Friday, June 2nd, 2017
09:00 GMT+2 (07:00 GMT June 2nd)
Bastille, Paris
Unsurprisingly, they all slept remarkably well after the afternoon of running for their lives.
Bastille was not all that well equipped to cater for extra lodgers, but the six youngsters managed to sort themselves out with the help of an extra mattress and they all fell asleep in the bedroom usually shared by Yvette and Owen. There had been no messing about and the home team, Yvette and Owen, had ensured that their friends had wanted for nothing. Yvette had been the first to awake – she usually was – and she headed for the bathroom. As she came out, a few minutes later, she found Owen walking towards her. Yvette took a brief look around before she stood right in front of Owen, her cheeks glowing pink. Owen was not certain if Yvette was about to hurt him or not, but then he received the shock of his life as Yvette suddenly kissed him on the right cheek before she giggled and ran off back to the bedroom.
"What the bloody hell!" Owen exclaimed as his eyes followed the rapidly vanishing girl.
..._...
"What the fuck!" Charlotte exclaimed as a wildly giggling, red-faced Yvette collapsed onto her bed.
"Is she dying?" Kaitlin asked as she sat up on the mattress she was sharing with Naomi and Charlotte.
"I think she just did something she found acutely embarrassing," Naomi reasoned.
"Did you just kiss Owen?" Charlotte ventured.
Yvette began to giggle even harder as she buried her face into a pillow, acutely aware of what she had just done and regretting it – or did she? Either way, she was incredibly embarrassed by it and that was made infinitely worse by everyone else finding out just seconds later. Yvette refused to speak to anyone as she dressed, ignoring their questions and the snide comments. When Owen returned from the bathroom, he too refused to say a word, despite much goading from Charlotte and Jake.
Eventually, they all dressed and found their way to the kitchen where they found Cassie and Alya assembling breakfast.
..._...
Marinette grinned at Yvette, sensing that something was amiss.
"Yvette snogged Owen," Kaitlin informed all the adults.
Yvette opened her mouth to deny the allegation but then she thought better of it and went back to dunking a piece of torn off baguette into her bowl of hot chocolate which sat on the table before her. Owen just sat at the table, where he kept his head down, and he studiously ignored the snide comments and girly giggling – after all, he was the victim. However, Kaitlin managed to change the topic of conversation which both Owen and Yvette, who were exchanging furtive looks, were very relieved about.
"Oh, shit!" Kaitlin exclaimed and she suddenly bolted from the table. "I almost forgot!"
The girl ran across the safehouse and she climbed into the back of the Audi where she retrieved something from the back seat. All the time, many curious eyes were watching her every move.
"What's that you have there, Kaitlin?" Cassie asked once Kaitlin had returned.
Kaitlin held a small black document folder in her hands as she sat back down.
"Don't know," the girl responded. "I grabbed it the same time I grabbed the bastard's gun."
Cassie took the small document folder and she opened it.
"Okay, we have a map of Paris . . . with detailed maps of Disneyland Paris. We have the man's passport – a Paul Hart. Oh, what's this...? We have an address in Metz."
"Metz?" came the quadrophonic response from around the table.
"Metz," Cassie confirmed. "I think there is a safehouse there, and I want answers."
"We going on a road trip?" Jake asked excitedly.
"Yes, we are," Cassie responded.
There were quite a few raised eyebrows around the kitchen at the suggestion of a road trip.
..._...
The next hour was spent furiously packing and preparing themselves for a road trip.
Everyone was going. Cassie wanted to find out what was going on, and why someone was after her girls, and Marinette could not let Cassie go out into Europe on her own without backup. Once everyone was ready, they loaded up the Audi Q7 and Adrien's Ford Mondeo with equipment and people. Alya was the last to leave in her Mini, locking up Bastille and enabling the myriad of security features which would keep the safehouse secure until their return. When that return might be, nobody knew.
"This vehicle is too damn conspicuous," Cassie commented as they drove out of the safehouse. "But I think I have a solution to that."
Kaitlin frowned as she poked at the bullet holes in the door beside her.
Friday, June 2nd
11:00 GMT+2 (09:00 GMT June 2nd)
Radford Group (Paris) Headquarters
"Wow, this place is biiig!" Kaitlin commented as they drove down a ramp into the large concrete underground carpark.
