"I'm trying, J."

After touching the edge of the shallow end, Alexia promptly pushed herself off and headed back into deep water towards Elena. Jess watched as her friend propelled herself with increasing ease. She knew that her lessons had been effective and that Alexia, while still a relatively weak swimmer, was progressing fastidiously enough to pull off an escape from Humane Labs.

Returning to the fashion magazine she had been reading, she allowed her smile to disappear and a frustrated grimace to spread. She tried desperately to distract herself from the increasing guilt she felt over keeping Alexia out of recent events, but the thoughts kept returning to spread like a storm cloud over thoughts of how she adored her friend. She knew that it was for Alexia's own good until they had some evidence, but nonetheless, she did not think it was very friend-like of her to keep such a big secret from her, especially considering how open and available Alexia had always been with her.

"Hey! You didn't say there'd be a pool!"

Jess turned to see Noël, whose pink Tailgater was visible beyond the open backyard fence. Removing her sunglasses, Jess greeted the little girl with a smile.

"Oh hey, N, how's it going?"

"Because now I'm faced with a pool that I can't even swim in!" Noël pouted. "And why is Alexia the only one in the water?"

"She's learning to swim, N. Me and E have been teaching her all morning."

"She...didn't know how?" Noël's eyes widened.

"Nope, she's a complete noob at it," Jess giggled. "But I helped her become pro at a lot of shit, so this is just more of the same...Have a seat, N, and sunbathe with me."

Jess moved a set of towels off of the neighboring patio chair, prompting the little girl to sit down. At the other end of the pool, Alexia had completed her first lap.

"So, uh..." Noël shifted uncomfortably, her cast planted on the warm concrete. "How have things been with you, J?"

Jess paused, looking up to the endless mid-morning sky. She wanted to tell Noël about all that she had learned yesterday, about Remus' suspected treachery and the danger the crew was currently in. But of course, she couldn't; like with Alexia, she had to wait until she and Elena had accrued some evidence.

Putting on a happy face, Jess shrugged while leaning back in her chair.

"Ah, y'know. Same as usual, I guess...How 'bout you, N?"

"Well, I just..."

Noël sighed, her hands resting on her knees.

"I try to be a good fighter, right? I think you know that I do. But, like...I just get so mad sometimes and I can't focus, and it's affecting my performance a lot."

"Really?" Jess raised an eyebrow. "I haven't noticed."

"Well, I have!...I mean, thank Christ my driving foot wasn't the one that got shot, but if it was, I'd be about as useful to you guys as a fucking paraplegic! Even if you or Alexia says otherwise, it's still gonna be true, isn't it?"

"I...think you just answered your own question, N," Jess smiled. "You getting shot was out of your control. What matters, though, is that you're still alive, and you're still able to help us out."

Jess flipped over in her chair so that she faced Noël, after which she started pointing to several of her tattoos.

"I mean, why do you think I'm so inked up? Every time I get a new scar, I like to go to the tattoo place and commemorate it. It helps to consolidate the memory, so that I'll never forget where I got the mark from and what mistakes I should avoid in the future."

Noël appeared puzzled as Jess raised her shoulder, displaying a tattoo of a mangy-looking rat chewing on a bleeding heart inked across her left bicep.

"When I first started drinking and partying, I ended up getting into a knife fight with this guy, all because I refused to give him a blowjob...He slashed me pretty good across this spot right here, so I got ink across the scar to commemorate it. The rat's chewing on the heart because he 'ate his heart out' trying to get with me."

"You're...creative, I'll give you that," said Noël. "...So what happened to the guy?"

"Oh, I gutted him in front of the whole bar, then pulled out his intestines and shoved them down his throat."

Jess casually sipped on an ice-cold glass of lemon water beside her chair, all while Noël stared in disbelief. Noticing this, Jess's lips curbed upwards before she burst out laughing.

"Nah, I'm just fucking with ya', my friend Damien stepped in and separated us...'Course, I was a lot younger and angrier then, so I could've done that."

"So...how does any of this relate to me?"

"Because right now, you're pretty much where I was when I was a rookie," Jess shrugged. "I had thoughts too, like: 'maybe I'm not cut out for this job', 'maybe I'll just be a noob forever'. But four years later, and I'm still here. Despite making tons of mistakes, even costly ones, I've managed to learn from them, and now I'm a lieutenant. So, I think you have the potential to do the same. Right, Lexi?"

"Yeah, N, you've got this."

Alexia gave a brief thumbs up while panting for breath, after which she continued her laps.

As the mid-morning sun reflected off of Jess's patio, Noël contemplated Jess's words. Knowing her partner, she was probably not lying about making costly mistakes due to her clumsiness. In fact, she even speculated that her knowing Alexia was the only thing that got her promoted to flight captain. Whatever the line of causation, Jess had still managed to be promoted in spite of her childlike nature and lapses in judgement.

