Groza woke with the sun, setting about making something that could be reasonably called food, if only to pass the time.
"Groza?" SV-98 stumbled out first, moving to make something that, according to the sniper, passed for coffee. The squad leader couldn't say that she agreed, but she also didn't care for the beverage overall. "Plan?"
"We will deal with getting FAL and company on board first." SV-98 hummed, quietly, swirling her drink. "What is it?"
"The Commander. He didn't seem very enthused." SV-98's eyes told the deeper story, the sniper obviously caught on to the same thing Groza did. He phrased it very specifically, leaving the decision up to her, but without expressly forbidding anything. An old standby, one Groza even used herself from time to time.
"He also didn't object." She pointed out, leaning against the counter. "It's not much different from the old days." A deliberate pause. "At least he takes our feelings and ideas into account."
"True." Huffing, SV-98 jerked her head to the side. "And the girl?"
That, Groza admitted she didn't entirely agree with, given that the Commander quite obviously had an agenda, one she simply could not figure out. "I don't know. I am reserving judgement for now." She arched an eyebrow.
"Don't like it. She's good at sneaking, but she's never fired a gun in her life, and isn't cut out for this." Downing her coffee, the sniper gave her leader a sharp look. "She didn't even know what she was going to do when she found whatever she was looking for. Honestly?"
"She is young, idealistic, and full of opinions about how the world works." Snorting, Groza went back to raiding the cabinets for something edible without any success. "It isn't that different from many of the Officers we've served under, SV."
"No, but they had military training, and discipline. She's just a civilian. You can't tell me you think putting her into this line of work is smart."
"I didn't say I did." She gave up and pulled out a box of cereal. "Besides, she is the Commander's problem after this, not ours." SV-98 grunted. "We worry about that later. For now, her breaking and entering skills will be useful."
"What exactly are you going to do about FAL and company anyway?" From a pocket in her coat, SV-98 produced her phone. "From what you said, it's not like they can just up and leave, so what's the plan?"
"I need to meet with FAL later today." Groza paused, as Fleur slouched into the room. "Then Fleur here can hold up her end of the bargain."
"Doing what?" The girl's eyes narrowed in on the taller blonde. "I know it's helping some other Dolls for some reason, but what's that got to do with me?"
"Thievery, and breaking and entering." Unphased by the tone, and glare, Groza actually took a moment to sneak a bite of her cereal, and suppressed a grimace at the papery taste.. "FAL and her squad are contracted by their current…employer, who took the lessons of the war to heart, and wants hard copies of everything. According to FAL there is a safe containing those contracts in his office."
"I'll need codes or combinations." Grabbing the cereal herself, Fleur muttered something else, probably rude. "I can get inside places; I can't break into safes." She paused. "Well, and a layout of the building, and a bunch of other info
"That is what I am meeting FAL for." Groza nodded. "One of her subordinates will have obtained that combination, and they will ensure that their employer is sufficiently distracted while you acquire the contracts of all employees. From there, we can ensure that FAL and her comrades are transferred to the Commander's employ, and get on to solving your mayoral problem."
"Right." Fleur sat. "So, when are we doing this? I know you are supposedly going to prevent anything weird from happening, but police have been after me for ages, and I don't think just walking about with a bunch of Dolls is gonna change that."
"It won't." Groza nodded. "PP-2000 and Tiss will ensure you aren't identified." And would be her minders, but Fleur didn't need to know that part. "SV-98 will watch your back."
"Where will you be?" The young woman grumbled, probably thinking that Groza would be staying away from this.
Not that Groza's answer would help matters. "With FAL. If the illusion of Griffon's non-involvement is to last until such time as we spring the trap on him, I need to be very obviously preoccupied."
"Getting laid." Fleur snorted. "Didn't think Dolls cared about that." SV-98 hacked up a laugh in her coffee, stopping immediately when Groza fixed her with a hard look.
"Groza doesn't. I think she usually says something about not caring about the pleasure of the flesh or something." The sniper chortled.
