Chapter Thirteen

Time now was more crucial to the two agents after they witnessed the brutality of the previous day. Now with a mere day left before the conduits come online they were more stressed with getting onto that submarine. They had contacted Matt, through Nicia to be on the safe side, on what they needed. In all honesty it was a big challenge and risk to the contractor but with no other means to do so without alerting someone he was their best chance. At work they would carefully watch the detail noticing routes and call signs, not to mention in detecting who was in charge of them. You didn't want to tick off the wrong guy. When they finished and safely back in their hotel room Nagisa would immerse herself on her laptop, which Shizuma had no clue what she was doing even though the hacker had explained it to her a few times. There were just some things you couldn't learn. The etoile had taken on the role of scouting bays nearby and following some of the men for more information. Things were looking bleak; they still had no solid idea on what the Archive really wanted with the Virus. As her friend Yaya would have said 'wing it' and that was precisely what she was going to have to do.

Shizuma and Nagisa had just finished with a meal at one of the local taverns nearby, having the urge to do something normal instead of fretting over plans and the inevitable. Walking side by side in a comfortable silence they were making their way back to their hotel, enjoying the peace whilst it lasted. Well someone didn't get the evening memo.

"You know I really enjoyed tonight. Certainly with the threat of an unknown tomorrow, with no clue what to expect or who we're really up against. It could have been a lot better." Nagisa listed a little sarcastically

Shizuma gave her a pout. The whole idea was to relax for the evening and try and not think of what's to come the next day. As soon as her partner said it scenarios flooded her mind. It sure wasn't a good ending she was hoping for.

"You're a pessimist kitten." Shizuma mumbled grouchily

"I'm a realist Shi." Nagisa retorted back a little frown marring her face

"You worry too damn much you know."

"Someone has to. You seem to go in guns blazing. You have any idea how it looks from my point of view. It sc…." She trailed off suddenly looking to the side to hide her face.

Shizuma kept her pace alongside her friend with a curious glint in her eyes as she wondered what she was about to say. To be perfectly honest it wasn't that hard to figure out, the etoile wanted to hear it from the hackers own lips. So she resorted to the technique she knew wouldn't fail her. Tease it out of her.

"What was that Nagisa? You didn't quite finish." Shizuma moved closer

"Nothing." The agent replied still shielding her face

"Awww. But I want to know. If you don't…."she purred real close to her ear

Nagisa jumped back with a start her face finally on full show. A deep blush had now risen covering her entire face. Shizuma marvelled how much the woman was blushing, even though all her other teases it never got this bad. It made her quite proud. She started to chuckle which made her partner a little bit mad. Unfortunately for Nagisa it only made the teasing woman chuckle harder.

"You are just plain mean" Nagisa grumbled as she started to pick up her pace

Shizuma still with a smile on her lips hurried up beside her partner, slinging a friendly arm around her shoulder "Now don't be like that kitten. We can't always plan these things out; sometimes we have to do it on the fly."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it" Nagisa replied leaning into the older woman's warmth.

Shizuma silently nodded her head letting the matter drop as they continued on their walk back to the hotel. No more need for words as they took what little comfort and even support they could.

Arriving back to their hotel not a soul was in sight, the revellers took to the livelier parts of the small town so all was relatively quiet. The hotel was dimly lit, the reception desk was empty and not a sound could be heard as the two agents entered. Through the lobby and a quick ride in the elevator the two women quickly arrived at their own room. Shizuma barely registered anything wrong at first, but quickly stopped Nagisa from entering the room. With a hand holding her arm tight accompanied by confusion Shizuma raised a finger to her lips for silence.

Leaning in closer she whispered "There is someone in there. Look at the floor"

Nagisa still with questions in her eyes looked to the floor where a single white slip of paper lay. It wasn't anything major or extravagant but it surely worked if the intruder wasn't looking. There was no need for much else. Nodding her head in response Nagisa slowly stepped back a little and to the side to let Shizuma have full access to get inside. Reaching to her waist Shizuma unclipped her gun and gripped the handle tightly.

"3…2…" Nagisa counted down though she suddenly stopped from a minor glare off of the etoile. Someone didn't find it all that appropriate for the situation.