"I'm glad Scarlett was able to call ahead for us," Cassie commented.
A man appeared and he waved them into a parking slot, his eyebrows raised slightly as he took in the bullet holes. Adrien and Alya parked alongside and everyone climbed out.
"Mrs Bedford, my name is Hudson. If you, Mr Bedford, and Miss Cheng will follow me, we will get you all fitted out with suitable transport."
The three adults followed the man down another concrete ramp and then their eyes popped out and their jaws dropped as they took in the magnificently amazing array of vehicles parked neatly in four rows. There were motorcycles – many of them – and cars which varied from small hybrids to large executive and luxury cars. Cassie looked around at the amazing selection of vehicles. Then her eyes focussed on the most perfect vehicle and she felt that she just had to have it.
"I'll take that one, if I may."
"A decisive choice, madam. I'll just fetch the keys."
Cassie grinned happily as the man vanished.
A short while later...
11:35 GMT+2 (09:35 GMT June 2nd)
The children were getting very bored with waiting, so when they heard the sounds of engines coming towards them, they all turned to look.
"What the fuck!" Charlotte announced as the first of three vehicles appeared from the ramp.
"It was all I could find at short notice," Cassie commented somewhat weakly as she pulled up in a 2016 Bentley Continental GT Speed painted in a deep metallic purple with purple and cream leather interior.
"Well, that isn't conspicuous at all!" Charlotte growled.
"I was a little more refined," Marinette commented as she pulled up in a deep grey Audi S8 Quattro.
"Ooh, nice!" Charlotte commented but then she saw the third car pull up. "But that is enough to make you need to change your knickers."
"Quintessentially British!" Andrew stated as he gently pulled the scintilla silver Aston Martin Rapide S to a stop beside Cassie's purple beast.
"Now that is hot!" Jake exclaimed as he took in the cutting-edge lines of the awesome vehicle.
"Shotgun!" Kaitlin called out as she raced around the Bentley Continental GT Speed.
"No way!" Charlotte responded before she laughed out loud. "Besides, wrong side of the car, pipsqueak!"
Kaitlin groaned as she realised that the car was left-hand drive. Cassie grinned as the little girl huffed and puffed her way over to the Audi only to find a grinning Jake already sitting in the front passenger seat. Cassie's lip-reading skills were minimal, but she was able to understand Kaitlin's angry mouth movements as she slid into the Bentley beside Naomi in the backseat, "Fucking bastards!"
Cassie looked over at Charlotte who was grinning happily as she clipped her seatbelt into place.
"You ready to hit the road, Charlie?"
"Floor it!" Charlie directed.
"We're all going to die," Naomi muttered.
Kaitlin simply grinned as the six-litre W12 engine roared smoothly and shoved them all into their plush quilted-leather seats.
12:00 GMT+2 (10:00 GMT June 2nd)
On the A4 Autoroute de l'Est
heading for Reims
The drive to Metz was relatively straight forward – it was a simple 144-kilometre ride to Reims and then a further 190-kilometres to Metz . . . a pleasant three-and-a-half-hour drive in total.
The A4 Autoroute de l'Est was a fast-flowing dual carriageway which allowed Cassie to put her foot down and overtake the slower traffic with the Audi directly behind and the Aston as tail end Charlie. Not long into the trip, everyone went silent as they passed about a kilometre or so to the south of Disneyland Paris. Unsurprisingly, the place was closed – for the foreseeable future, apparently.
Once they were past the scene of the previous day's disturbing events, everyone felt a lot happier, and therefore the conversation - and the moaning – soon began in earnest.
12:18 GMT+2 (10:18 GMT June 2nd)
On the A4 Autoroute de l'Est
heading for Reims
In the Bentley Continental GT Speed
The team's prime complainer was on form.
"Are we there yet?"
"No, Kaitlin, we are not."
"When are we going to get there?"
"We'll get there when we get there, Kaitlin."
"But..."
"KAITLIN!" Cassie exploded. "Do you want to get out and walk?"
"No, I'm good – shutting up now."
Charlotte and Naomi laughed loudly as Kaitlin sulked – Cassie simply turned up Madonna to drown out the girls.
In the Audi S8 Quattro
The Audi cruised behind the Bentley and all was relatively peaceful with the beats of Queen filling the interior
"I could get used to this," Yvette commented as she spread herself out in the back seat of the luxury saloon.