"Thank you." Groza replied, keeping her voice dry. "For that sterling assessment of my personality." Fleur's half smile made the exchange worthwhile. Groza did understand the value of having the girl trust them, at least for now, and if that trust came at the expense of her dignity she would accept it, in the end. "Any other questions?"
"Not for now." Fleur waved a spoon at her, obviously a vague 'go away' gesture, and Groza rolled her eyes, but returned to her own breakfast.
-Faded Glory-
This time, no one so much as blinked when Groza walked into the building, or paid, and she even caught a knowing smile on one staff member's face. She made a mental note of that before letting herself be led upstairs and to a different room as the previous day, although with the same internal layout.
Settling into the chair to wait, Groza did a quick mental overview of the situation. SV-98 and Tiss were with Fleur, waiting for the cue to strike out for their part in this little dance. PP-2000 and OTs-39 remained back at 'base', waiting for further instructions, either from Groza herself, or the Commander. If all went according to plan, she would have a full extra squad to work with during the next stage of their operation, which in Groza's unprofessional opinion seemed petty and spiteful. Then again, the Commander obviously knew something the rest of them didn't so perhaps what struck her as petty and spiteful had some merit to it. Or, perhaps the Commander was, in fact, just petty and spiteful at times.
With a click the door opened. "Groza." FAL sauntered in, wearing her little half smile. "You move quickly." Despite the situation, the other Doll kept up the seductress act, swaying across the floor, settling onto the arm of the chair in a way that offered a view of plenty, which Groza pointedly ignored, in favor of meeting her eyes.
"And so do you." Groza let the implication hang, even as FAL's smiles widened, obviously unbothered by the accusation. "We found our 'target' and apparently there have been more than a few changes of plans." The previous day, FAL mentioned at least some potential for video monitoring on following visits, so it would be best to play her game, even if Groza really didn't care for it.
"Oh? Do tell?" The amusement dancing behind FAL's eyes told enough of a story as it was, and Groza suppressed a scowl at the other Doll's amusement at her suffering. "What does your Commander have you running off doing now?" The fake sympathy only added to the pain. Then again, FAL really did probably find it funny given what Groza figured out about her so far.
"Recruiting your help with dealing with our other problem." FAL cocked her head to the side, ever the attentive ear, although behind her eyes, Groza saw the gears turning. "Whether anyone likes it or not, you are probably best positioned to have dirt on highly positioned individuals within the city. You, or one of your companions."
"I might." Cheeky, but expected, in Groza's opinion. Stretching a bit, FAL picked up the thread. "Who are you looking for information about, la terrur?"
"Your dear mayor." FAL's eyes narrowed in response to Groza's frank admission. "When our little thief explained their intentions to the Commander, he seemed quite invested in seeing her private quest for removal of the man through."
"While I admit to finding him a rather obnoxious individual, I do not see why he might wish the mayor ill." FAL gently pushed Groza back into the chair, before landing deftly on her feet, putting a thoroughly exaggerated sway in her hips as she crossed the room once more, jacket falling down her back, lingering for a moment on her fingertips, before hitting the floor. "Did ton commandant provide any further information?"
"He's ex-military." FAL snorted, throwing a look over her shoulder that blended a mixing of annoyance and sex appeal rather well. "If I had to guess it's something from the war itself, but the Commander is not Czech, nor eastern European…"
FAL turned, and Groza noted her left hand to be closed into a fist as she crossed the room once again. "I admit to knowing very little about the battles fought here, my squad was stationed in Berlin at that point of the war…" Fishing for information in the most practiced of ways.
"Petersburgh." Groza shrugged willing to give that up without a fight. "They didn't put us on the frontlines at first. Command didn't trust us." FAL hummed, that said enough. Both sides had that issue at first with IOP Dolls, although the Soviet side perhaps the most. Groza sat up, to better focus for a moment. "A possibility one of your subordinates would know something?"