Barging into a potential dangerous situation required only one thing. To do so in style. Shoving the door and quickly running inside with gun trained and ready Shizuma was prepared for anything. Quickly checking the room, balcony and bathroom all with gun raised. There was no one in sight. All that remained of someone being in the room were two large boxes placed on the redhead's bed, the owner of which had curious vibes sparking from her. Moving up alongside her Shizuma looked over them with a critical eye. Nothing seemed or screamed at anything suspicious.

"They look normal enough. How they got in here and by whom we won't know until we open it" Nagisa spoke up poking a box

"True enough. However I'll feel a lot more comfortable if I knew for certain that those boxes don't contain anything dangerous." Shizuma crossed her arms then turned her head slightly to Nagisa "Kitten you wouldn't have something gadget wise by any chance?"

Watching her attentively Shizuma saw her strike her thinking pose then a mad dash to her horde of gadgets rooting franticly amongst them. 'One day I'll ask for a gadget she doesn't have and drop dead from the shock. Surely she has got to NOT have something once in a while. It makes me look kinda bad. Oh here we go looks like she something in her bag of tricks after all.' Shizuma watched as her partner trotted back to the bed with a small hand held gadget, which apart from looking a little bulky seemed quite unnoticeable. Like most of the equipment she brought along. Nagisa brought the device closer to the boxes moving it slowly and meticulously over them, until she had scanned both and as much as she could reach. A minute or two of tapping and shaking the thing Nagisa seemed to be pleased with whatever she had read, turning to the impatient etoile with a small smile.

"Well?" Shizuma asked feeling a little useless

"I can say for 99% certainty that the contents in the box are not bombs or any form of explosives. So it's all safe to open." Nagisa told her with a firm nod of head to finish her statement off.

"What's with the 1%?" Shizuma asked watching the facial expressions of the woman by her, pleased when she saw that a little twitch flickered across her face. "So something you don't know huh?"

"Can we open them now" Nagisa cut her off as she put down her gadget and reached for the nearest box.

Shizuma shook her head and helped her friend out with the package. It was securely wrapped with duct tape covering it quite a bit. Plus it was quite heavy so they left it where it had been set down. After much tugging, cussing and slicing the thing with scissors, the first box was open. Looking inside Shizuma couldn't quite believe what she was seeing.

"This has made my night" Nagisa fondly spoke

Inside was what they had been waiting patiently for the last few days. Worrying and being paranoid over the smallest things. This was their ticket into the Archives inner ring courtesy of their contact who had kept his word about getting them what they needed. And indeed he did. The two women in sync started to carefully remove each item placing it gently on the other bed; it took a while before they finish only to start on the next. With the next box came a note.

'I kept my word to help you get into his security detail. I only hope this will be enough and unfortunately this is as much as I can do. I hope it also brings our business to an end. The contents you see have been recently acquired from actual members, so their information is authentic. They are also new so their faces haven't been linked to actual bodies. If you're thinking they can come in your way, think again. I know how this works so until I know for sure that He has been stopped I will be keeping them locked away. There are blueprints and some codes you will need amongst the mass; also you're shipping off time and who to report to. I wish you luck in your mission.'

"He outdid himself with this" Nagisa praised openly.

Shizuma nodded her head in agreement. Looking over their new security attire with the tags and other pieces they needed, wondering how they were going to pull it off. Leaning over Nagisa's shoulder, Shizuma picked up the plan of the submarine trying to detail much of it to memory as she could. As she glanced over it, nothing about it seemed to stand out, which wasn't that surprising, since what He planned to do with the vessel. 'Knowing him it's bound to have extras inside not to mention his style at being grandiose. The conduits come online tomorrow we don't have time to scout the place out. We need to be on there and stop him using the Virus.' Her face must have shown the turmoil her mind was in, as she felt two arms wrap around her waist with a mop of red hair leaning on her shoulder. Dropping the plans back onto the bed Shizuma returned the gesture.

"Don't worry so much Shi. You'll get wrinkles"

A deep chuckle rumbled from Shizuma, the worry along with the nerves faded away. All they could do now was to get some rest, for the new dawn would bring this mission to its head. For better or for worse.