"You do that, honey," Marinette grinned.
"It is comfortable," Adrien conceded. "We'll have to see if we can get a car like this."
"I wouldn't say 'non'," Marinette responded.
She enjoyed the big saloon – it was smooth and very responsive to the slightest touch of the wheel or the accelerator.
In the Aston Martin Rapide S
Jake felt like a prince as he sat in the front seat next to Andrew.
The car was more than amazing; it was simply perfect. His slim frame sunk into the upholstery and he rarely felt a bump from what had to be the smoothest riding car he had ever ridden in. Andrew was enjoying the car as well – it had always been a dream of his to drive an Aston Martin and he was lapping up every thrill-filled mile.
In the back seats, Alya was glued to her laptop as she gathered together information for their trip and the ultimate destination: Metz. She was oblivious to the mix album currently playing a feel-good Fleetwood Mac track as she happily contemplated the hundred Euros which her friends had just lost that very morning. It had been a bet on who would kiss who first – and she had won.
As for the boy seated beside her, Owen was loving every minute of the ride as he stared out of the side window at the green countryside rushing past. It was his first road trip and he was really looking forward to it, not least for the potential danger such a road trip might afford. He wanted to find out what was behind the abortive kidnapping of Naomi and Kaitlin, just as much as anyone.
They were his friends and he wanted to help them.
Friday, June 2nd
13:18 GMT+2 (11:18 GMT June 2nd)
South of Reims
They stopped for a late lunch and everyone was forced to watch Jake and Kaitlin shovel food into their mouths like they had not been fed in weeks.
"Animals!" Charlotte commented with a scowl as she ate her food in a much more dignified manner.
"Oh, give it a rest, Charlie," Naomi grinned. "You are usually just as bad!"
Charlotte grinned back, knowing that Naomi was right, but she had a point to prove – she was the eldest girl there and, therefore, she wanted to show that she could behave responsibly. Jake was the eldest, but he was a boy, so his behaviour could be excused. Charlotte also enjoyed the approving looks which she received from Cassie – they meant an awful lot to her. But the two animals were not alone, as Owen was not far behind as he too ate like he'd been starved.
"I think they've forgotten," Yvette muttered. "About you know what."
"No, we haven't!" Kaitlin called out – her oversensitive ears picking up every word.
"Merde!" Yvette growled as she banged her forehead upon the tabletop.
"Oh, Marinette!" Alya called out. "You and Adrien owe me a hundred."
"Merde!" Marinette growled as she fished in her purse for a fifty Euro note and she slapped it down on the table before her smirking friend, then turned to Owen. "Why couldn't you have kissed her first?"
"Sorry," Owen tried as Yvette tried to sink beneath the tabletop, her face red as a beetroot, even as a smirking Adrien placed his own note down atop Marinette's.
Yvette wished for the earth to open up and swallow her whole.
A dozen or so kilometres down the road...
In the Audi S8 Quattro
Yvette was not enjoying the drive.
Maybe it was because Adrien, who was driving, had selected a tune to play from his phone and Marinette was singing along as the track blasted out over the sixteen speakers:
...And I don't know if I'm just dreaming
Don't know if I feel safe
But it's something that I must believe in
And it's there when you call out my name
Love is in the air
Love is in the air
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Love is in the air, in the rising of the sun
Love is in the air, when the day is nearly done...
"I hate you!" Yvette shouted over the music, but she couldn't resist grinning as her face turned bright red as John Paul Young continued to sing.
Marinette struggled to sing as she was laughing so hard.
A short distance behind...
In the Aston Martin Rapide S
Alya was having her own slice of fun as Owen tried to ignore the teasing.
Jake was laughing his head off as Alya selected her own track to torture the boy:
I feel it in my fingers
I feel it in my toes
The love that's all around me
And so the feeling grows
It's written on the wind
It's everywhere I go
So if you really love me
Come on and let it show
"Only, it'll be Yvette getting Wet, Wet, Wet!" Jake snickered.
Owen's mouth simply dropped open as Alya exploded into laughter and Andrew grinned at the boy's suffering.
Quite some distance ahead...
In the Bentley Continental GT Speed
Charlotte had her eyes locked onto the speedometer set into the dashboard ahead of Cassie.