"I personally do not, but I am not the one who usually gets the…clientele that would know things." Gently pushing Groza back, FAL settled into her lap, smirk deepening at the flickering annoyance in Groza's eyes. "I can certainly ask, but I will need to know precisely what you are looking for, oui?" She leaned down, lips brushing across Groza's neck, and whispered a string of numbers, ones Groza committed to memory immediately.
Pushing ahead with the rest of the talk, Groza kept going, despite the effort to distract her. "Money. Fleur's sure something weird is going on, but can't manage to prove it, only that the money is sitting around, unspent." Groza tapped her fingers into the chair, as one of FAL's hands ran down her sides, slipping into a pocket for just a moment. "Odd friends…why are there Russian soldiers here for that matter?"
FAL nipped at her neck. "Russians were brought here, invited in. They say they will own the city when they visit me. That they will bring me back with them and commit a great many wicked acts." Groza considered herself experienced in odd situations. But, having another Tactical Doll putting forwards a surprising effort into seducing her, while feeding her information about the new target of their mission, while Groza herself plotted for said Doll's freedom ranked up there in the most surreal moments of her life. "I don't think the city will have a choice before long…so perhaps your little scheme is for the best, hmm?"
-Faded Glory-
"Message received." Tiss declared, monotone voice serving to be more unsettling for SV-98 than anything else. She slid her phone across the roof, towards Fleur, who eyes it warily.
"New, touchpad, twelve digits." Fleur muttered. "I think I can do that."
"Safe is in the office, eastern wall." SV-98 muttered, looking back down her scope to get the best view of the room. "Window to the south is already open. Door opens towards the safe, and will offer some time to hide."
"Got it." Fleur pulled a loan from SV-98 out of her back. A military grade thermal-insulating camouflage cape, designed to hide you from both thermic sensors and visual ones. Something SV-98 herself knew she shouldn't really possess but was useful for this mission. SV-98 flipped the switch on her scope, for thermal anyways. While the capes did a good job, they weren't perfect if you knew what to look for. "I'm good whenever." Fleur declared.
"You will return that." SV-98 commanded, pleased to see the girl flinch a bit. "But yes. I'll watch your six. Tiss. Overwatch."
"Ma'am." The AR shifted her positioning, as Fleur vanished under the cloak. Now, for the long painful part of this operation. Waiting for Fleur to sneak across, and into the room. They lay still on a nearby roof, watching, waiting. "Nobody is watching." Tiss reported, as the girl slipped the window before stalking, slowly across the room.
"Understood." SV-98 shifted her position slightly, it was getting uncomfortable. "Groza?"
"Not talking." A pause, heavy, and full of questions. "You think?"
"No." SV-98 muttered it. She didn't care to gossip, and she already knew the answer anyway. Call it the peculiarities of her superior officer.
"Why?"
"You heard what she did to those soldiers who got physical." Fleur's fingers danced over the safe, and it opened. Fingers darted out, pulling folders and folders free, before closing it and starting towards the window, when the door opened. "And she's got a…history, let's call it."
The man who stepped in could be described and weedy, thin and unimposing. He swaggered across the floor, narrowly missing the camouflaged Fleur, before dropping into his chair. Fleur, under her cloak stood utterly frozen under the thermal scope, and SV-98 considered the best way to react. Unless Fleur did something dumb, the man wouldn't spot her, so they had time.
Step one, tell Groza, as SV-98 couldn't do anything that didn't involve bullets from out here. "Tiss. Tell Groza, Fleur has the papers, but the guy is back. She's not going to make it out without a distraction."
"Copy." Fingers tapped, SV-98 keeping her scope trained on the situation. Groza forbade her from shooting him, but she could hit the window and distract if need be. It'd be a mess though, and she didn't want to piss off the new Commander, yet. "Groza says she is on it."