It was still dark yet a faint glow on the horizon signalled the dawn wasn't too far off. A huge van pulled silently up to a kerb, a figure jumped out and hurriedly checked off two names for the ones that were patiently waiting. After a brief search of credentials they quickly got loaded up and in a flash they were off. The inside of the van was quiet, with only a nod of greeting from a rare few was given. The two new ones that had recently boarded stuck close together and watched in interest their surroundings. Their ride seemed familiar to that of their previous drives for work and it was revealed when they finally pulled to a stop. Exiting and standing to the side they marvelled that the beach was crowded of personnel and gear scattered all around. Three boats were seen being loaded and dispatched quickly only to return and do the same. The taller of the two took a few steps closer to the tide line yet nothing stood out in the darkest of the sea and new dawn.

"All right listen up!" a woman yelled fiercely above the loud rumble of chatter "next up to launch I want engineering squad 4 and security squad D. Make sure to register with your CO when you get aboard!"

A throng of people made their way to the sea where the boats were, shoving their own private gear on board then hauling themselves in. The two women made their own way down, a bag each and with slight help to the younger one they were well on their way. It was a quick trip, the bumpy ride and the sea spray certainly woke up any sleepy person.

"We're here" the silver haired spoke to her partner softly

The new rays of the sun were bright enough for all to see their destination. It wasn't much but the looming metal part they did see was enough to know it was a monster under the waves. Thick rope ladders already hung on the sides for them to climb up and large wooden pallet for the luggage. It was well organised. They were the second launch to disembark so the two agents had a chance to see how everything was set up. Up went the men then up hauled the bags. A line was then formed as they waited patiently for them to enter the beast.

"This is it." Nagisa mumbled pulling her cap lower over her face

"Whatever you do don't fall off the ladder. I'm not coming in to get you" Shizuma tried to lighten the mood. It worked as she got a small smile off her friend.

It was nice to find that manners had survived with their other passengers as ladies first were given first passage off. 'Why let us go first? I'll send Nagisa up first and I'll make sure nothing happens. You never know with these types. What's that guy's name we gotta report to…Donahue was it? I swear if I get a leering remark he'll end up in med bay in 3 seconds flat. I don't care if I get sent to the holding cell. I want this mission finished already!' They carefully climbed their way up, Nagisa slipped for a few hair-raising seconds until luckily she got quickly back in control and continued on her way. Their bags were collected and the line was now theirs to start as they trumped down the metal steps and into the submarine. Their real mission now began.

"Name" a brisk woman asked them with clipboard in hand and a very bored face to go with it

"Charlie Farrow" Nagisa replied sharpish

"Squad?"

"D"

"2 floors down barrack 3." The woman ushered her way making a scrawl on her board

Shizuma watched as Nagisa walked off through the doors and around the corner knowing she would wait for her there. Her turn came.

"Name"

"Brooke Myers"

"Squad?"

"D"

"2 floors down barrack 3"

Shizuma gave her a curt nod and set off the same way Nagisa had done just minutes ago. She found her with bag clenched tightly in front of her leaning against the wall, looking around with wide eyes. Shizuma barely gave it a once over as walked purposely towards her partner who fell immediately in step as they walked slowly to their assigned rooms. They didn't talk as they were busy acquainting themselves with their new settings, dodging the occasional worker who was already working. Languages of various nationalities gave voice and surprised to find such a mix. They traipsed down the two floors marvelling all the time the sheer size of it all, it was certainly bigger than the average model and Shizuma guessed there were various added extras to go with it.

A hand snaked out and grabbed onto Nagisa's arm as she walked on past, making them come to a sudden halt. Shizuma barely restrained herself from knocking the guys block off, as she watched a bulky looking man come into full view. He gave Nagisa a once over letting his eyes slowly linger, Nagisa looked quite disgusted in his interest and Shizuma barely held it together.