As far as the youngster was concerned, she appeared to be the only person in the car paying the slightest bit of attention to the instrument. At present, the needle was pointing straight up, indicating a speed of 160 kilometres-per-hour. Thankfully, Cassie had her eyes firmly glued to the autoroute ahead, but Charlotte was getting concerned about the overt display of excessive speed. Then she suddenly had a brain wave and she knew what it had to be.
"You think you're Hit Girl, don't you?"
"What?" Cassie asked without taking her eyes off the road.
"I've finally worked it out: the purple car, the excessive speed, the desire to torture your children..."
"I do not drive at excessive speed!" Cassie responded as she looked down at the speedometer for the first time. "Oh!"
"But you do have a desire to torture your children?" Kaitlin wanted to know.
"Well, they do seem to enjoy it," Cassie responded with an evil glint in her eye.
"She does have a point," Naomi admitted. "You do seem to enjoy pain."
"I don't!" Kaitlin pouted.
"Yes, you do..."
"No, I don't..."
"Yes, you do..."
"No, I don't..."
"Now do you see why I am what I am?" Cassie grinned to Charlotte.
Charlotte simply grinned back as the needle moved steadily in a clockwise direction around the dial.
A little under two hours later...
16:42 GMT+2 (14:42 GMT June 2nd)
Metz, France
They drove into the city from the north, then made for the southeast where there was a suitable hotel where their three cars would not be noticed too much.
Alya had already booked three rooms – two family and a single – online prior to their arrival. On their arrival, they parked the cars and then headed into the hotel with their bags. There was nothing to be done that evening, so it was time to rest after the long drive. Cassie, Andrew, Kaitlin, Naomi, and Charlotte were to share one family room, leaving Marinette, Adrien, Yvette, Charlotte, and Owen to occupy the other family room. That had just left Alya with a room of her own – located well away from the pair of family rooms, of course!
Everyone took the time to clean up before dinner, Cassie enjoying a long hot shower leaving Andrew to keep the three girls from murdering one another. However, on emerging from the shower, she found a half-naked Charlotte standing over Kaitlin, her fist raised and poised to strike the younger girl. Cassie scowled at Kaitlin who simply shrugged as she lay on the floor. Cassie opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but then she simply closed her mouth and ignored the girls as her husband shook his head.
Charlotte stripped off the rest of her clothing, scowled down at Kaitlin, and then went for her shower.
In a restaurant across town...
18:12 GMT+2 (16:12 GMT June 2nd)
Cassie and Marinette sat next to one another, across from Andrew and Adrien, with Alya next to Adrien.
At the opposite end of the table, the six children sat three per side. The adults each had a glass of wine while the little monsters each had a glass of Coke. Cassie and Marinette were sharing a large cheese and tomato thin-base pizza while the men enjoyed large steaks with jacket potatoes. As for the unfed animals, they each enjoyed a large burger, which at least kept the noise down while they troughed down. Alya just tried to ignore Les Enfants as she enjoyed her plate of l'escargot. That was not all that easy as the behaviour tended to vary from good to borderline offensive. Despite her age, Charlotte could behave in a very immature fashion – usually showing off for her friends – but a sharp glance from Cassie would have the young girl quickly altering her behaviour for the next twenty minutes or so before reverting back to behaving like a wild animal.
"Are they annoying you, Alya?" Adrien asked with a broad grin.
"No – I just ignore them," she responded. "You don't punish a puppy for behaving badly, because it's just young and unable to control itself."
Cassie and Marinette burst out laughing as Les Enfants collectively scowled, as they caught on straight away to the hidden insult.
..._...
By the time they had all eaten, Les Enfants were getting tired and ratty which meant that it was time for them to go to bed before one of them began to act out which usually resulted in someone getting hurt – usually Kaitlin for some reason or other.
Cassie also needed sleep as she had taken advantage of du vin with expected results and the young woman happily leaned into her husband who guided her out of the restaurant as Alya hailed a taxi for the ride back to the hotel. Yvette was being openly belligerent, and she obtained enjoyment by poking Owen and Charlotte who, for the moment, were doing their utmost not to respond, Andrew noticed. However, that did not last long as they arrived at the hotel and they climbed out of the taxi.