"Understood." The minute ticked by, when the door opened again, a figure that, from the thermals, SV-98 pegged as a Doll immediately. Heat didn't spread through the body correctly, compared to a human. Under thermal scope, she couldn't pick out much detail, but the door behind stood open, and Fleur seemed to see her chance, creeping slowly across the room. "She's clear."
"Groza confirms." SV-98 sat up, with a muffled curse. "Our job is done." Tiss hummed. "It'll be a bit. Grab a coffee?"
"Sure."
-Faded Glory-
Two hours later, they sat around the table, sorting out the paperwork. Tiss quickly divided documents into several piles, including 'contracts', 'money', 'no clue', and 'reasons to kill him'. SV-98 originally assumed that was Tiss's idea of a joke. That, she realized, wasn't the case when she started thumbing through the pages. Groza meanwhile, appeared to be actively searching for something in particular.
"Groza." She held up some of the papers. "You see this?" Passing the file over, she watched the other Doll's eyes narrow, for a moment at the top. "I'm sure you can use that."
A slight widening of her eyes signaled SV-98 found her leader's target. "I can." Groza's expression turned cold, and SV-98 said a tiny prayer for someone's soul. She'd seen that look, and it ended a man's career, marriage, and life in one fell swoop. "PP-2000, reach out to the following individual. Suggest we may be able to…collect on a debt owed to them." For a moment everyone stared at her, until Groza tossed the file on the table, and PP-2000 snapped it up. "FAL provided an interesting tidbit to go with our search for her employment contract. It appears our new friends Novák owes a fair bit of debt to a few political figures, significant debts."
"So you intend to offer our services to collect those debts." SV-98 picked up, nodding along with the idea, although Groza's expression still worried her. Fleur looked up from the papers she was flipping through eyes darting between them, seeming to sense something wrong. "Channeling the old Colonel, hm?"
"Yes." Groza said it blandly, and SV-98 suppressed a retort. She'd hated the bastard, but it was hard to deny the man could get things done, and Groza really did learn most of her tricks back during that awful three-month period. "As Fleur did us a favor and ran off with all of his important documents, we can negotiate from a position of strength…and we need not reveal how we obtained them." Fleur deflated in the corner of SV-98's eyes.
"If this politician agrees to play along with you." Fleur tried to insist. "Most of them aren't too keen on playing along without a reason." OTs-39 snorted.
The white-haired SMG pointed out. "Groza can persuade them if she needs to."
"Without threats." SV-98 cut in, feeling it important to clarify that point.
"She won't need to." PP-2000 reappeared, still holding the folder. "Mrs. Francová wishes to speak with Groza, but has preliminarily agreed to employ us to recover the debts owed to her by Emile. Novák."
"Understood." Groza rose, grace and poise settling across her shoulders once more, as she strode into the other room, leaving them to wait.
"I don't know if you are insane, or geniuses." Shaking her head, Fleur shrunk into herself. "Why would she agree to do this?"
"No idea." OTs-39 took the documents from PP-2000 "Not our job to worry about that. We just do the job we are hired for, and leave the big picture worrying to Groza and the Commander."
"But you are reaching out to be hired for it!"
All eyes snapped to SV-98. "What?" the sniper blinked, not sure why she turned into the spokesperson of the group.
"You're the best one to explain." PP-2000 pointed out with a half shrug. "You've known her longer than we have and you know about the Colonel that she hates so much, but apparently is channeling now." A pregnant silence filled the air. "The one she declared our first Commander reminded her of, and then she never said another word about it?"
"And I'm pretty sure she'll gut me if I tell you." The sniper retorted, before deflating under the collective looks. "Look, the short answer is, during the war, Groza and I served under a Colonel up in St. Petersburgh. Piece of work thought the world existed to serve him and him only. We were on rear guard duty, it was early in the war, so it wasn't as if we were threatened. NATO had just taken it in the teeth, so there was talk about moving up rear-line troops to better control occupied territory." SV-98 paused for a while. "There wasn't much intent to treat Belarus nice, during those early days, and he knew it."