"Well...shit, if even a klutz like you can be put in charge of a squadron of fighter jets, then I guess anyone can."

"That's the spirit, N!" Jess beamed. "And I know you can prove yourself with cars and shit, so maybe the higher-ups will recognize that. Don't worry, no one's a rookie forever if they try hard enough."

Noël nodded, finding this an easy-enough sentiment to agree with. Simultaneously, she noticed a gathering of storm clouds approaching from the south, virtually the only blemish to the cyan sky above.

"Looks like we might have some weather for the job tonight."

"Yeah, I saw," Jess squinted at the sky. "Must be a tropical storm or something...Nothing to worry about, I'm sure."

Seeing that Alexia had finished her third lap, Jess dutifully grabbed a towel and scampered over hot concrete to the deep end, where her friend ascended out of the pool. Noël was able to gather a brief glimpse of Alexia in her swimsuit before she was wrapped in the towel by Jess.

"Whew...Fuck, I'm exhausted."

"Let's get inside then, I'll fix you something to eat...You've earned it, Water Wings."

Jess gently socked Alexia in the shoulder, to which she smiled.

"Well...I couldn't have done it without you and E. Hey thanks, E, for the lessons!"

"Don't mention it, A," said Elena, opening a cigarette pack. "I'm going to have a smoke, I'll meet you inside in a minute."

As Elena lit up her cigarette, Noël stood up from her chair and joined Alexia inside.

"Nice bikini, A," Noël snickered. "Honestly, I never expected to see you in one."

"Yeah well, J bought it for me. She had to convince me pretty hard too."

"It actually wasn't that difficult," Jess shrugged. "All I said was that you looked super cute in it, and you were on board."

"You said that about every one I tried on, J."

"Well, 'cause it's true! I can't help that you're cute as hell, boss, it's out of my control."

Alexia sighed, looking to Noël as they entered Jess's bedroom.

"N, did you remember to bring some black clothes like I suggested?"

"Of course I did," Noël answered, pointing to backpack slung across her tiny shoulders. "C'mon, A, I wouldn't forget something like that."

"I was just making sure, N. I know you're capable and all that, but we just can't afford to screw this up."

"You can use my shower, A, and change clothes," offered Jess. "N, you can help me cook something if you want."

"With you? I..."

Noël started, but paused before she could hurl an insult toward Jess. After all, she could tell that she was trying more to be friendly to her without annoying her, which she supposed should be rewarded with companionship from herself.

"...Sure. I'm game."

She glanced at Alexia, who smiled before finding her clothes on Jess's bed and taking them into the shower. Jess reached into her closet and fetched an oversized T-shirt, which she slipped on over her swimsuit.

"Alright, N, follow me. I'll show you how to cook the meanest Sloppy Joes this side of the Mississippi."

"You're a...girl of many talents, Jess," Noël half-smiled. "I guess we'll see if cooking's one of them."

"Sure it is. Hey, have you seen the movie Kidz Kitchen?"

"Uhh, no, I don't think so."

"Well, check this out."

Once they had ascended the stairs to Jess's living room, she padded over the hardwood floor to a shelf filled with old VHS tapes. Knowing the exact location of the tape within her collection, she withdrew the movie and handed it to Noël, who immediately recognized a curly-haired blonde child on the front cover, wearing an oversized chef hat and smiling as she held a mixer in her tiny hands. She was joined by other children in the background preparing dishes in a professional-looking kitchen.

Jess laughed as memories came flooding back to her.

"Yeah, I was the star in that one. I'm not surprised you haven't seen it though; parents' groups threatened to sue the production company because it shows kids handling knives and shit, so it went straight to VHS. My parents were pissed 'cause it was my first starring film, and they wanted it to be my big breakthrough."

"So, the kids were actually cooking in the movie?"

"Uh-huh. Open flames and everything. One girl had a bunch of her hair burned off, but the studio executives pressured her into keeping quiet. Eh, it was a different time in Vinewood back then. For the rest of filming, they made her wear a wig."

"Shit..." Noël trailed off. "Well, I'm glad you got out of that business, J."

"You and me both, girlfriend," Jess laughed. "I'm gonna go get the ingredients ready, you can look over the rest of the box if you want."

Jess walked over to the kitchen area while Noël flipped the VHS case over. Sure enough, beneath the movie's plot synopsis, the words 'Starring Jessamine Hendrix' were clearly legible, followed by a list of other actors that she didn't recognize. Several promo shots featured young Jess seemingly having fun on the dangerous set, whereas the other children appeared visibly distressed.