Charlotte had had enough and as Yvette exited the taxi, Charlotte struck, punching Yvette in the stomach and then shoving her to the ground. Charlotte then marched off into the hotel, leaving the groaning Yvette to struggle back to her feet, her arms wrapped around her middle. Owen groaned as everybody ignored Yvette and then he turned around to help Yvette to her feet and then into the hotel. Yvette smiled at Owen's touch, happy that the boy had bothered himself to assist her.
It did not take long for everyone to find their beds, change, and get heads on pillows as everyone was very tired.
The next morning...
Saturday, June 3rd
09:00 GMT+2 (07:00 GMT June 3rd)
Metz, France
The weather was pleasantly dry and warm in the French city.
Everyone had enjoyed an early breakfast before they hailed three taxis to take them into the city. Nobody mentioned Yvette's downfall the previous evening, in fact, Charlotte and Yvette appeared to be the best of friends again. Mind you, Cassie considered, they were on a mission, so the youngsters usually filed away any petty grievances and acted in a very professional manner. They were out to obtain information and perform a reconnaissance of the area around the address which Kaitlin had acquired in Paris. The three taxis dropped them off in widely separated locations, but all within a forty-minute stroll of the target property.
The casual stroll allowed the three teams to ensure that they were not being monitored or followed by anyone – friend or foe – as well as being generally good for them, considering that they had all been cooped up in cars for many hours the previous day. All were highly skilled counter-surveillance operatives which ensured that they were not being followed by anyone. As they walked, they searched for threats which might upset any plans for a nighttime assault, such as a police presence in the area.
As each team reached Rue Albert Bettannier, in the southern suburb of the city, they began to check out the immediate area around the target property in detail.
Early afternoon...
Saturday, June 3rd
13:12 GMT+2 (11:12 GMT June 3rd)
Rue Albert Bettannier
The property was nothing special which was probably why it was being used as a safehouse.
Access in and out of the area was good, both on foot and by car which would aid their assault and subsequent escape. Charlotte and Owen ran up the private road which led up the side and around the back of the property to scope out all the approaches and identify any counter-surveillance measures which surely had to be in place. The property was one of two semi-detached properties, the other occupied by a family – that was something which they would have to watch out for during the assault. As far as they could tell, there was nobody in at that moment, but it was impossible to confirm that fact. At no time did any of them make any overt indications that they were scoping out the property or the areas surrounding it so as not to tip off anybody who might be watching out for any watchers.
The three groups had remained independent, not showing any outward indication that they knew one another, just to add another layer of subterfuge for anybody watching.
That evening...
Saturday, June 3rd
19:10 GMT+2 (17:10 GMT June 3rd)
The Hotel
After an early dinner, they gathered in one room to go over the night's assault.
Nothing was left to fate, and everything was covered in exquisite detail. As for their equipment, several items had been delivered to a PO Box, earlier that afternoon, and collected by Alya. Yvette grinned broadly as she checked out her brand-new Fusion Covert Combat Suit Mk 2 (FCCS2 for short) in the mirror. She blushed slightly as she became aware of Owen checking her out from behind with an approving nod. Charlotte thought that the combat suits were amazingly comfortable, and she also saw hers as an aide to showing off her increasingly feminine curves. Atop the FCCS went their normal clothing, the masks stowed in an inside pocket of their jackets. Everyone carried a pistol which was fitted with a suppressor and they carried several additional magazines. As well as the pistols, various pointed implements were carried to personal preference. Cassie and Adrien would each carry an MPX-K each in a small backpack. Alya, with Naomi and Andrew would provide overwatch support from a hired panel van which would be parked up nearby.
By eight o'clock, they were all ready to depart.
That night...
Saturday, June 3rd
21:40 GMT+2 (19:40 GMT June 3rd)
Rue Albert Bettannier
It was very dark, and the traffic was minimal.