"Why are we talking about this." Groza reappeared, and it was telling every other Doll looked away, even Fleur shrank away.
"No reason to hide it from them." SV-98 her the other blonde's eyes, doing her best to avoid wilting like she wanted to. She didn't really think she'd win, the other blonde rarely gave in, but maybe she could pull through this. "In our unit he was known to be a manipulative lying piece of human trash, and for whatever reason he took Groza here under his wing for a while." SV-98's lips quirked. "At least, until she used his own tricks to get him court martialed for…something?"
"Nothing important." Groza waved off the question, although the upturn of her lips suggested pride. "We have employment as debt collectors." For a moment their leader paused, seeming to consider the plan of action. "Now, to ensure deniability, I will not be with you." She stopped, and the other four looked between each other, surprised. Groza never liked letting other people control situations she could control herself.
"Still say you just want an excuse to get laid." Fleur muttered, and the tension broke with nervous chuckles.
"Despite FAL's best efforts, my clothes do in fact, remain on." SV-98 took a second to unpack that statement and tried very very hard to not break into manic laughter. "OTs-39, Tiss." Both looked up. "I trust you can handle this?"
"Ma'am." Tiss offered a half salute. "I'm sure we can handle that. "Just tell me what exactly you said, we can handle it."
-Faded Glory-
Emil Novák sat behind his desk, sorting out the last of the day's paperwork, before rising, and moving to the wall safe that stored important paper documents. Most people thought him slightly mad for keeping hard copies in the modern age, but he preferred to have the back up. Besides, vast swathes of business went under at the start of the war when nukes blew out data centers with electronic only copies of vital documents.
As he started to punch the code someone knocked on his office door. "Sir?" One of the Dolls…FNC that was her name, stuck her head inside. She didn't work with the girls, but did run odds and ends errands, so he considered her better than deadweight at least. "There are a pair of Griffon Dolls here to see you."
He stopped. Griffon. What would the PMC have to do with him? His clientele included more than a few soldiers, and he suspected at least one Griffon Commander, but Kryuger's dogs rarely came to Prague, at least after Hrjesa came to power. One of the benefits of the situation, although he knew the Mayor didn't see it that way. Granted it was not as if Griffon could do anything about him, his Dolls were legally hired, and all the paperwork was dealt with, by lawyers even. Then again, he didn't care to get involved in the machinations of PMCs. People who did that tended to end up dead.
"Show them in." He turned back to his desk. She nodded and scampered off.
It took only a few moments for the two Dolls to step into his office. Both of them seemed ordinary enough, both white haired. The one on the left wore a red and black dress with shoulders and arms covered by a jacket that did little to hide the very obvious shape of a knife. Although the assault rifle slung across her back made that somewhat moot. Her companion's style of dress was similar, although the dress uniform style of coat and skirt slightly didn't match, and her weapon appeared to be an SMG.
"Ladies." He motioned to the chairs, for them to sit. "To whom am I speaking?" They sat, on the edge of the seats, stiff, closed off posture. Best to play things safe then, he decided.
"OTs-12." The one on the left spoke up first. "And this is OTs-39." She folded her hands on her lap, wearing a half little smirk. He didn't like that smirk, somehow. It reminded him of FAL or Five-seveN just before they sprung something on him.
Fine, he'd play along for now. No reason not to let them play the petty little game, when they didn't have leverage. "And what can I do for you?"
"You can provide us with a sum equivalent or greater than the debts owed to a Mrs. Francová." OTs-12 declared, without any preamble. He bit his cheek hard enough to taste blood. What the hell were they talking about, and why the hell did Francová believe she could call that in? They had a deal damnit! A deal that didn't involve armed Tactical Dolls in his office!
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Novák leaned back, opting to play it cool and try and bluff his way out.