"Remove it or lose it" Nagisa growled at her captor

He didn't let go instead he gave a small smirk full of ill intentions "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"Trust me I would remember someone like you" Nagisa tried to yank her arm free

"Well I certainly remember you" giving a leering grin making Nagisa frown in repulsion "Must have been a few weeks back now. Back in England"

Shizuma grew tense at the words and she subtly noticed Nagisa did the same though she managed to keep it from showing. There was always the possibility that Nagisa would be recognised, far more so than herself, since the hackers last mission surrounded and kept her in close contact with the darker shades of deals. The outcome would consist either of persuasion, which in all honesty wasn't very likely since he seemed like an idiot, or a one way trip to Davey Jones locker. Neither looked at all promising. Shizuma moved closer without alerting the two scanning her eyes around at the quite silent corridor. However her full attention was soon focused on her partner.

"You have been busy. I'm impressed." Nagisa looked wide eyed as she said it soon turning into a smug grin "Unfortunately for you I haven't been in England in a while, now let me go!" The last few words uttered low and deep.

The man let a twitch escape him as he uncurled his fingers and let the redhead go, who in turn crossed her arms and gave him a full out glare. Shizuma had never really saw this side of Nagisa before, true they had fought but never did she take it so far to get this reaction.

"Humph… you don't scare me that easily" he said crossing his arms not fooling anyone with his words "I guess being out of that whore house of a mansion you can finally spread your wings huh?" looking to Shizuma he cocked his head to the side "well almost"

Shizuma moved as if to knock his head into the wall but as fast as she was Nagisa was faster. In a blink of an eye the bulky guy was crying out in pain, he was kneeling on the floor with a bloody nose and his arm twisted painfully at his back as Nagisa tightened her hold. Shizuma couldn't quite believe it herself; the usually hesitant woman in no time at all, with a man that outweighed her heavily had pinned him down and was yanking on his arm. 'I don't know whether to be impressed or turned on. This is a new side to her. I'd best not butt in, this is her show. I'll just enjoy it'

Nagisa leaned in to whisper harshly in his ear "Now you listen to me you piece of shit. You say anything like that again or whisper of any lies about us; I will personally make sure that you will never be intimate with a woman ever again."

With one last sharp twist and yelp of pain Nagisa let him go, walking over to stand by Shizuma. The beaten man slumped to the floor rolling his arm slightly to rid the pain, glowering at the women in front him. Shizuma didn't like the look so she gave him one of her own. Jumping to his feet hands clenched tightly he took one menacing step towards them. Being beaten by a slender woman had to hurt his pride.

"What's going on here?" a male voice bellowed out "damn it Cobb what have I warned you about?!"

Shizuma quickly assessed the new person, taking note of his military bearing, stern features which was contorted into irritation and anger at the minute and the uniform was one of the security men aboard rather than engineering or sub-mariner. Not to mention the fact that a gun holstered to your hip was a dead giveaway. They watched as he berated Cobb, seemingly as if he did this all the while and with a final glare their way fast tailed it out of there. Turning to face them Shizuma saw him assessing them, probably wondering if he berated the right person. Her sharp eyes focused on the name tag 'Donahue'. Oh great meeting your superior officer this way wasn't going to go down very well.

"Thank you for intervening Sir." Shizuma said with a quick nod of her head "we were just about to put our bags in the barrack and report to you"

Donahue raised an eyebrow as he checked a list in a small notepad, which he fished out of one of many pockets. Nodding his head at what he saw he put it away and looked again at the two before him. Shizuma couldn't understand what she was supposed to say; usually you were given a warning for what happened and then orders right after. As if reading her thoughts Donahue put hands on his hips then addressed them both.

"I don't want to catch you two in that situation again. Cobb maybe a twat but he's bloody good at his job." Shrugging his shoulders at his own words "Get your gear stowed away, your job is to patrol the engineering bay and you'll get your orders directly from me. We have the announcement first though you'll hear on the intercom where to go."

With a brisk nod of his head he walked off leaving the two women alone for the time being. Shizuma leaned gently on Nagisa, who in turn rested her head on her shoulder. Not a word was said as in sync they started off towards their room.