They had to be stealthy to the point of making zero sound as just two hundred yards away, there was the main Gendarmerie National de Metz from which hell would rain down upon them all should they be alerted. However, the assault was in the hands of professionals, despite their remarkably young ages. As a group, the eight members of the assault team took full advantage of each dark shadow and each parked vehicle they passed to check that the way ahead was clear. Resolute was on point, his keen eyes watching for movement, a trip wire, anything which might give away their covert approach to the safehouse. The target safehouse was quiet and lights were visible in a room to the front and in a room to the rear of the property. Akuma had reported the sounds of movement coming from the rear room – they had placed discrete external surveillance devices during their reconnaissance that afternoon - and talking coming from the front room indicated that there was probably a minimum of two or three x-rays (bad guys) present in the safehouse. La Coccinelle and Nemesis were with Glide and Termino as they moved swiftly up the paved roadway which led up the side of the safehouse and around the back – they were Tango One. Le Chat Noir, with Resolute, Intrepid, and La Terreaur made up Tango Two. They moved down the sloped concrete driveway to the front of the safehouse which in turn led down to a basement garage and a narrow horizontal window which led into a basement bedroom.
"Movement, front bedroom window!" Akuma warned over the radio.
Tango Two threw themselves flat on the concrete of the driveway, leaning into the hedge which ran along the sides of the sloping driveway. At the same time, light flooded down from the windows above the driveway, illuminating the concrete below, but crucially not the hidden vigilantes. Intrepid clocked a large man glaring down the drive at the street beyond them for a few moments before the curtains were pulled closed and the unwelcome illumination vanished.
"Tango Two, clear!" Akuma advised having finally taken a breath, after having involuntarily held it whilst the team had almost been spotted.
Tango Two swiftly leapt to their feet and they quickly moved out of view of any overhead windows and into the shadows surrounding the garage door.
Tango One: La Coccinelle, Nemesis, Glide & Termino
Behind the safehouse, Tango One had gained entry by vaulting a six-foot wood-panel fence and landing on the concrete of the back yard which surrounded an outdoor swimming pool which looked decidedly inviting considering the high temperatures and humidity that night.
However, the team spread out to cover the open area as well as the glazed double doors which led into the living room as well as a window for the kitchen and one for a rear bedroom. There was light emitting from the doors, the kitchen, and the rear bedroom, however, the curtains for the rear bedroom were closed, as were those beyond the glazed double doors. Termino could hear voices – he held up his left hand, raising up four fingers to indicate that he could differentiate four people's voices. As he moved closer, he attempted to peer through the curtains beyond the glazed double doors without any success. However, a brief scan with an IR camera identified four shapes in the living room, with a fifth who had just moved from the rear bedroom into the kitchen.
Everyone slunk out of sight as the man in the darkened kitchen went to the sink and took a moment to cast his eyes over the back yard and the swimming pool.
Tango Two: Le Chat Noir, Resolute, Intrepid & La Terreaur
Back at the front of the safehouse, and hidden from the street by a hedge, Resolute was at work, cutting away a section of the basement window.
The actual window frame was alarmed, so if the catch was forced, then the alarm would be triggered. But the glass itself, was not, so a little attention with a diamond cutter – twice as it was double glazed – an opening was created which was large enough to allow the boy to bypass the alarm mechanism on the window frame, and then he simply opened the window to allow everyone to slip inside and thence into a room which appeared to be unused. Resolute moved ahead to check the door and listen for any sounds beyond.
He heard nothing. Slowly and silently, the boy indicated his actions to the team arrayed behind him as he reached for the door handle. He seized the aluminium spherical device in his gloved hand and he gently turned it to the left. He paused to listen before he pulled the door open, just an inch, and he listened again. After taking a deep breath, he raised the pistol held in his right hand to head height, and he pulled open the door to reveal a dimly lit passageway which led to the left and to the right. Slowly, he held out a small black device, not much larger than a cylindrical cigarette lighter, with his left hand and he rotated the device so that a small dimple on the side at the end of the device faced the corridor to his left. The boy, and those behind him, checked the small colour three-inch display screens which were sewn into the left wrists of their combat suits.
The passageway outside the door was clear to the left; just a closed door leading into the garage could be seen two feet away. Resolute twisted the device in his hand to check down the opposite end of the passageway which again appeared to be clear. At the far end of the passageway, about a dozen feet away, a set of carpeted wooden stairs led upwards. Resolute stowed his surveillance device and then stepped out into the passageway. He was followed by Le Chat Noir, and Intrepid, with La Terreaur taking up the rear and watching their backs. They approached the staircase, just as they heard heavy footsteps on the floor above them which came closer before they stopped at the head of the staircase.
Everyone froze.