"Yes, you do." From her coat, OTs-39 produced a slim folder, opening it and beginning to read. "You owe a sum of twelve and a half thousand Euros to our employer, as a result of a loan paid to you to ensure purchase of this building. You owe one hundred and seventy thousand Euros, as a result of transactions to ensure your business did not fall under public scrutiny. You owe six thousand Euros due to an incident involving a vase-"
"Enough." He cut her off. "How do you-"
He was cut off sharply. "Our employer was quite thorough in her list of debts to collect upon." OTs-12 picked up the thread. She extended a hand, receiving the folder from her companion. "You may examine the list for yourself if you wish."
"We had a deal!" He snatched the folder, spinning it, and opening it, only to feel his blood run cold. He knew this paper, those pages. Knew them intimately in fact. "Where did you get this?!"
"From our employer." OTs-12 blinked once, unphased by his outburst.
"There is only one copy of this ledger in existence and it is mine!"
"It is not my concern where the document came from." The Doll unfolded her hands, a slow, deliberate motion that belied a certain threat. "I am merely concerned with the job we were given. Namely the recovery of the debts you owe." He shoved the chair back, standing, all but towering over time.
"Listen here, I don't know what the hell you are playing at, or who hired you, but you can tell them to go fuck themselves! And tell them when I find out who they are, they are finished!" She met his eyes, not so much as flinching.
"You may tell Mrs. Francová yourself." She laid a mobile phone down on the table, and he picked it up, staring at the pre-dialed number. Francová's office." Either they were bluffing with their lives, or she really did renege on the deal.
He punched the call button. It rang twice. "Yes…"
"Francová. There are a pair of Griffon Tactical Dolls claiming you hired them as debt collectors." He didn't beat around the bush, not really caring about context. If she really did hire them, she'd know what he was talking about.
"Ah yes. OTs-12, and OTs-39. You will provide them with your owed debts, or they will provide you, and proof of your crimes to the authorities." She sounded quite pleased with herself, and the pickle he was in. "If you resist, you will, of course, run the risk of an accident, which I am assured will be both uncomfortable and permanent." If he fought back, they could kill him. While brothels were legal, he'd done enough illegal things nobody would care a wit. "Please hurry up. My daughter needs a new laptop for school and I'd like to make that purchase tonight." As if she lacked the money.
"You sick bitch." He hung up, staring at the Dolls. He could just pay, he had the money. But something about this reeked, including how they got ahold of his personal files from…his safe! How did they get into his safe? "Fine."
He stood, moving to the safe, keying in the numbers at frantic speeds. The lock clicked and opened to reveal his on-hand cash, and…none of his folders. For a few moments he stared at the void before he rounded on the Griffon Dolls. "What the hell did you do!"
"I do not follow." OTs-12's hand crept to her weapon, eyes narrowing. He became a threat in that moment.
"What do you mean you don't follow you stupid-" he froze. Would admitting that he'd lost his entire folder of contracts and monetary books be a good idea? Worse, further threatening these Dolls with orders to drag him in if they had to? "Whatever." He grabbed a checkbook, slamming the safe, and walking back to his desk, scrawling out the amount and signing in a flourish. "There. That's enough for her?"
OTs-39 accepted the check, giving it a quick look, before nodding. "That is the specified sum, yes."
"Then get the hell out of my office." Neither of them moved. "I said-"
The she-devil shook her head. "There is another matter we are going to settle first." OTs-39 produced another folder and handed it to OTs-12. "You will be transferring this contract to Griffon Sector 9" She tossed it on the desk with a thump.
He opened the folder, and started. FAL's face stared back, and he slammed in shut, preparing to explode once more.
"Refuse, and this check in my hand will never reach our employer." OTs-39 explained softly. "You will suffer an accident that is…uncomfortable and permanent, I believe is her words?" How did she…right. A Doll. "Consider it a gesture of good faith."