Looking over the rest of Jess's film collection, she did not recognize any of the other titles either, most of which were also on VHS tapes. It suddenly occurred to Noël that even though Jess had several starring roles, most of her movies were obscure kids' films, designed to be made and consumed quickly for a cheap profit. If she had stayed in Vinewood instead of turning to crime, Noël wondered if she could have even sustained a career past her childhood. More likely, producers would have cast her aside for new talent once she became too old to be marketable.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Noël turned to see Elena, smelling faintly of nicotine and leather as she joined Noël beside the VHS case.

"Hmm...I did not expect someone as young as J to possess such antiquated technology."

"Yeah. Apparently, she starred in a lot of these as a kid."

Noël handed the VHS case to Elena, whose pupils widened upon recognizing young Jess on the cover. She subsequently turned the box over to confirm her suspicions before looking at adult Jess, who had gathered an armful of ingredients and dumped them on her kitchen counter.

"Hey, once Lexi finishes showering, why don't we watch that movie? I can give you guys some behind-the-scenes commentary, what do you say?"

Noël sighed.

"I...guess we have some time before the job."

"Then let's do it, man!" Jess cheered. "E, you can get the VCR ready. N, help me with these sammiches."

Elena shrugged, spotting Jess's flatscreen television and the VHS player attached to it. Noël visibly resigned herself to cooking with Jess, who unpackaged the ingredients for her sloppy Joes with vigor.


As the Sun receded back into the Pacific, its exit was paralleled by the swift arrival of storm clouds, enveloping the skies above San Andreas in premature blackness. This was soon followed by a supersaturated wind that carried the scent of rain drops inland, which steadily intensified into a deluge of water that pounded the roof of Jess's house.

Upon exiting through the front door, Alexia was forced to brace herself against the wind, her partners doing the same as they walked briskly to Noël's Kuruma. The girls had since changed into stealth attire, their black clothing matching the impenetrable skies above that slapped rain onto the pavement. Alexia recognized this as the first time she had felt even moderately cold temperatures since moving to Los Santos, and that the black cotton top she was wearing did little to protect against the wind and rain.

Once all four girls were inside, Noël cranked the engine, after which her tires squealed against the wet concrete as she floored it north. The girls inside, who all had silenced weapons slung across their backs, buckled in for the long night ride ahead.

"Okay, N, take us to where we left the Insurgents, at the old fish hatchery."

"Alright, boss," Noël sighed. "Hell, if that trainwreck of a movie J showed us could make it past the screenplay, it gives me hope we can accomplish anything."

"Well...The important thing was that you had fun, Jess," Alexia smiled.

"Oh hell yeah, that was the most fun I ever had on set. Mostly 'cause they let me destroy whatever I wanted."

"Yes...The part where you set a buffet table on fire was quite impressive," said Elena.

"I liked when you launched chicken guts at that food critic with the catapult," Alexia giggled.

"Oh yeah, that was real too," Jess nodded. "The director really wanted me to express my destructive side, and...hell, I guess it gave me a taste of my future career blowing things up."

"Well, don't go too crazy with destroying shit, J, or the guards will spot us," said Noël.

"N, we've done a stealth mission before, remember? And that went okay."

"Yeah, until you went full blonde and picked up the guy's smartpad! Don't do dumb shit like that again, okay?"

"Cool it, guys," Alexia interrupted. "J's not gonna fuck this up, none of us are. We keep our cool, move quickly and quietly through the facility, and we should be okay."

"Except for me, you mean," Noël groveled. "With my foot, there's no way I can move stealthily enough."

"Right, so N, you're gonna stay with the Insurgent, make sure no one spots it. Once we've cleared all the guards, drive it into the facility and park it in the garage on the southeast end."

"Hey, it's kinda like my job from the prison break," Jess smiled. "See, N, I told you I'd pick up that slack."

"If I hadn't gotten hurt, I'd still be on the ground with you," argued Noël. "...Besides, I don't care about that anymore. Once my foot heals, I'll get into whatever action A wants me to."

"I appreciate it, N," Alexia nodded. "But don't fuck up your healing, or you'll just be in that cast for longer. Give yourself time to get better, then we'll talk about more action, okay?"

"Okay, boss..."

Noël's eyes narrowed toward the road, illuminated only by her headlights as she traversed through Vinewood Hills before heading north on Senora Road toward Blaine County.

As the car reverted back to silence, huge raindrops crashed down on the car's roof, forcing Noël to activate the wiper blades. Elena leaned back into the passenger seat, observing the rain as it slid down the bulletproof glass.

Jess, who sat next to Alexia, could only notice her friend's face reflected in the brightness of her smartphone as she navigated an Eyefind satellite image of the facility. Seeing her friend so intensely concentrated on the task at hand, Jess could only focus on the burden eating like a corrosive chemical at the walls of her stomach. Sitting right next to Alexia and not being able to tell her about her and Elena's plan was killing her, and yet she had to remain silent for her friend's own benefit.