Tango One: La Coccinelle, Nemesis, Glide & Termino
The man in the kitchen finished looking for whatever it was that he was looking for before he grabbed something from the fridge – the light illuminated the darkened kitchen for a moment – before he left the kitchen.
As the man left the kitchen, his movements were watched by Termino. Once the man had returned to the living room, and all five targets were together, it was time to breach. However, normal practice would have been to go in noisy – shock and awe – but that would have only brought the French National Police down around them, so it was time to show some finesse in taking the five men out. With the curtains beyond the glazed double doors which led into the living room being closed, there was the opportunity to work on the doors and to bypass the locking mechanism – silently.
"We have five in the living room," Nemesis radioed the other team.
Glide and Termino got to work on the locking mechanism.
Tango Two: Le Chat Noir, Resolute, Intrepid & La Terreaur
"We have five in the living room."
"I think we have number six," Le Chat Noir responded as the team moved back, away from the staircase. "Coming down – heads up!"
The feet could be heard descending the staircase and getting closer. By the footfall, it sounded like someone wearing boots as they were deemed more clumpy than heavy. Le Chat Noir stood at the bottom of the staircase, off to the left from where he could not be seen by the person coming down to the basement. As the feet appeared, Intrepid noticed that they were not male by the slimness of the ankles. However, the young woman was not going to be a pushover as indicated by the moment Le Chat Noir moved to attack her.
The woman ducked and she rolled forwards, avoiding what could probably otherwise have been a knockout punch. Instead, the woman regained her feet, showing very little evidence of surprise at finding a group of masked people in the basement, and she made to attack the French vigilante. She struck hard and fast, her limbs moving swiftly but efficiently as she attacked the masked man whom she had found standing at the foot of the staircase in the dimly lit basement passageway. La Terreaur watched eagerly as Le Chat Noir responded to the woman's attack. It was not often that she got to see the man who was keen to become her stepfather fighting hand to hand. He usually provided wheeled support for La Coccinelle, La Terreaur, and latterly Termino, but he was an amazing fighter and La Terreaur loved to see him working.
La Terreaur winced as Le Chat Noir drove a fist into the woman's left shoulder and twisted the woman around even as she tried to lay down a strike of her own. As the woman twisted around, she was struck by a haymaker punch into the face. The woman was unconscious before she was caught by Intrepid and Resolute, and lowered to the floor, more for stealth and silence than for any attempt at preventing further injury to the woman who was swiftly secured with a convenient roll of duct tape around the ankles, wrists, and mouth.
"We have one in the bag," Resolute radioed to the other team Le Chat Noir pulled the woman out of sight. "Moving up the stairs now."
"Copy that!" Nemesis responded.
La Terreaur as the shortest went first, followed by Resolute and then Intrepid with Le Chat Noir taking up the rear. All had their suppressed weapons raised and ready for immediate use. Very slowly, La Terreaur climbed the staircase, careful not to make even the slightest sound as she moved. She could see light at the top of the staircase, and she could hear the dull murmuring of male voices conversing, along with the clink of glass against glass – it sounded like the men were drinking. That was good – alcohol would slow down their reflexes and make their takedown all the easier, La Terreaur knew.
At the top of the staircase, the young girl paused as she scanned the area ahead. She was in a hallway. To the right, there was the front door which had a brace of locks fitted making it an exceedingly difficult way into the property. Straight ahead, there was a curved archway which led into an open plan living/dining room which stretched the full depth of the property. To her left, there was a doorway which led to the bedrooms and another which led into the kitchen which, they knew, also opened out onto the dining end of the living/dining room which was also where Team One was preparing their entry at the rear of the property. The girl could smell Chinese food some of which did not smell too appetising. There was also the overwhelming aroma of disinfectant and blood. It was crunch time, La Terreaur knew as she psyched herself for the next part of the plan which would be dangerous and deadly, but dangerous and deadly was what she was and who was she to argue with that, she thought as a broad grin spread across her face. She enjoyed killing. She enjoyed making people suffer. She enjoyed making men suffer – she had a thing about men which was part of why she unconsciously kept Adrien at arm's length. Maybe that would change, she thought, before her mind came back to the problem at hand and she checked that the safety was off on her SIG Sauer P320 Tacops Carry pistol with attached suppressor.
It was time for people to die.