"Fuck you, I'm not signing away-" OTs-12's weapon swung across her lap. The safety clicked off. "If I die, someone is going to notice. Military types frequent this place, I know some of them by name-"
"By which time we are gone." She replied, with the same bland tone as talking about the weather. "While you have security cameras, I'm afraid they are currently malfunctioning and thus, there is no evidence you did not commit suicide." Her fingers drummed into the side of her rifle. His palms broke into a cold sweat, staring into that pair of unfeeling orbs. She really would probably kill him, if ordered. While Dolls usually couldn't…did he want to risk it…. FAL always claimed that she could, in theory, gut him like a fish. And with that kukri…
He pushed the intercom, and a moment later, FNC stuck her head in. "Get FAL and the rest of you lot." He barked, feeling a sort of rage building up at the Doll.
"Good choice." Relaxing back into the chair, OTs-12 re-safed her weapon. He felt no joy in that, knowing he'd live, at the expense of his business, and livelihood.
Minutes ticked by, before the five Dolls piled in, with an extra. Tall, blond, golden eyed, and wearing a half smirk, this new Doll moved to stand between the first two, and hand on each of their shoulders. "Good." Her voice was soft, but carried a layer of command he recognized from his military dealings. This one, whoever she was, meant business but where had- "You didn't make too much trouble."
"I…" He gulped. "Who are you?" Under those eyes, he felt tiny. Worthless. Powerless even..
She considered it for a while. "My name is Groza." She gestured to the papers, with a raised eyebrow. He hastily scribbled the words sliding it across for her to sign. She glanced, signing with a flourish and taking the folder. "A pleasure. This is of course the only copy?" He nodded reluctantly. "Excellent." Her eyes flickered to FAL. "Do leave him alive." And the Griffon Dolls left, leaving him feeling very, very afraid. Moreso when FNC, Ballista and FN-49 trooped out, leaving him with the two Dolls that scared him most. FAL and Five-seveN.
"Well, you decided what you are going to do?" The latter asked, with a teasing grin.
For a while he wondered if FAL was just going to kill him without saying a word. He knew she could do it, as she advanced on him, all traces of her seductress act gone. Then again, he knew how much of an act that was, given when he'd first hired her on, a warning came from Five-seveN. The Captain will tolerate you, but if you push her too far, or if you hurt one of us, she will end you. And I will help.
"FAL, I-"
"Be quiet." He shut his mouth, as she stalked around the desk, as she glared down at him. "Five-seveN."
"Captain?"
"Lock the door." His blood chilled. He was going to die anyways. The door clicked locked, the other doll sashaying back. To sit on the edge of his desk, something she often did, when they…well he didn't want to think about that right now.
"Well…what are you going to do?"
"A good question." FAL stared down at him. "She," A gesture at her counterpart, is of the opinion that I should end you here and now. Groza doesn't care, although it does seem to be a terrible inconvenience to her, killing you. She has been most cooperative, and put up with my act to fool you and yours." FAL sighed almost to herself. "But, you have also held up your end of the bargain, largely…even if I know it is only because you believe Five-seveN's threats."
"Don't try and pretend they aren't true."
"If you hurt them…You wouldn't know you were dead, Novák." FAL said it with a straight face, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him up to eye level, dangling awkwardly off his chair. "But you did not." She dropped him, and he hit the floor with a grunt. "Consider your life my present to you. Do try and use what is left well." He decided not to comment on the view he got as she turned to leave.
"Keep staring at the Captain's ass, and I will gouge out your eyes, Oui?" Five-seveN smiled at him, over the desk, and he averted his eyes at once. It wasn't worth that, and she appeared to realize it from meeting his eyes. "Tres Bein." And with a thump, she pushed off his desk and left, leaving Emil Novák laying in a heap on the floor of his office, unsure if he should feel relieved to have escaped that encounter alive, or horrified at the implications of FAL's parting words.
AN: And done, in between Isomer guides and ranking. Blamely Clearly for this entire chapter, he gave me the idea, and it worked so wonderfully well. No, I am not having to much fun. Not at all. I return to the Isomer grind in the morning, but this is a nice escape for a bit in the middle.
Thanks to Branded_King for the beta work as always, and go read Toy Soldiers, it's great and fluffy.