She feverishly took out her AP pistol and pretended to inspect its components, despite the car being much too dark to see anything. Noticing this, Alexia looked up with visible skepticism.

"Is everything alright with you, Jess?"

"Y-yeah, Lexi, I'm good...Why do you ask?"

"I dunno, you just seem...nervous. You're not normally anxious about missions like this."

"And I'm not this time either," assured Jess while cracking her knuckles. "Say, my phone's nearly dead, can you spare your flashlight for a sec?"

"Uhh, sure."

Alexia handed her phone to Jess, who turned on its built-in flashlight so she could continue inspecting her gun. Meanwhile, Alexia noticed Jess's hands shaking as she held the pistol, which further raised her suspicions. Jess had been acting slightly unusual all day; even during the swimming lessons and the movie earlier, Alexia recalled moments where she had refused to look her in the face, as if it caused her discomfort to meet her friend's eyes. Was this because Jess knew something that she didn't?

Deciding to break the ice, Alexia shifted in her seat.

"So uh, did you settle all your debts with those drug dealers yesterday?"

"Uh-huh, sure did," Jess nodded quickly while adjusting the suppressor on her gun. "They were some guys from the Aztecas, some hillbillies as well. I settled everything though, and it's all cool."

Jess physically relaxed a bit upon telling this story, confident that her friend would believe it.

"We could've gone with you, J, and helped you out," said Noël. "I've heard the Aztecas can be pretty...territorial when it comes to drugs."

"Yeah, but I've dealt with 'em before, N. All you need is a wad of cash and some nice feminine persuasion, and they'll let bygones be bygones. If I thought I needed you guys' help, I would've asked in a heartbeat."

Turning off the flashlight, Jess handed the phone back to Alexia, seeming more confident as she sat up in her seat.

"So yeah, boss, everything's fine. You shouldn't worry about a thing."

Alexia did not speak further, only nodding hesitantly at Jess's attempt at assuring her. Elena remained absentmindedly gazing at the blackness outside her window, fearing that injecting herself into the conversation would lead to Alexia catching onto the fact that something was up.

However, the heist leader was recognizant that something beyond her understanding was occurring and that Jess was hesitant to tell her about it for some reason. Perhaps, she thought, she could get Jess to spit it out during their next swimming lesson tomorrow morning, which was the morning before the raid was to take place.

Noël's car skidded across puddles that had formed on the rain-starved asphalt. However, the experienced street racer at the helm managed to avoid hydroplaning off the road while rocketing down Route 68 towards Grapeseed.

After a long and silent ride through black sheets of rain, the girls finally reached the abandoned fish hatchery, where the Insurgent sat waiting for them. The EMP was clearly visible, emitting a pulsating glow from the vehicle's trunk.

"Shit, is it safe for us to be around that thing?" asked Noël. "It looks like it's emitting radiation or something."

"I'm sure it's fine, N," said Alexia as the car stopped. "Now come on, let's do this thing."

Alexia exited the car, only to be blasted by rain that thwacked onto the desert sand around her. Shielding her head with her jacket, she ran for the Insurgent's rear, her crew members following in succession and entering the vehicle in the same arrangement as they had sat in the Kuruma. The only difference was the EMP in the trunk, which cast an alien-like blue tint into the cabin.

Noël spotted a set of keys hanging from the dash and cranked the engine. Clumps of wet sand rocketed behind the vehicle's tires as it made a U-turn, headed for a ridge of short peaks that demarcated San Andreas' east coast.

The Insurgent sped through the tiny town of Grapeseed, a collection of buildings that flanked McKenzie Field, where J.A.N.E had performed its very first setup mission. Past these lay an almost-untouched wilderness in the San Chianski Mountains, within which was nestled the Humane Labs complex.

After crossing the interstate and a set of railroad tracks, the Insurgent headed south down a solitary paved road that led directly to the facility. Soon enough, the girls were able to see the compound, cast in an orb of white light against the jet-black sky. Even from this distance, they could see guards patrolling the permiter and vehicles entering and exiting.

Alexia took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her Special Carbine in her arms. She knew that one misstep would result in her whole team getting killed or captured, but as leader, she knew it was pertinent she not focus on this. For now, she had to trust not only her team, but also herself to deliver the EMP and get out.

Noël switched off her headlights and parked behind a clump of bushes, concealing the Insurgent from passing vehicles. After she switched off the engine, the air hung heavy inside the vehicle; Alexia, still trying to distract herself from her nerves, felt like she should say something to clear the air as the team put on their ski masks.