In their two bunk room with barely any room to move, Nagisa was lying full out on her bed whilst Shizuma put what little clothes she brought in the small drawer available. They had rotated doing this after getting in each other's way it was becoming a nuisance. With a final sigh of relief Shizuma shut the drawer and turned to face her partner who looked like she was daydreaming, walked carefully over to sit down by her side. It wasn't a comfy thing to do since the beds were quite narrow but it didn't matter as such, Shizuma wanted to be next to her.

"Nagisa" Shizuma softly called to her only getting a hum in response "If Reede wants revenge, as we think he does, how is he going to do that from this far away?"

"I was looking into that" rolling onto her side to face the etoile "apparently when he designed the conduits the subject of the long trails on the seabed came up. He proposed the use of terminals to help long distance streaming. So the data jumps from one to the other making its way to the final destination. So whoever he wants revenge on and what he wants to gain…"

Shizuma saw the frown mar her face and reached out to clasp her hand which was given a gentle squeeze of appreciation. A loud hissing noise came from around them which Shizuma knew had to be the intercom. They never did sound right or clear. A monotone voice tested it then proceeded with their announcement.

"Can all mariners and engineers report to their allocated station. The security squads if not told otherwise please come to the main control room."

It was repeated twice more and outside the closed door footsteps were beginning to tread their way around. Shizuma drew in a deep breath and with a final squeeze to her partner's hand, disentangled herself and stood up with Nagisa following soon after. They were about to meet The Archive, right in the heart of his lair.

They were walking single file along the tight corridor, their eyes darting everywhere as they took in their surroundings. The interior was brightly lit with no chance of hiding around a corner to escape, even with all the light it still felt like a cold place with all the exposed tubing, grates with the occasional hissing of something that sounded eerie. It felt like a mausoleum with living corpses walking around. When you feel uneasy apparently your imagination goes into overdrive. Shizuma despite observing everything around her kept a wary eye on her partner as she walked behind her. It was an unconscious habit she had picked up, not that she minded at all. The redhead had a knack for attracting trouble or was it the other way around?

As they were nearing the destination, the heavy steps of military boots stomping all around brought home the amount of men were actually aboard. 'This is way more muscle than I thought. Though I don't know why I'm surprised. He's got he's own sub, designed and created by him, a mini sub and gotten hold of a dangerous tech Virus. Why not add a hundred men too?! Let's get this part over with.'

They reached the control room. Like Shizuma had predicted The Archive surely knew how to do things in style. The room was huge, with one huge screen filling the section of wall in front, at the moment it showed the deep blue depths of the sea with navigation controls situated directly in front. Behind and around it was consoles and glass maps, ones like M had in the vessel from before, Shizuma remembered as her eyes quickly passed by the chair which could only be His. It was on a little raised platform with a swivel stand so he could see every part of the room. There was enough space to move freely among the stations and even with the extra people, like the security at the moment, it never did feel overcrowded. Shizuma glance upwards and saw an intricate design of pipes woven together like a tapestry. It looked way too fragile to withstand much.

A nudge to her side brought her out of her interior decorating mode, as Nagisa purposefully looked to one console which could only be one thing. Two security guards stood at each side all smartly dressed and each holding a machine gun, not being closer she couldn't identify the model, with another holstered to their hips. They looked like overkill. The console itself was merely just as curious, with an oval base and a small screen attached there were a few buttons and switches located on it. Nothing remarkable made it stand out. Nevertheless that was what they had come for. Nodding her head once to signal to her partner Shizuma was interrupted by the owner himself.

Reede walked in with a swagger and an arrogant smile plastered firmly on his face, he was wearing a black suit with the only colour being a deep crimson tie. Giving his creation a once over he walked swiftly over to his seat and gracefully sat down with one leg overlapping the other. 'Smarmy bastard.' Shizuma immediately thought as she watched him. The Archive didn't arrive alone. Two high ranking officers accompanied him, walking to stand to his left hand side and a little to the rear. Yet all the etoile's focus was that of the third. It seemed a collective shiver went down the spines of all present at their approach, with some looking rather uncomfortable. The Shadow had cast its presence to all as they stood to his right. The door to the room was closed a clang of metal and finality. All were waiting for orders, all looked to the man seated all wondered what job they had really signed up for.

Making a show of it The Archive waited patiently for a few minutes letting the atmosphere set itself. Figuring it was long enough he rose from his chair and looked all around the room.

