Shadows. They were shadows. Silently, they
slipped in and out of the darkness, leaving no trace that they had ever
been there. Silently, beneath the moon, they watched, waited, lurked, anticipating
the moment . . .
That moment came. Splitting up, they went
forth, their paths already chosen. The mission had begun.
It was a simple enough mission- infiltrate
a laboratory that had been developing chemicals that caused bizarre mutations
in humans, download all the information from the computer database, then
leave as quick as possible. The data, of course, would then be used to
determine their next move. So simple... so -routine-. They had done so
many things like it before.... Tonight's mission would be over in the blink
of an eye.
He stood in the doorway, watching, waiting
while the child got to work with his computer. His emerald eyes watched
coolly as the child 'typed', invisible hands flying across the keys. "Be
quick about it, Angora," he murmured, voice soft as silk. " . . . But don't
screw up. It's routine... But we can't afford to screw up."
The boy nodded, biting his lip as he typed
a bit faster... then faster still. Soon, it was at a speed that would have
been nearly impossible to achieve by anyone else... Any normal person.
That was the advantage he had over the others.... And he never made a mistake.
"Acknowledged," he replied, his eyes never leaving the screen. "Just as
long as -you- don't screw up either." In this dark, in such a serious situation,
his voice was nearly monotone, holding little of the joy it normally had.
Now was not a time for smiles and laughter. Now was a time for seriousness.
Wordlessly, his carnelian-haired partner nodded,
closing his eyes. Silently, he cast his mind about, feeling... reading...
watching... listening. Anything, anything at all.... he would see it. Any
intruder, be they little more than a mouse.... he would notice it.
//All clear? Nothing coming up, is there?//
He murmured, casting the thought to the other side of the building, where
the other two were. He could see them clear as day in his mind... Korat
watching, waiting, while Snowshoe typed away at a computer, retrieving
the other half of the data.
//..I'm not quite sure, Skogkatt... I don't
See anything, but... just keep watching,// came the reply. There was a
hint of uncertainty about it...
The German frowned, brushing a strand of hair
out of his face. He didn't like the sound of that... he didn't like it
at all.