"Alright, guys, here we go...Lucky for us, this rain should mask our movements so they don't hear us. The agent's also informed me that his team has disabled the security cameras, so if you see one, don't get spooked."

"I hope so, boss," said Elena.

"Now, our goal is to clear a path to the garage at the southeast end of the complex. Any guards that aren't in our way, we don't have to kill. But the ones that are, we take out quickly and silently. Keep communication on the headsets so we can coordinate our shots...Any questions?"

"Yeah, um, let's just get this outta the way before it becomes an issue," said Jess. "What's the protocol if we do set off an alarm? 'Cause I'm thinking, kill ourselves before we can be captured and tortured."

"What?...J, it's not gonna come to that-"

"Actually, she makes a good point, A," Elena nodded. "If we are captured, they will likely question us on who our employer is, which could spell trouble for the Skulls. And Merryweather's interrogations are known to be quite brutal."

Alexia's eyebrows furrowed now that she had to think about something like this, even though she supposed it was necessary it should be addressed.

"Alright, well I say no. If that were to happen, the Skulls know where we've gone, so they could stage a rescue mission. But we won't need to worry about that 'cause everything's gonna go just fine."

"Okey-dokey, boss," Jess saluted. "I mean, not that I haven't been tortured before, I just...y'know, wanted to be sure."

"No, i-it was a good question, J...Anyone else?"

"Hey, I could always come back with my Kuruma and save your sorry asses," Noël shrugged.

"Well, I'm hoping to save you the trouble and that new paint job, N. Look, don't worry about us, just bring the Insurgent in when we give you the signal."

"Will do, boss," she said flatly.

"Alright then...E and J, let's go."

"Good luck, guys," Jess whispered with a thumbs-up.

Clutching her Special Carbine, Alexia opened the Insurgent's door, only to be smacked with more huge raindrops carried by a howling maritime wind. Jess and Elena followed Alexia in the shadows, out of sight of a guard that they could clearly see manning the entrance. Behind him approached another guard patrolling the inside perimeter.

Alexia gave a hand signal, halting her teammates.

"E, gimme a hand with these two. You take the one on the right."

"Affirmative."

Elena crept beside her boss while Jess kept behind, scanning the facility for other guards that might pop up.

Alexia took a breath before looking briefly to Elena.

"One, two, three."

At this command, the guard in the entrance box fell backwards, dead from a bullet wound to the head. His partner simultaneously slumped to the ground from an identical headshot.

Peering up from her scope, she nodded to her teammates, motioning for them to proceed. Seeing no other guards at the front, the girls made their way past the security checkpoint and the guards they had just killed.

"I don't like these bodies being out in the open," said Alexia. "J and E, see if you can stash them in the guard box. I'll keep lookout for any other guys."

"You got it, A. I'll take the far one over there."

Jess scampered over to the Merryweather guard lying exposed on the concrete and dragged him by his ankles over to the guard box, while Elena positioned the other corpse so that it was concealed.

Keeping watch for her friends, Alexia tried to see through sheets of rain to the other end of the complex, but the garage they were targeting was beyond a corner through a dark section of roadway. She supposed this darkness suited them though, as it meant they could hide further kills much easier.

Cutting through the black veil to the south, Alexia's stomach seized upon seeing a pair of headlights in the distance.

"Shit...J, you-"

"Yeah, I see it," Jess strained while dragging the heavy corpse. "I think I can get him in there in time."

"Alright, you can stay here and keep out of sight. E, let's hide behind the building over there, quick."

Running across the parking lot before the headlights got to them, Alexia and Elena headed toward the shadow of the main building, while Jess finished storing the other dead mercenary in the guard box. Afterwards, Alexia saw her friend crouch down so that she was hidden from view as the Insurgent passed.

Alexia aimed her rifle at the Insurgent just in case, but it passed through without issue, seemingly not questioning why no one was manning the entrance.

The heist leader allowed her gun to drop to her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Simultaneously, she took a moment to survey her surroundings and calculate a good way her team could clear the complex silently. Further down the wall she hid behind was a walkway which fed out into an elevated courtyard. If she could get up there, she reasoned, then she could watch over the road which led to the loading bay with her rifle.

Knowing she had to make a decision, Alexia's eyes narrowed, and she looked at Elena, who stood awaiting orders.

"Alright, I think we should split up...E and J, you guys clear the roadway. I'm gonna approach from the flank and try to get a height advantage. Any of us run into trouble, we rendezvous back here. Got it?"

"Yes, boss," whispered Elena.

"Understood, A," added Jess.

"Perfect...I'll see you guys at the garage."

Brandishing her weapon, Alexia headed up a set of stairs to the courtyard while Elena scrambled to join Jess in clearing the road.