"Submerge us deep and set our course to the objective." The men jumped to his command as they set about their task.

The engine roared to new heights making a deep constant rumbling noise, certain lights blinked on around them, men gave and received orders with familiarity all of it going smoothly. The screen switched on showing their path as the water rushed fast past them, suddenly splitting in half showing a map with their goal marked and the path they would take and had took. Shizuma hated to admit it but she was certainly impressed.

"Put me on speaker so everyone can hear me" Reede ordered "This is The Archive speaking. Listen well to my words now. We have submerged and are now heading to the first step of my plans. Plans with which I will share with you now. Most of you here have been in the military, now cast aside or forced to leave the safe haven of your country. Where is the loyalty they have shown you? Some of you are mercenaries who wander from one sponsor to another. All are equal on this vessel of mine. We all travel under the same flag. My flag. We travel now to put a stop to the shadows that lurk and taint the governments which we used to serve. You know who I mean."

Reede paused to let his words sink in. Shizuma shot Nagisa a look from the corner of her eye, in return she saw the redhead finally realising where he was leading this war against and where the attack will first begin.

"These shadows lurk in every part of everything. They storm through lives as if they are of no consequence. Our secrets pulled to the open, exposed are we to the eyes of our peers. They turn governments to their side of thinking; deals are made to their satisfaction and lives forever disrupted by their influence. No more. I will bring to light those that travel in the darkness. Starting with my own country. I do not want power over the countries, oh no, but no longer will I abide by the actions they take any longer."

Shizuma was trembling with suppressed rage and nerves. His words describing what he planned to do, made their jobs that much more dangerous. If he got hold of Astraea's plans too soon every agents cover, in all parts of the world would be in serious danger. His next words showed how much she was right.

"Don't you agree Agents" Reede smirked looking directly at them

Shizuma was pounced on far too quick to put up much of a fight or to register what was going on. Her arms were seized, her gun removed and quickly patted down, only to be pushed roughly to her knees. Her ears picked up the mutinous mutterings of the others surrounding them, her eyes darted everywhere sparing her partner a quick once over. Nagisa was held in roughly the same way looking paler than anything. 'What the hell just happened? How on earth did we get ousted? What is he up to?'

"We're in range Sir" one of the drivers yelled

Shizuma and Nagisa was dragged to the front and once more forced to kneel. They watched the sight before them on the screen. Many lights lit the sea bed some still and others in motion. Reede moved closer to the defeated women with his right hand keeping close.

"Watch and witness the destruction of your so called government intelligence." Reede mocked them turning to face another he shouted "Signal them to start and when they return load them aboard immediately."

On the screen showed a close shot of a mini-sub humming its way past the camera position heading directly for the largest collection of lights. It was quite a fast thing as it soon disappeared from view.

"Three minutes to conduit terminal"

Shizuma strained against her captors only to be held tighter and firmer than before. It just wasn't a good day. Another thing she was worried about was her partners lack of resistance to the whole thing, shooting her a quick glare all she got was a small smile back. A twitch of the redheads arm, made the etoile's eyes focus on her hands, which in rested a small capsule that was blinking. A beacon. 'Smart girl'

"Target reached preparing the incision, beginning download"

"What kind of fool do you take me for?" Reede asked in slight disbelief as he turned towards the agents "I've known right from the start that two agents were coming to foil my plans. I have well-placed sources, even in your halls of secrets. You should never leave a woman scorned. Especially one with bite."

Shizuma gave him a death glare, the best she could do from her locked position, hiding her worries underneath. 'He has insider knowledge? That explains and disturbs me.' Not wanting to look at his gloating face, the etoile looked around the control room recognising the Virus console immediately. It was flickering wildly with many a bleeps emitting from it. Other glances at the other panels in the room she knew that her situation was drastically worsening.

It was now active.

A/N: Hey readers sorry to keep you waiting and more so for the actionless chapter. I had a little trouble with it. So please forgive me :( The sub I think if I was going to attck would be designed like 'The Seaquest' I think its a cool ship lol.

Well R/R please tell me what you think. Happy reading! :)