Alexia shuddered as the rain soaked into her clothes. Her ski mask had since dampened and stuck to her face, forcing her to breathe solely through her mouth.

As she ascended the stairs into the courtyard, she kept her Special Carbine pointed in front of her scanning for enemies. Ahead of her were a series of overhead lights, which she knew would draw attention were she to shoot them out. Therefore, she knew she had to move quick so as not to be spotted.

Eventually she saw someone, a man who wore a pair of coveralls and was knelt down beside an electrical box. She was forced to take cover behind a concrete outcropping; the amount of light in the courtyard would allow the man to easily spot her.

"C'mon, you fucking idiot..."

Alexia whispered this to herself, but directed it at the man she knew she would have to kill if he did not move in the next few seconds.

Peeking out from cover, she witnessed the man check his watch, then reach for a pack of cigarettes in his back pocket as he walked off down an adjacent alleyway. Alexia released the breath in her lungs; judging by the man's appearance, he was likely a contractor and not otherwise involved with the mercenaries, and thus killing him would constitute an unnecessary death.

Proceeding at a half-sprint, she spotted a shorter area of the facility's roof, which she reasoned she could climb up in order to get to the garage easier. As she tried to get a leg up on an A/C unit, she slipped on the wet metal surface and fell to the ground, her silenced weapon discharging a few shots into the air.

Shaking herself off, Alexia holstered the carbine on her back before trying again, this time using her elbows as a fulcrum to pull herself up. The strength exercises she had been doing at home helped in this regard, and she managed to climb over the ledge and get up onto the outcropping.

Panting with exhaustion through her drenched ski mask, she spotted a guard surveying the road from a perch opposite her. After scanning the area surrounding him, Alexia drew her rifle and killed the guard with a headshot. His body conveniently landed in a shadowed area, and there did not seem to be any other guards nearby. If she did not kill this man, he would have spotted Jess and Elena and raised the alarm, blowing the mission.

After taking the shot, she heard a strange noise, a high-pitched screech that pierced the facility's reinforced walls, accompanied by what sounded like the rattling of cages.

"Monkeys?" she whispered. "...Guess they needed subjects to test the weapons on."

With a disgusted sigh, Alexia crept silently up the outcropping and scanned for more guards. She noticed another mercenary stationed right by the garage door, as well as another guard and a scientist peering into the back of a delivery truck. Judging by the openness of the road and the high stakes of being caught, this meant that anyone else she saw needed to die.

She reached quickly for her earpiece.

"J and E, come in. What's your twenty?"

"Just took care of a couple guards by the receiving area," Jess whispered. "About to round the corner to the main straightaway.

"Ten-four, J. I've got a visual on tango right in front of the depot."

She could hear Jess snickering through the airwaves.

"Where'd you learn all the military jargon, you sound so cute talking like that."

"I've been listening in on the Skulls' radio," she shrugged. "Gotta know the lingo if I wanna lead the crew. Besides, I thought E would appreciate the formality."

"Affirmative, A," said Elena. "You did forget to say 'over' after you've finished speaking. Over."

"Fuck, I always forg...I-I mean, affirmative, E. Can I get a sitrep from your t-twenty?...Over."

"Reading five tangoes in the AO; three stationary, two researchers on patrol. Over."

"T...Ten-four. I-I'll engage tango on my twelve, then give you the clear to advance."

A pause over the airwaves ensued, and it took a moment for Alexia to realize her mistake.

"...Oh fuck, sorry. Over."

Peering through her scope, she aimed at the mercenary in front of the garage door and fired two shots into his head; he fell to the ground, his body partly revealed by a set of overhead lights.

"Alright, y...y-you guys are cleared hot. Ten-zero...O-Over."

Alexia's teeth chattered from the ice-cold rain now soaking through her shirt and her combat vest. She knew she had to move fast to prevent the dead guard from being spotted, and so she raced down a set of metal steps to the pavement below, just in time to witness her partners down the two enemies near the delivery truck. Before a guard standing nearby could turn around and notice their deaths, Alexia delivered a headshot from long range, ending his life as well. Her trembling hands caused her to deliver a spray of bullets instead of the one needed to end the man's life.

Peering through the cascading rain ahead, she saw her friends, who advanced up to a marble archway that led to the courtyard Alexia had advanced from. Elena held up a hand, signaling for Alexia to stop; she did, taking a position on the other end of the archway, where she heard the two scientists approaching. Readying their guns, all three girls waited patiently for them to cross into their line of fire before riddling them with bullets, killing both.

Alexia grimaced, despite knowing that the men would have spotted them had she allowed them to live.

"Alright, J, you can g-go to work on hacking that garage door open. E, you go with her and watch for more g-guys from that way, I'll stay here and watch your six. And hurry; this many bodies, w-we won't have long till they start guessing what's up."

"We've got it, A," said Jess, withdrawing the flashdrive with hacking software installed. She and Elena made a break for the garage while Alexia again toggled her earpiece.

"N, we're clear in here, get that Insurgent in p-position. Over."

"About time...Alright, I'm moving. Over."

"'About time'?...You aren't the one out here getting w-w-wet, N, so don't f-fucking test me. Over."

"Well, there's not much I can do on that front, now is there? Over."

A wave of fresh shivering overcame Alexia, but this was accompanied by a feeling of anger towards Noël, which she couldn't notice brought her slight warmth. While Noël was right that she was handicapped by her foot, she was nonetheless annoyed by her almost-insubordinate tone. However, she did not want to argue over the radio, and thus opted to save her lecturr another time.

Spotting the Insurgent's headlights in the distance, Alexia rushed over to the garage, where Jess was still operating the hacking program.

"Hey, let's use this d-delivery truck to exit the facility. E, you're driving, the r-rest of us can hide in the back."

"Affirmative...J, status report."

"Almost there, I just have to...okay, done!"

On Jess's command, the garage door opened, and Noël then rounded the corner to park the Insurgent within. As she did so, Alexia was stricken with panic; more vehicles were approaching up the road to the facility, their headlights cutting through the black horizon. Had the contractor she had left alive raised a silent alarm?

"Fuck, they're coming! Everyone in the t-truck, quick!"

As soon as Noël parked the Insurgent, she scrambled for the delivery truck, Jess closing the garage door behind the Insurgent. The vehicles seemed to be approaching at breakneck speed, and Alexia knew that they had somehow tripped an alarm.

"E, t-try and act natural. They might not engage us if they think we're a normal delivery. We'll keep our guns drawn j-just in case."

Elena nodded, hotwiring the truck and accelerating down the rain-soaked driveway. The three girls in the back drew their rifles in case the convoy made them as unusual, although Alexia did not want this to happen; despite all the bodies in the facility, the mercenaries might still think that one of their soldiers had simply gone insane, shooting everyone inside and then himself. She hoped that they would not know they had broken in, as doing so would likely lead to the EMP's discovery in the garage.

As the truck exited the complex, Alexia gripped her weapon tightly against her chest. Jess and Noël did the same while peering cautiously at the approaching headlights that were making a beeline for Humane Labs.

Alexia felt about ready to murder Agent 14; what kind of stupid, half-assed plan was this, she thought. Who's to say if Merryweather would not order a full sweep of the facility after this incident? Alexia knew that she would, had she been in charge of the Merryweather platoon stationed there. Was the agent really so pompous and overconfident that he would neglect this very real possibility?

The convoy continued down the road and right past the truck with J.A.N.E inside, not even slowing down as alarms blared back at the complex.

"We're clear," said Elena, who was met with grateful sighs from her teammates. The girls simultaneously removed their ski masks so they could breathe more freely.

"Well, g-girls, we did it...Now, let's hope and f-fucking p-pray that they don't check that garage until tomorrow night," said Alexia, her voice increasingly tremulous. "Because...either the agent knows something I don't, o-or they'll find it and b-blow the whole operation. I-I mean, most of the bodies were around th-the loading docks, a-and-"

"Lexi, hey, calm down. It's alright."

Thinking she was having an anxiety attack, put a hand on Alexia's shoulder, her cotton shirt still drenched from the rain.

"Goodness, Lexi, you're shivering like crazy!"

"No, I-I'm fine, J. E, could you t-turn the heater up if this thing has one?"

"Already on it, boss," Elena called from the front.

"You're sure you're okay?" asked Jess. "Well here, let's at least get those wet clothes off of you."

"Hey, what the-?"

Without warning, Jess attempted to lift Alexia's shirt up over her head along with her body armor, but Alexia resisted fiercely, pulling away from Jess in the confined space.

"J, kn-knock it off! Seriously!"

"It'll help get you warm, A, we're all girls in here. I don't want you to get hypothermia."

"Plus, didn't we all see you in a swimsuit, like, just this morning?" Noël shrugged.

"I said I'm f-fine, goddammit!"

Alexia's cheeks turned red; she knew she had not dressed well for the cold, as she had not expected it to be raining when selecting her outfit.

"Alexia, you can come up front if you want," said Elena. "I've got the heater on full-blast."

"Yeah, you go on ahead, Lexi; I'm pretty soaked too, but I'm not shivering nearly as much as you. I'll just strip down back here."

"Oh, joy," Noël rolled her eyes. "It's bad enough sitting next to you fully-clothed, now I've gotta force small talk with you while you're half-naked?"

"Well, I know you're not wet, but you could strip down too, N," said Jess earnestly as she removed her socks. "Underwear party in the back, let's go!"

"How about I just play a game on my phone and ignore you completely, that cool?"

"Aww, party-pooper!"

As Jess peeled off her wet clothing, Alexia stood up and climbed into the passenger seat beside Elena; immediately, she felt the relief of the heater on her hands and face, which had been numbed from the biting cold outside.

Looking at Elena, she noticed that she was not even shivering despite being equally soaked, while Alexia's teeth clacked incessantly beside her.

"I don't think you have hypothermia, A, since you still seem coherent," said Elena, her eyes locked on the road. "You might end up with a cold in a few days though."

"That's not my chief concern right now, E," Alexia sighed. "I'm way more w-worried about the job than about myself. Like...what the f-fuck was the agent thinking with this?"

"With the EMP?"

"Yeah. After we k-kill all those guys back there, we're just supposed to leave it there for a full day and hope no one checks that g-garage?"

"Apparently so."

Elena did not speak further. Instead, she kept driving as Alexia looked at her, befuddled as to why she appeared to be taking this all in stride. However, Elena knew, more than Alexia in fact, that the agent had a knack for sowing discord; why else would he have told her about his plan to depose Remus and install Alexia as crew leader? Her only guess was that he did not truly care about the fate of the Skulls and was only in this for the thrill of it, and that his investment in the crew was made with taxpayer money. The way she saw it, it was not the agent who presented the most cause for concern, but it was Remus. The problem was, she could not tell Alexia about this yet.

With no concrete proof of a conspiracy as of yet, she figured it would be best to keep it between her and Jess for now. Besides, she was fairly confident that Alexia herself wasn't in danger, as the agent seemed to hold her in high regard, at least compared to her uncle. She was also fairly sure that Remus would not do anything that would harm his niece, at least not deliberately.

The heist leader had since removed her rain-soaked socks and had her feet up on the dash, enjoying the heated air that navigated between her toes and slowly restored feeling to them.

"I'm not saying this doesn't sound fishy to me, A," Elena spoke after a long silence. "Quite the opposite, I think there is something going on that we don't quite understand yet. However...it was Remus' decision to bring the agent in, and so we should respect that."

Alexia sighed, swallowing some saliva in her throat.

"Yeah, I...You're right. I'm sure he knows what he's doing. He wouldn't have gotten the crew this far if he didn't, right?"

Elena grunted affirmatively. "And moreover, he would always do what is best for you, as his niece. You two...have a nice relationship, yes?"

Alexia chuckled slightly; Elena's tactic of calming her nerves and diverting suspicion appeared to have worked.

"Yeah, although it's a little weird sometimes. Last time I saw him, I had to interrogate a guy about the location of the Roses' base. It...was far from textbook how that played out, but I still got the intel. He seemed proud of me afterwards...And y-you're right, he would want me to succeed in the criminal world. I have no doubts about that."

"Good...You should try and get some rest, Alexia, for your final swimming test tomorrow. I can stay awake long enough to get us back to HQ."

"Alright. And...thanks, E. You don't talk much, but when you do, it's like you always know exactly what to say. Just know that I appreciate it, and...You're a really good friend."

As Alexia turned to sleep in her seat, Elena grimaced heavily. The rain had since stopped pouring from the heavens; a steady drizzle now fell and refracted off the truck's headlights, like highway signs pointing the way back to the warmth and comfort of home.

She thought back to what the agent had told her previously; that his lying should not bother her as much as it did, because she had done the same during her career. In fact, by keeping Alexia out of the loop, she was demonstrating a similar moral compass as his. However, this did not bother her because she knew her goals and how to carry them out efficiently. She supposed that lying only bothered her when she had to guess and question the liars' motives without any clear answers.

Given the chance, she would happily interrogate the agent like she had so many enemy combatants during her KGB years. As things stood though, doing so much as laying a finger on him would bring trouble for the Skulls, no matter how much he liked to provoke people to do so.

Elena was interrupted in her thoughts by the sight of a long, naked leg, resting on the dash between her and Alexia. Jess stood in the entrance to the truck's cargo hold, gripping its edges to support herself as she leaned into the truck's heated cabin. Her weapons, armor, and all outer clothing sat in a dripping-wet pile in the back.

"Don't mind me, my feet were just really cold...Actually, everything's still pretty cold."

Jess audibly shivered as she said this, her exposed skin coated in goosebumps. Elena responded by wordlessly flipping the heating vent on her side towards Jess, who gravitated to the heat source like a starving plant towards sunlight.

As the storm front moved out to sea, the sky began to turn pale. Pockets of steady rain became fewer and more far between as the truck headed south, accompanied by barely any traffic on the highway to Los Santos.